This is the surprising place dangerous germs like E.coli and salmonella REALLY lurk in your bathroom – and it’s not the loo
YOU already know your bathroom is a hotbed of germs, no matter how much you clean it.
But there is one thing that is that has more germs than your toilet seat - and it creating the perfect breeding ground for dangerous bacteria like E.coli and salmonella.
Your plughole is harbouring a worrying amount of germs - 120,000 bacteria per square inch to be exact.
Compare that to your toilet which only has about 295 bacteria per square inch.
Grossed out yet?
The problems lies in the amount of hair, soap suds toothpaste and even bath oils that build up and block the plughole, stopping any nasty bugs your wash off from going down the drain.
New research from the University of East Anglia suggests that the warm, damp and dark environment hair and soap creates in your plughole is a breeding ground for bacteria.
That mean's every time you go to the toilet, touch raw food, have a tummy bug or anything else that could spread germs, they are getting trapped when you wash your hands or shower.
And if you're thinking they can do no harm trapped in the U-bend, think again.
Experts also discovered the bacteria are capable of becoming airborne and rising out of the plughole to contaminate things like your towels, hair brushes and even your toothbrush.
"Sink and bath plugholes are troubling reservoirs for microbes, many of which are opportunistic pathogens and present threats to house owners," the report reads.
"There is a distinct lack of recent experiments focused on this microbial reservoir making future research into them paramount."
The most common types of bacteria found in any bathroom are bacteroidaceae, or bacteria from poo, E.coli, streptococcus and salmonella.
BATHROOM BUGS This is how many germs are lurking in YOUR bathroom, and you’ll be horrified at the dirtiest spot
E.coli and salmonella are commonly found in plugholes.
We are regularly exposed to these types of bacteria on daily basis, not just in the bathroom, so the best way to prevent them spreading is to wash your hands.
Other bacteria that has been found growing in a plughole includes enterobacter cloacae, which can cause urinary tract infections, and fusarium solani, which can cause eye infections and permanent vision damage.
E.coli and salmonella are both commonly associated with food poisoning and can cause nasty symptoms like vomiting, diarrhoea, stomach cramps and a fever.
But don't runaway from your bathroom just yet.
Not all of the bacteria are harmful and, in fact, germs make up a good portion of the human body.
It is normal for us to be exposed to a certain amount on a daily basis.
According to the NHS it is important that our bodies have the right balance of exposure to good and bad germs in our everyday environment to make sure our immune system is trained to deal with different illnesses.
But that still doesn't mean you can get away with never cleaning your bathroom.
Although if you want to get rid of the hotbed of germs in your plughole simply using bleach to clean it won't cut it, the researchers say.
They recommend using an antibacterial plughole unblocker, like Buster Bathroom Plughole Unblocker, which can dissolve blockages including hair.
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