To wonder why people/it’s considered normal to keep toothbrushes in bathrooms?

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Why is it considered normal for toothbrushes to be left in bathrooms, near toilets, poo particles just flying around. Even if everyone guest and children/husband remembers to put the lid down before flushing.. it’s still somewhere where people poo, why keep something you put in your mouth in there?!

Our toothbrushes live in the kitchen, I just load up with toothpaste, brush, then spit out in the bathroom, rinse toothbrush and return it to the kitchen.

AIBU to think in hindsight, the bathroom is a really weird unhygienic place to keep toothbrushes or am I being a bit germaphobey 🤣

Absolutely. Family members do tend to have similar collections of gut flora so yes, cross 'contamination' is real. Maybe it comes from sharing toothbrushes 🫤

It's also a mistake to think mouths are free of bacteria. Humans have evolved to cope in a world full of hazards. But not one with the hazards artificially removed.

Ah, this is classic Mumsnet. Poor particles! Toilets!

Your bathroom is 300 square feet? That’s absolutely massive!

Because that’s where you brush your teeth?

if you want a separate room for brushing your teeth then go for it. There are particles of everything, everywhere. It’s called the world.

You're not alone OP, I know I've lived this far with no harm but it still feels a bit icky to have my toothbrush stood in the open in the same room as the loo.
And yes, I always put the lid down but can't teach everybody to !

Don't you have a bathroom cabinet?

I've recently changed to an electric toothbrush and that sits on the shelf in the corner, well away from the loo. I always close the lid but any splash particles wouldn't rise very high.

What about when you breathe in the bathroom? You are inhaling airborne particles by the lungful every time you enter the room and especially during active use of the toilet.
You'd need a full face respirator with P3 filters to stop it getting into your nose mouth and lungs!

I think it's weird and unhygienic that you and your family are unable to close the toilet seat when you flush your own toilet.

I just wonder how filthy OP's bathroom is....

Are you the same person who made a whole thread before about how people should be ensuring the toilet is shut because of all the “poo particles flying around” when you flush it etc?

What do you dry your hands on then , after you used the toilet , And then washed your hands??

Just read an article that said lid closing makes no difference to virus transmission.

I think it’s more likely you’d catch something from all the lid closing and opening ie hands touching contaminated surfaces.

I think you have too much time on your hands.

If poo particles can fly from the toilet to the sink, then so be it. I accept my fate and will continue to brush with a poopy brush.

Same poo particles will be in the air you breathe whilst you pop out said poo. Do you wear a face mask?

Weird obsessive behaviour. Imo.

Well you are walking aroud all day full of poo OP, so think on that. You are a walking biohazard.

Seriously though, I have kept my toothbrush in the bathroom all my life. I have yet to die from toothbrush poo partical contamination.

Like one can be arsed to run down to kitchen every morning to brush teeth !

Exactly. I don't believe I have ever suffered any toothbrush related illness in my 70 years.

Ours is tiny 😂 the sink is pretty much next to the door, there's a small gap between the sink and the toilet, and a small gap between the toilet and the bath. 300 square feet is massive (I've just Googled pictures) and I don't imagine many people have bathrooms that big.

This is the point I think. Why does it matter if there are poo particles if they’re not making you ill? We never close the lid to flush, have toothbrushes out in the open and we’re fine!

Toothbrushes are kept in the bathroom . We keep them in a plastic cup in the cabinet if you've not using it it's in there with the door shut .
Toilet is flushed with the lid down .

Whatever the theoretical risk from poo particles, I’ve lived through over 40 years of twice daily tooth cleaning using a brush that has been kept exposed in the bathroom and am rarely sick without any evidence that any illnesses I have experienced are linked to household hygiene.

So I am happy to trust the empirical evidence of my own experience.

I brush my teeth in the bathroom. Therefore I keep the toothbrush in there, where I’ll need it.

How did people manage in the 20th century? This is 21st century obsessiveness with germs. It sounds even more yucky in the kitchen!

If you think spitting is "dirty and gross", then you have some issues to address. I'm not being unkind, it's a perfectly ok thing to do to spit into a sink which gets cleaned.
I'm assuming that your kitchen sink is cleaned regularly?
Toothbrushes are kept in the bathroom because that's where people do their ablutions.
If it comforts you, look at the contents of your toothpaste, you will find that almost certainly it is antibacterial.

I keep mine there as it's where I clean my teeth and I think you are making a fuss over nothing.

Personally I think this is worse as it inhibits the brush drying out creating a damp environment where bacteria on the brush (from your mouth) can more readily multiply