We know what you’re thinking—gross, right? But having something as serious as strep throat doesn’t warrant a trip to the drugstore for a replacement toothbrush, finds a recent study presented at the Pediatric Academic Societies annual meeting in Washington, DC. In an attempt to learn if Streptococcus (GAS), the bacteria that causes strep throat, could grow on already used toothbrushes, researchers put 54 brushes—some used by patients diagnosed with strep, some with a regular sore throat, and some perfectly healthy—to the test. The results: GAS was recovered from just one toothbrush, which had been used by someone without strep throat. “Medically speaking, you can’t give yourself the same thing twice,” says Nancy Simpkins, MD, a board-certified internist and medical advisor for the state of New Jersey. “Once you have it, your body builds up antibodies so you can’t re-infect yourself.” Dentists usually recommend replacing your toothbrush every one to two months. But if there’s one thing you should replace, says Dr. Simpkins, trade in the glass you use to rinse after brushing for disposable cardboard ones. “You can keep your own toothbrush because it’s your own germs. But if you’re using it, and your husband is using it, your kids are using it, you’re exposing yourself to a household full of germs,” she says. “And they can make you sick.” So how do the rest of your bathroom habits measure up? Here, the rituals that are forgivable, and the ones you should stop—stat. Using cotton swabs inside your ear canal. Stop it. You might think ear wax is gross, but it protects the delicate membrane that is your eardrum. Not only is it unsafe to press something against the eardrum, but according to Dr. Simpkins, it’s also wasted effort. “If you go in there and remove the wax, it’s just going to reform.” What you can do: use it to absorb extra moisture around the outer rim of the ear after you shower—but that’s all. Keeping meds in your medicine cabinet. Forgivable. Drugs are designed by pharmaceutical companies to endure temperature change (That Tylenol in your emergency car kit? They’re tough cookies.), so whatever you’re taking can handle the periodically humid environment in your bathroom. “I worry more about the fact that they might be in an unlocked medicine cabinet, especially if you have children or elderly people living with you,” says Dr. Simpkins. Not flossing every day.Forgivable. “It’s okay to floss three times a week if you are keeping your mouth clean,” says Cammi Balleck, PhD, a naturopathic doctor and author of the book Happy, The New Sexy. If you can’t or don’t want to floss every day, Balleck recommends adding two drops of peppermint essential oil to a glass of warm water as a natural antimicrobial mouthwash to supplement your flossing schedule. “It’s also good for your digestion and is safe to go into your blood stream,” she says. (See which foods your teeth don’t appreciate with 25 Foods Dentists Won’t Eat.) Changing the hand towel every couple of weeks.Stop it. Whether your home is like a revolving door or it’s just you and your partner, your hand towel harbors bacteria that, if used around the eyes or mouth, can transfer from the towel to you and make you sick. “There’s a reason people use paper hand towels in guest bathrooms,” says Dr. Simpkins. “Not because they look pretty, but to eliminate outside germs.” Change the towel at least once a week. Storing makeup near the shower. Stop it. “Ideally, makeup and nail polish should be kept at a constant temperature to maximize shelf life,” says Joshua Zeichner, MD, director of cosmetic and clinical research in the department of dermatology at the Mount Sinai Medical Center. To protect your products from the fluctuations in temperature and humidity, keep them in a closed cabinet. (Makeup expired? Here’s how to tell.) More from Prevention: How Bad Are Your Health Vices?
