The 6 Most Gag-Inducingly Dirty Spots in Your Bathroom — and What to Do About Them

Do you close your toilet lid when you flush? Flushing the toilet sends bacteria and microbes into the air, landing on any surface within several feet of your toilet. If your sink is in this radius, that's just adding to an already dirty part of your bathroom. Sinks are the most used and touched part of your bathroom, making them the most dirty.

From washing your hands to brushing your teeth to washing your face and everything in between, the bacteria can really build up. Make sure you pay special attention to cleaning the sink, and don't forget to wipe down the faucet and handles. Try keeping your sink dry by wiping it down fairly regularly, which will prevent even more bacteria from building up.

This one is kind of a no-brainer, but your toilet is one of the dirtiest places in your bathroom for a number of reasons. The toilet seat and handle both get touched multiple times a day, probably by different people. Plus, lots of people forget to wipe the handle down when cleaning their bathroom, which can pass on germs to other people. When you clean your bathroom, make sure you clean all of the exterior surfaces of your toilet as well as the inside — wipe down the tank, handle, sides, and all around the base of the toilet in addition to giving the toilet bowl a good scrub. And to keep the rest of your bathroom protected from germs from your toilet, always make sure to close the lid when you flush!

Nick from New Girl once said, "I don't wash my towel, my towel washes me." Unfortunately, many of us don't wash our towels as often as we should. Each time we use our towels, they accumulate millions of dead skin cells and oils from our bodies, which gives them that musty smell. Because bath towels are thick, they dry slowly and harbor lots of bacteria. You should be washing your towels after about every three uses to keep them fresh and clean. Bath mats likely get washed even less often than our towels, but have the same moisture issues as towels. Most bath mats are even thicker than our towels, giving mold the perfect environment to grow. So next time you wash your towels, throw your bath mat in the laundry as well.

Do you clean your shower curtain when you clean your shower? For many of us, the answer is probably no. Shower curtains often get overlooked in the cleaning process, but they see a lot of moisture, bacteria, mildew, and germs. This can be made even worse if you don't leave it open to dry after each shower. But the good news is, you don't have to use very much elbow grease to clean them. Most plastic and fabric shower curtains can be washed in the washing machine. For plastic, throw in some towels too, as this can help with the cleaning process. For fabric shower curtains, just make sure you follow the instructions on the label.

Considering all of the other filthy parts of your bathroom, it should be no surprise that your bathroom floor is probably the yuckiest part of your bathroom. Your bathroom sees lots of foot traffic, tracking bacteria, dirt, and other particles from other parts of the house. Your dirty bath mat sits on the floor, water from the sink and the shower always ends up on the floor, and other certain bathroom habits contribute to the level of germs on your floor.

Your bathroom floor is likely dirtiest in front of your sink, around your toilet, and around your shower or bath. Pay special attention to these areas and clean them with a disinfectant, as some really dangerous bacteria like E. coli can grow here and make you sick. Also make sure you're cleaning the floor behind your toilet, as this can often get overlooked.