Every day, we spend about 30 minutes in the bathroom. But just because we use a lot of personal care products to look and feel our best doesn’t mean they should be kept in the bathroom. Many of them, in fact, do not belong there, and some can even harm our health and appearance if kept in a moist and hot environment.
Bar soap
Keeping your soap close to the direct stream of your shower can reduce its shelf life. Water will dissolve your bar soap, and the residue will accumulate in your bath. The best way to store your soap is in a soap dish with holes that allow it to dry outside of the shower.
Makeup brushes
To avoid bacterial growth, clean your brushes on a regular basis and thoroughly dry them afterward. However, once you’ve finished washing your brushes, it’s best to store them in a dry place, brush-side up in a cup. Warm and humid air in the bathroom promotes the growth of mold and bacteria. And, like your toothbrush, they will collect germs that you will later apply to your skin.
Perfume
Storing your fragrances in the bathroom can cause them to lose their molecular structure and sour. Look for a closet or cupboard outside of the bathroom to store your favorite perfume in to keep it fresher for longer.
Towels
Keeping used, wet towels in the bathroom can be a recipe for disaster. Bathrooms are ideal breeding grounds for bacteria due to their warmth and humidity, and towels will pick up germs that we will later transfer to our skin. Ideally, you should wash your towels after three uses and let them dry completely before using them again.
Razors
Shower steam and humidity buildup can rust the blades, causing damage to your skin. Even if you clean and dry it thoroughly after use, storing it in a humid bathroom environment will reduce the lifespan of your razor.
Face creams
When your skin cream isn’t tightly closed or sealed, the damp air in the bathroom can promote irritation or the growth of acne-causing bacteria. And the heat from a hot shower can cause the ingredients to separate. A dry drawer outside the bathroom or the refrigerator is ideal for storing your skin care products.
Jewelry
The bathroom isn’t the right place to keep your jewelry, even if you just take it off before stepping into the shower. The humid environment will make the jewelry oxidize faster, causing it to lose shine and tarnish. Unless it is pure gold, your favorite pieces that are composed of various metals will react faster in humidity.
Your bathrobe
Much like bath towels, damp robes could harbor germs and bacteria, and humidity can give them an unpleasant smell. If you are putting on a damp bathrobe right after showering, you can consider your shower pretty much pointless. Instead of keeping your bathrobe on a hook in your bathroom, hang it in a place where it can air dry.
Bonus: toothbrushes
When you flush the toilet with the lid up, germs can spread up to 15 feet, and bacteria will most likely get sprayed all over your toothbrush. Dentists recommend keeping your toothbrush as far away as possible from the toilet, in a place where it can dry completely.
