You probably want to clean your toilet once or twice a week because the it's one of the most germ-ridden areas of the home. In fact, the waste in your toilet mixes with the flushing water and sends plumes of microbes into the air. These can land on toilet seats, lids and other surfaces.
However, if you only shower every 2-3 days, then you can wait more than a week before giving your shower and tub a good scrubbing. On average, aim to clean your shower or tub at least once a week when it gets a lot of traffic. This ensures soap scum and germs aren't going to build up.
Nearly 4 out of 10 Americans clean their bathroom once a month or less. We asked our survey respondents how often they clean their bathrooms, and what we found might surprise (or disgust) you. According to our research, only 38 percent of respondents clean their bathroom at least once a week: Once a week or more: 38%
Aim to clean around the toilet bowl every day, and give your bathroom a proper clean once a week.
Some people may think that not flushing a toilet may be beneficial. They might consider toilet flushing less sanitary and a waste of water and money. However, flushing a toilet after using it plays a role in helping keep people healthy and adding to cleanliness. US Environmental Protection Agency.
Washing your bed sheets about once a week ensures they always stay fresh. Plan to add this task to your weekly cleaning schedule to help reinforce the habit. Keep in mind that you don't necessarily need to wash sheets the same day as you strip your bed.
But as a rule of thumb, you should mop your floors at least once a week—especially in areas that are more likely to get stains from drips and spills, like the kitchen and bathroom. “Of course, you need to vacuum or sweep the floor before mopping,” explains Leiva.
Mitchell suggested showering or bathing once or twice a week, and experts generally say a few times a week rather than daily is plenty. Also, keep showers short and lukewarm, as too much water, particularly hot water, dries out the skin. Showering less often in winter makes sense, Herrmann noted.
“Showering in the morning washes all this off and allows for a clean (and fresh smelling!) start to the day.” Alternatively, showering at night rinses away all of that grime before you even climb into bed, as Dr. Marcus explained above.
How often should I wash my bath towels? Dead skin cells, bacteria, and even sweat can accumulate quickly on your towels, so using a fresh one about every three days is a simple rule of thumb—for all kinds of towels. You can of course change them more often.
Be sure to wipe down the outside of the bowl, the tank, the toilet seat, and especially the flushing handle. Also disinfect the toilet brush itself after using it. The experts we talked to recommend spraying the brush head with disinfectant, waiting about a minute, and rinsing it with hot water in your tub or shower.
A tile floor should be "dry cleaned," or swept or vacuumed, at least twice a week to get rid of the gritty debris that can dull the finish of the tile floor. Wet clean, or mop, the tile floor in the kitchen every two weeks and in the bathroom once a week. Spot-clean the grout once every two to three months.
For example, bedrooms and home offices should be vacuumed weekly. Areas with high traffic, such as the kitchen, living room, and children's playrooms, should be cleaned at least twice a week.
Every two days: hand towels and dish towels. Every three to four times you wear or use them: bath towels, bras, slips, dresses, sweaters, skirts, pajamas, slacks and jeans. Weekly: sheets, pillowcases and bath mats. Monthly: mattress pads, bathrobes and pillow liners.
“If you're taking care of someone who's ill or you're sick yourself, steam from a steamer or an iron is enough to sanitize sheets,” Richardson says.
This means that when you check into a hotel room, you can expect to be sleeping on freshly laundered sheets that have not been used by anyone else. However, some hotels may not change sheets daily if you are staying for multiple nights. Instead, they may change them every two or three days.
If your pillow can be washed, it should be washed at least twice a year. If you eat in bed, have pets, or sweat a lot, you should wash pillows quarterly. Special pillows like body pillows or throw pillows should be cleaned every 3 to 6 months. This is dependent on how, where, and how often they are used.
✓ Always wipe from front to back
This is by far the most important and undeniably true approach to wiping after peeing. Doing so avoids the risk of urinary tract infections caused by bringing in bacteria from the rear.
It's totally safe to let your pee sit in the bowl, BTW
So we asked an epidemiologist to give us the scoop. “Just because you are grossed out by it doesn't mean that it is a health hazard,” says Brian Labus, PhD, MPH, assistant professor of public health at the University of Las Vegas School of Public Health.
If you don't, you can transfer any germs or parasites, either in your system or left in the bathroom by someone else, to other people you encounter. If you do wash your hands with soap and water after using the bathroom, you greatly reduce your chances of spreading or contracting an illness that was left behind.