Oh dear god.
We’ve got bad news. Very bad news.
Sorry to break it to you, but if you share a bathroom with other people, there’s a very good chance you brushed your teeth with your housemate’s fecal bacteria this morning.
Yes, really.
You see, every time you flush your toilet, poo particles are being flung into the air. And if you store your toothbrush in the bathroom, chances are it’s being exposed to those very same poo particles every single day.
Speaking to Metro, hygiene expert Ralitsa Proadanova explained how the bacteria on your toothbrush could lead to health concerns.
“Previous scientific studies have shown how E. coli and norovirus can be transmitted in this way,” she explained.
“And if you keep your toothbrush near your toilet, these potentially deadly bugs can land on the bristles – before you put them straight in your mouth,” she added.
“Toothbrushes are the perfect breeding ground for germs.”
To make matters even worse, those fecal particles can linger in the air for at least 30 minutes after each flush and they can be dispersed three metres away from the toilet.
Yikes.
Another study also found that 60 per cent of the toothbrushes kept in dorm bathrooms shared among an average of nine students had fecal bacteria on them.
The worst part? There was an 80 per cent chance that the bacteria came from someone else’s, erm, business.
