Toothbrushes and showerheads 'covered in viruses' new study unveils

In what's been described as 'absolutely wild' findings, toothbrushes and showerheads contain viruses 'unlike anything we've seen before'.

A new study has revealed that bacteriophages are present in the household items. Researchers, from Northwestern University in Illinois, swabbed 92 showerheads and 36 toothbrushes after which they found the mind-blowing results.

Viruses and bacteria are usually found in spaces that are damp, so the two places are a natural breeding ground and it did not come as a surprise to scientists.

In fact, the research found bacteria on showerheads are at levels 100 times over than those found in tap water.

“The number of viruses that we found is absolutely wild,” said Northwestern’s Erica M. Hartmann, who led the study, which was published in the journal Frontiers in Microbiomes. “We found many viruses that we know very little about and many others that we have never seen before. It’s amazing how much untapped biodiversity is all around us. And you don’t even have to go far to find it; it’s right under our noses.”

“This project started as a curiosity,” Hartmann said. “We wanted to know what microbes are living in our homes. If you think about indoor environments, surfaces like tables and walls are really difficult for microbes to live on. Microbes prefer environments with water. And where is there water? Inside our showerheads and on our toothbrushes.”

To clean your shower head, all you need is the "right household remedy", say bathroom experts at Villeroy and Boch. While many people turn to baking soda or white vinegar to remove limescale, these methods can be "time-consuming", reports the Express.

Instead, they recommend using citric acid, which "dissolves stubborn limescale" for "perfect