The tiny bathroom spot you probably didn't know needs cleaning

When it comes to cleaning the bathroom it's the big areas that get the most attention like the vanity, shower and toilet.

But there are more spots that need cleaning than that, including some smaller parts that often get overlooked.

Bathroom experts at Showers to You have revealed the 10 dirtiest places in the bathroom, how often they should be cleaned and how to clean them.

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Top of the list is one item that includes a detail you probably never thought to clean even though you touch it twice daily and that's the toothbrush handle and holder.

Now, you're probably giving the toothbrush holder a wipe over but it may come as a surprise to find out the handle needs cleaning weekly with soap and hot water.

"Toothbrush handles are frequently exposed to water and toothpaste residue, which can harbour mould and bacteria coming from the toothbrush bristles, with more than 12.6 million colony forming units (the number of microbial cells of bacteria, fungi and viruses)," the experts said.

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Next on the list is bathroom basin and tap handles, which likely get cleaned weekly or fortnightly when you're cleaning the sink and vanity.

However, the experts advise cleaning them daily with a sanitising spray or wipe since they get touched so frequently by unwashed hands.

Light switches are another area many people forget to clean in the bathroom and probably the rest of the house.

Since switches are often touched going into and out of the room they collect a whopping amount of bacteria.

To remove those germs the experts recommend wiping them weekly with disinfectant, but the disinfectant will need to be sprayed on a cloth first because liquid and electricity are a dangerous combination.

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Showerheads might seem like a spot that cleans itself with all that water flushing through every day, but limescale, mould and bacteria can actually build up on the surface.

The experts recommend cleaning showerheads monthly by soaking them in vinegar – which you can do by tying a plastic bag filled with vinegar over the head and leaving for 10 to 30 minutes.

Another bathroom item we're either not cleaning enough or forgetting to clean is towels.

"Shockingly, freshly washed towels contain 190,000 counts of bacteria – increasing to 17 million after just one day of use, and soaring to as high as 94 million after a week," Showers to You said.

The experts advised washing bath towels after every three uses in hot water if you have it connected to your machine.

If you've had a loofah or sponge hanging in your shower for an unknown amount of time you won't be surprised to find those items also made the top 10 list of bathroom spots we're forgetting to clean.

These should be cleaned weekly by soaking in disinfectant and replaced monthly, though some might be able to be tossed in the washing machine – just check the care instructions on the packet first.

"Due to trapped moisture and dead skin cells, loofahs are the perfect breeding ground for bacteria," the experts said, adding that the humidity of the bathroom can also cause mould on loofahs and sponges.

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The shower floor also made the list with the experts recommending it be disinfected weekly and when you find out just what is on the surface you'll understand why.

"Surprisingly, a bathroom floor can harbour 60 times more bacteria than a toilet seat, with an estimated 61 per cent to 80 per cent of people having urinated before in the shower. Not only this, but the shower floor catches all dirt from feet and even stray toilet water droplets," the experts said.

Shower curtains are another thing the experts say we're not cleaning enough and should be washing monthly because of the bacteria and mould that can build up.

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"It may be surprising to many that fabric shower curtains should be changed every six to 12 months, and plastic or vinyl material should be changed every six months, or sooner if they show signs of mould, wear, or stubborn odour," they said.

Rounding out the top 10 is the toilet flush handle/button and the toilet seat.

Experts recommend disinfecting the the flush handle/button daily with wipes or spray given how frequently it's touched.

As for the toilet seat, that should be cleaned weekly due to the build up of urine splashes, dust and bacteria.

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