Here are some bacteria you can find in almost any bathroom.
Since bathrooms are places where we maintain our bodily hygiene, one would think they are super clean and safe for us. If not properly sterilized and cleaned, bathrooms can be heaven for a number of bacteria which can spread all over our bodies and within them, thus causing medical problems and disease. Especially if you live in a big family, with small kids who should develop properly, bathroom hygiene should be your top priority. This does not mean cleaning the toilet seat occasionally or scrubbing the floor every once in a while. It means rising sanitary levels to the highest! Let’s find out what bacteria can be found in the bathroom.
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E-coli
Even though e-Coli is often accused of being ‘bad’, it is, however, a good bacteria which (usually) lives in your intestines. Its main purpose is to help you with digestion, but when its number increases it can cause serious problems, such as vomiting, fevers, cramps, diarrhea and cholera-like disease, which can be fatal. Since it is found in the feces of both humans and animals, the first place where you will find it is the toilet. The toilet seat and the entire surface of the toilet must be cleaned almost on a daily basis. But this is not where it stops – e-coli can also be found on the bathroom floor, on the soap and the furnishings, and even on the bathroom doorknob. This is why it is essential to wash your hands after using the toilet and prevent e-coli from spreading.
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Streptococcus
Streptococcus is a bacteria which can lead to streptococcus disease, and it is a very common one as well. Its overgrowth in the organism can be manifested by sore throat problems, nasopharyngeal secretion, and high temperature. It can also lead to more serious health problems which cannot be treated so easily, such as rheumatic fever, scarlet fever, and kidney disease. This bacteria can easily be found on the skin, especially in hands, so what you can do to prevent it from spreading further is to maintain proper hand hygiene – wash your hands and nails thoroughly and more often during the day, change hand towels and do not use body towels for hands or face. Another thing you can do to prevent it from spreading is to switch soap bars with liquid soap push applicators. And keep the guest towel separate from the family towel.
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Paratuberculosis
This bacteria is found to be the trigger of Crohn’s disease. This disease causes digestive tract lining inflammation, thus causing diarrhea, nausea, fatigue and weight loss. Around a quarter million people living in the UK are diagnosed with Crohn’s disease. Even though previous research has suggested that it can be caused by inhalation of the bacteria, a recent research published in the journal Pathogens has found that paratuberculosis can be spread via shower – especially those shower heads which are not usually in use. What you can do to prevent it from entering your system via inhalation or digestion is to spray the water from the shower head for a few minutes before use. This way, it will be released into the sewage along with the water it came with from the rivers and plumbing installations.
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Salmonella
Salmonella is a type of bacteria that can live in the human and animal gut. Salmonella infection, also known as salmonellosis, can occur when we take this bacteria into our intestines. The easiest way of spreading it is when you do not close the toilet lid before flushing, as well as not washing your hands after you have used the toilet, thus letting it spread wherever you lay your hand upon. People can also get salmonella poisoning from undercooked or raw food which contains or is contaminated with the bacteria, usually chicken or pork. If you have stomach cramps, diarrhea, nausea, if you are vomiting and are having bad headaches, the odds are is that you have somehow caught the salmonella bacteria. And the first thing you should examine is the bathroom.
Prevention – or – How do I fight bacteria in the bathroom?
The first thing in preventing bacteria from spreading all over your house is to clean your bathroom thoroughly. Not from time to time, but regularly.
A renowned Sydney-based emergency plumbing company suggest you change your whole bathroom plumbing system, especially if you have moved into an old house with bad plumbing installations. Since germs can be found everywhere, you need to be systematic and pay special attention to the toilet bowl and use the right cleanser. And make sure you do not reuse sponges and clothes because you can further help to spread the bacteria in the bathroom.