Forgetting a towel, razor, or toothbrush when away from home might tempt you to borrow from a friend or partner. However, experts strongly advise against making a habit of sharing these personal bathroom items due to the significant risk of transmitting harmful microbes.
The Lingering Threat of Pathogenic Microbes
Professor Thea van de Mortel, a nursing expert from Griffith University, explains that many disease-causing bacteria, viruses, and fungi can survive on common bathroom surfaces for extended periods. These pathogenic microbes remain viable for days, months, or even years on materials like cloth, plastic, and metal.
For instance, the Aspergillus fungus can live for over a month on cloth and plastic. Some resilient bacteria can persist for years, while numerous viruses remain infectious for hours to months on ceramics, metals, and plastics.
Specific Risks of Common Shared Items
Sharing Towels: Evidence, though not from gold-standard randomised trials, points to clear dangers. A US report documented an outbreak of antibiotic-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (Staph) among high-school football players. Those who shared towels were eight times more likely to contract an infection.
Another US study tracking 150 households with a Staph-infected child found towel sharing significantly increased transmission risk. Bathrooms provide warm, moist conditions that encourage microbial growth, and washing does not eliminate all germs from skin.
Sharing Toothbrushes: This practice is strongly discouraged. Microbes survive on hard surfaces like toothbrushes, and brushing can cause gums to bleed, creating a route for blood-borne viruses like hepatitis C. Toothbrushes contaminated with saliva can also transmit herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) and Epstein-Barr virus.
A review found toothbrushes harbouring pathogenic bacteria including Staph, E. coli, and Pseudomonas, with HSV-1 present in amounts sufficient to cause infection. This virus can survive on plastic for two to six days.
Sharing Razors: Razors also harbour viable microbes. Nicks and cuts are common during shaving, raising the risk of transmitting blood-borne viruses. Sharing razors, towels, and other personal items can spread human papillomaviruses that cause warts, leading dermatologists to recommend everyone uses their own.
Who is Most at Risk?
Certain groups face a heightened danger from sharing these items. Cuts or grazes provide a direct entry portal for microbes, as seen with the towel-sharing football players. Individuals with reduced immune function are also more vulnerable.
This includes babies with developing immune systems, the elderly experiencing immune decline, people on immunosuppressive medications (like cancer drugs or post-transplant treatments), and those with type 2 diabetes, where high blood glucose impairs immune cell function.
While the risk of infection on any single occasion might be low, and regular partners already exchange microbes, consistently sharing used bathroom items remains a hazardous habit best avoided to prevent colonisation by pathogens, including antibiotic-resistant strains.
