The next time you take a shower and feel that relaxing water flow over body you may want to think about recent research that shows nearly one third of all shower heads contain harmful bacteria. Slime builds up in shower heads and it is this that contains the bacteria. The slime acts as a protective coating that stops the chlorine in the water from eliminating them. One such nasty is microbacterium avium which has been linked to lung diseases such as tuberculosis.
The water spraying from the shower deposits these bacteria in small droplets that can find their way into your respiratory system within seconds of turning on the shower. Those most at risk are pregnant women and older folks who have lower immune systems to fight off the bacteria. The worst time is when you first turn on the shower, so a simple solution is to step outside of the bathroom for a few minutes. The actual shower head material plays an important role as well. Plastic heads tend to harbour more bacteria than metal heads. Even better is to invest in a filter that will prevent this from happening. Argos extra have a good choice of metal shower heads that have universal fittings and attachments and they don’t cost too much money either.
The modern trend is for metallic shower heads, so unknowingly, many home owners are protecting themselves. Stainless steel and chrome finishes are the most popular. Cleaning the head on a regular basis is common sense and some people use vinegar to do this. It contains acid that attacks the slime and muck inside and around the seals. You can also buy cleaning fluid from many places such as argos and other home related retailers. If you have the new style power shower heads then you will know there are many more sprays to clean and look after. These heads spray water from all sorts of directions, which could increase your chances of picking up a nasty bacterium. So the next time you step inside your shower and switch on the water, make sure the head is clean.