How Your Bathroom’s Contents Impact Your Health

The bathroom is a sanctuary of peace. This room is where we clean ourselves after a long day at work. It’s where we put on our makeup, look in the mirror, and brush our teeth.

The number of products and accessories used in the bathroom is astounding, and it often goes unnoticed unless you sit down and sort out all the specifics of your personal bathroom.

Not everybody has a treasure trove of supplies in there, but even the most bare-bones setup has a laundry list of items that cost a lot of money and be surprisingly unhealthy for your body in the long run. This is especially true if you have an older bathroom.

The best home insurance for older homes will often take in the need to remodel or repair into account; and you should talk to your provider if you plan on making quality-of-life upgrades.

We’ll talk about some of the most unnecessary products used in your daily routine and how you can find healthier substitutes. We’ll also try to discuss the financial consequences of certain bathroom products and how the environment is hurt every day by people who don’t want to change their routines in the bathroom. 

Are you cleaning your bathroom properly?

One of the first signs that you are hurting yourself and possibly your family is to simply look around your bathroom. You may see soap scum and mold spores growing on the walls and in the bathtub. No matter how hard you try to dry down the room after taking a shower, the hot air and moisture in the room are trapped and grow bacteria around you.

Mold can cause severe reactions to people both immediately and in the long term. Coughing, wheezing, allergic reactions, and congestion are all side effects of constantly exposing yourself to these toxins. 

If you have a bathroom that has been collecting these unhealthy particles for months or maybe even years, it’s time to dig in and start cleaning. The best bathroom cleaning techniques require time and energy, but they can also be inexpensive and DIY. 

If you have some dish soap and vinegar available, it’s simple to create a mixture between the two of them and spray it on the mildew. Let it sit for a few hours and then scrub off with a brush, cloth, or scraper.

You can buy some bleach for more challenging molds, but be wary of the human body’s sensitivity to certain chemicals. Don’t get bleach in your hair, eyes, or mouth. Always call poison control if you think you or a family member has consumed bleach or another cleaning toxin.

With careful attention to detail, though, bleach will surely clean your bathroom and create a hygienic environment for everyone to enjoy.

An especially convenient way to keep your bathroom clean is to wipe it down after every shower or use of the sinks. This will curb the collection of moisture in the environment. It can be a hassle, but keeping up with the problem for a couple of minutes every day is better than having to scrub mold for days when it has become overwhelming. 

Ask your kids to pitch in and clean up their mess when they are done. This will teach them about how to positively contribute to chores that are necessary for housekeeping. It will also instill work ethic and a commitment to hygiene that can last for a lifetime after they move into their homes as adults. 

What types of soap and shampoo are you using?

Decoding the mystery behind bathroom essentials has become more relevant in the age of eco-friendly living and health-conscious paranoia brought on by the pandemic. 

It’s an accurate assumption that shampoo and conditioner have a lot of weird ingredients in them, many of which are not the healthiest for your scalp or the rest of your body.

Sodium content is relatively high in most shampoos to keep the bottle fresh for months, but it can also lead to dryness in your hair. This is bad for older folks who already have difficulty with hair loss and similar problems. 

There are many cancer-causing chemicals in the dyes put in the shampoo to make it look fancy and relaxing, which is ironic. Try to go for products that are effective and safe rather than aesthetically pleasing.

A good rule of thumb is that the fewer ingredients in a soap or shampoo bottle, the better it is for you. When you have a list on the back of the bottle that resembles your son’s letter to Santa Claus, it’s probably time to evaluate what these products are doing to your health.

Talk to your doctor or even your pharmacist about the side effects of certain brands. Try to go organic to know the ingredients list is natural and not synthesized in a factory.

How You Can Still Have Fun and Enjoy the Bathroom

The more you use the bathroom for activities beyond the necessities of hygiene, the more likely you will run into the risks of health and safety dangers.

Putting on lipstick and foundation or enjoying a bath bomb are all imperative to the enjoyment of self-care. We’re not trying to tell you to skip out on these relaxation items that can improve your mental health and well-being in a time of uncertainty. 

It’s simply smart to start making yourself aware of the items you apply to your skin the same way you think about what food you put in your mouth. We’ve accepted the status quo for far too long, and then it bites us once it’s too late. 

Consuming unhealthy bathroom essentials will negatively impact your health and well-being. This could lead to underlying conditions that will make it harder to get life insurance. It’s important to get started early and fundamentally improve the reasons why you buy these products for your home. 

Cutting down on your bathroom time and products will improve the quality of your breaks when you go in. It will make you decide what is good for you and still enjoyable to consume. 

An added bonus we mentioned earlier is that many of the items you use that are unhealthy for your body are also bad on the ecosystem and our planet at large. 

Be friendly to both, and you will have created a mutually beneficial relationship between you and the world when you use the bathroom. Great health for the planet is healthy for you and vice versa. You might even find out how fun it is to reevaluate the stale bathroom routine you have had for years.

Shawn Laib writes and researches for the insurance comparison site, ExpertInsuranceReviews.com. He helps people become aware of the ways they can improve their health right from the comfort of their bathroom and backyard.