How clean is our shower head ?

This shower head discussion seems to be going down the pan!

Im a slut! (in our generation's meaning of the word)

TMI Nonu and Ana

What I meant was one has a motion , puts the lid down , then flushes .
perhaps I am just jejune , who knows !
Cripes !

But surely you flush it first, Nonu!???

I have read that you put down the lid after a poo , so as not to allow airborne germs to circulate !
heyho !

You're just stirring now absent. Bathrooms don't make people ill unless someone with something like noro virus have visited them recently.

I thought the lids were to sit on while you dried your feet?

Soutra , behave !

I thought loos had lids just to look tidy for visitors...

Good for you baubles.

Sometimes I think we look for things to worry about.

I do put down the lid before flushing but other than that I really don't give much thought to bacteria.

The bathroom is clean, the kitchen is clean, the fridge is clean, job done. I'm not performing surgery, they don't have to be sterile.

Ana A fine spray from the loo can carry all sorts of nasties – that's why loos have lids. Obviously, this is far less of a problem in a separate loo than one that is integral. Yes it can contaminate towels and nail brushes but I have to say that toothbrushes are the ones that make me shudder.

Are you saying that bacteria is introduced into the air by flushing the toilet and that anything it touches is therefore contaminated, absent?

I must say I don't close the lid before flushing, but our two loos are separate from the bathroom. There are of course other things such as towels, nail brushes etc. which could be harbouring the dangerous bacteria!

The largest accumulation of dangerous bacteria in bathrooms probably comes from people flushing the loo, assuming it is not in a separate room, without closing the lid. Think of the exposure of toothbrushes, damp towels and face cloths. However, for the record, the dirtiest place in many houses is not in the bathroom at all. It is the refrigerator.

I clean my showerheads regularly, not for fear of Legionnaires but for the awful thought of black gunge raining down on me!
I have to wear reading glasses now when cleaning, for many years I was lulled into believing that my house was miraculously less dirty as I got older. Then one fateful day I ventured into the bathroom with specs on!

Can't stop laughing Soutra.

Oh the worries we have to cope with. My mum was so lucky- no shower at all just a bath on feet in a bathroom so cold it could freeze the ar*e of any legionnaire foolhardy enough to think of spreading his filthy French diseases.

DH says it is unlikely for Legionella to form in a shower head that is in regular use. However, in hotels, hostels and other places where they may not be used constantly they should be dipped in a dilute form of bleach for at least half an hour once a month and then rinsed very thoroughly.

You can do this at home to be on the safe side. I do mine occasionally.

I would worry more if visiting a hotel, although haven't actually gone as far as doing this to the showerhead in our room when visiting one. Perhaps we should.
There have also been cases of Legionella caught from air-conditioning units which have not been properly maintained.

How about the overflow hole in the wash-basin? Did they swab that for bugs?

They could have pointed out that not having a daily shower (or a good wash) can be even more hazardus. All those bacteria collecting in your crevices waiting to kill you!

45 showers were "researched" in nine cities, with no control group of bath traps and face flannels? No correlation looked for between infection rates in people who shower and people who dont?

Just who did this "research" anyway? Was it possibly a manufacturer of shower disinfectants?

I suppose you could use the cocktail stick to poke out the holes - after you'd eaten the cherry jess!

I do agree about the glasses shysal.

Airborne bugs are harmful too!

Our shower head is more inclined to get blocked by chalk deposits. Never seen mould on it.

Agree ana I don't think there have ever been any cases of Legionnaires caught from domestic showers. I only worry about bathroom hygiene if someone has got a bug. The rest is aesthetic. Anyone would think you were using them to strain your cocktail ingredients folks.