Is Your Shower Making You Dirty?

Think showers are getting you cleaner? Get ready for a gross awakening, toots. Turns out that bacteria on your shower head could be making you a sick mess. According to an article in the NY Daily News, an analysis of 50 showerheads from nine U.S. cities found that about 30 percent harbored high levels of Mycobacterium avium -- a group of bacteria that can cause lung infections when inhaled or swallowed. Can you say "eww!"? Luckily, Homesessive is here to make sure that shower head is squeaky clean -- and so are you. Check out our steps to the cleanest shower around -- and don't delay. This is your health we're talking about here! 1. Give Everything a Thorough Rinse Use a bucket or your shower extension to rinse your shower walls and door with hot water. If you use a shower curtain, now is a great time to throw it in the washing machine or replace it. 2. Get Scrubbing You can make a fantastic homemade shower cleaner with 1 cup of vinegar, 1/2 cup baking soda, 1 cup ammonia and 1.5 gallons of hot water. Be sure to use rubber gloves, scrub well (use an old toothbrush for those tough tiles!) and rinse with hot water. Wipe dry. Also, tackle your glass shower door with white vinegar to prevent streaks and mildew at the same time. Bonus! 3. Don't Forget the Shower Head Remove your shower head and let it soak in a bowl of straight vinegar. Leave for a few hours or overnight. Then scrub the holes with an old toothbrush and remove scum with a toothpick. Rinse, wipe dry and position shower head back in place. 4. Drain the Drain Don't forget to tackle your shower's drain, which is pretty self-explanatory. My only tip? Wear rubber gloves, because hair in the drain is one of the grossest things in the world. That's it! Easy enough, and much quicker than you'd think. Here's to keeping your shower clean and your body healthy this winter!