Never Store These Items in Your Bathroom

Having all the things you need before, during, and after showering is quite practical, but there are items that you shouldn't keep in your bathroom. Learn all about them here.

Reviewed and approved by the doctor Leonardo Biolatto.

Written by Luz Marina Carpio Hernández

Last update: 06 April, 2023

Not storing certain items in your bathroom is a preventive measure, due to the unique characteristics of this type of room.

Concentrated humidity affects the composition and effectiveness of the substances you use for personal hygiene. Besides, heat tends to damage the manufacturing material of some parts, not to mention the oxidation to which certain hygiene instruments are prone.

Apart from the convenience provided by having some of these things within reach, the insufficient size in other rooms of the house is a factor that influences the storage of things inside a bathroom. However, it’s worth knowing which items to leave out to prevent damage.

Why you shouldn’t store certain objects in your bathroom

Many people quickly throw their dirty clothes on the toilet lid, or place shampoo and conditioner directly on the floor if there are no shelves in the shower area. Both of these actions are a mistake.

According to the Journal of Applied Microbiology, good cleanliness in the bathroom minimizes the potential for pathogen transmission and controls odors. However, these rooms are often closed, ventilation is poor and hot water is used, so they’re a breeding ground for germs and infections, even if hygiene is rigorous.

The University of South Australia conducted a global review of bacterial and viral hazards in bathrooms. The research found that bio-aerosols can be transmitted through faulty plumbing or by leaving toilet lids open after flushing. They claim that contaminated droplets are dispersed over 1 meter, so it isn’t unreasonable for them to reach objects in the sink.

Other studies, such as the one published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States, indicate that showers specifically serve as a connection for human interaction with microbes, since they cultivate pathogens that could spread while bathing or spread to coincide with the things you have in the room.

For its part, the American Society for Microbiology comments that the microbiota associated with humans, such as Staphylococcus, can be found on the surfaces of the toilets…even after several hours of eliminating their dispersion agents.

Objects that you should never keep in the bathroom

Based on the previous points, it’s advisable to take only what you will need to take a shower into your shower and then remove it from the area. Avoid having extra toilet paper and makeup remover wipes nearby, for example.

But what other items should you never keep in your bathroom? Here they are.

1. Toothbrushes

Advances in Odontostomatology states that toothbrushes harbor viruses, fungi and bacteria, so the appropriate thing to do is to protect them from microorganisms. To do this, rinse and air dry them outside the bathroom and without a cover.

Since this is a suggestion and not an obligation, remember that you can leave it in the bathroom, as long as you keep the toilet lid closed before flushing.

2. Cloth towels

Towels are useful and decorative in a bathroom, but there’s no point in rolling up these cloths to make the room look nice if they end up splashed with water… and probably with germs.

Make it a rule to change the towel you hang to dry yourself every week, but don’t make it a habit to pile up extra towels for decoration. If you have an exhaust fan, turning it on speeds up the drying of the wet towel.

This issue with textiles includes carpets. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) suggests not laying such rugs because they retain a lot of moisture.

3. Perfumes

One recommendation from the Online School of Perfumery is to keep perfumes out of the bathroom so that heat and light don’t transform the fragrance. If you have a steam shower, the molecular structure of the scent could turn sour, and it may expire before its time.

4. Makeup

If makeup is in a warm, humid bathroom, the conditions that promote its modification by fungi and bacteria are enhanced. As R-Biopharm explains, cosmetics represent an ideal channel for microbiological contamination, as they contain the following ingredients:

• Water
• Oils
• Proteins
• Sugars
• Vitamins

Similarly, the brushes you use for make up can get damaged and “pick up” water droplets contaminated with fecal matter. How can you fix this? By storing them in an airtight container away from the bathroom or in an appropriate dressing table in the bedroom.

5. Don’t keep jewelry in your bathroom

Use a jewelry box far enough away from the bathroom to store your jewelry so it doesn’t get wet and retains its color. It sounds repetitive, but moisture is the counterproductive factor for all items in the sink.

6. Shavers

A razor without blade protection could cause an accident. Add to this the fact that the steam is harsh and oxidizes the blades.

Make sure to remove the shavers once you have finished using them. And if they are left in this room, then only do this for the one in use, so that the humidity doesn’t spoil those that you haven’t even uncovered.

7. Medication

In bathrooms, it’s customary to have cabinets to store medicines. However, Medline Plus points out that heat can reduce potency or spoil medicines before their expiration date.

It’s better to leave drugs in dry and cool places, especially capsules and tablets. As pill coatings break down, this can cause stomach irritation.

8. Electronics

A speaker to listen to music while showering, a hair dryer and a hair straightener are appliances that should not be kept in the bathroom. When near water, there’s a risk of electric shock.

Moreover, the temperatures in a bathroom greatly reduce the life span of electronics. Waterproof speakers are acceptable. In the case of hairstyling devices, however, they’re best left outside.

9. Books

Books and magazines in the bathroom are another bad idea. You can take them in at a specific time, but never leave them there, as they absorb moisture until the pages become wrinkled, stained and moldy.

Get into the habit of not keeping these objects in your bathroom

Keeping certain objects in the bathroom often corresponds to learned and repetitive practices in the family environment. Many of them are built on the basis of the speed of everyday life that unconsciously leads us to storing things in these rooms.

One solution is to implement rules in the home. It’s important to restrict the contact of such objects with humidity and high temperatures to favor their preservation and reduce the negative impact that alterations could have on your health.