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All You Need to Know About Using Loofahs

We all enjoy a pleasant shower or a relaxing soak in the tub. But what do you usually grab to clean yourself up with? Chances are you use a loofah. It's the easiest and most relaxing way to clean yourself up. But, the loofah is actually not as clean as we would have hoped. It is a breeding ground for bacteria and has the potential to harbor pathogens like Staphylococcus, stenotrophomonas maltophila and group B streptococcus. While they may sound like big, fancy words, you cannot just brush it off. 
 
loofahs

For starters, staphylococcus causes acne, stenotrophomonas matophila can result in a respiratory infection and group B Streptococcus which can cause pneumonia, bone, and joint infections. While this may not sound right, these nasty bacteria are lingering on your loofah. But, you may be wondering, how does this occur?

Ironically, it is us who make our loofahs infested with bacteria. These bacteria are lingering on your body and have been picked up somewhere we've been. When we shower, we rub off what we have collected onto our loofah. While this leaves us clean, it leaves our loofahs dirty. 

loofahs

While it will unlikely cause you a life-threatening infection, it could infect others if you share your loofah or something else that has touched it, like your soap. How do you know if your loofah is infected? For starters, it will start to smell of mold. When you notice this, you can do two things: either toss it, or clean it. While it might seem difficult to clean something that is typically supposed to do the cleaning, there is a way you can get this done. And it isn't as tricky as you might imagine. 

The best way to clean your loofah is to submerge it in a mixture that is made of one part bleach and nine parts water for about ten minutes. Then remove the loofah and let it air dry completely. If this is too time-consuming for you, your best option would be to toss the loofah away. If you don't choose to dispose of the loofah, your only other option is to use a bar of soap instead, giving it a good rinse with water. 

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Related Topics: tips, health, bacteria, guide, loofahs
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