Why you absolutely must close the toilet lid when flushing.

If you still leave the toilet lid open every time you flush, it's time to reconsider. When you flush, the water washes away the waste in the toilet bowl, mixing it with tiny particles of waste containing germs and bacteria, which are then sprayed into the air.

According to Realtor.com, this is known as the "aerosol effect." Bacteria are propelled up to 25cm after a toilet is flushed without the lid closed, and a smaller amount of bacteria continues to be propelled into the air 90 minutes after flushing. These bacteria then spread across the toilet bowl, the bathroom floor, and surrounding surfaces.

These germs can land anywhere and everywhere – including on… your toothbrush, which you use to brush your teeth every day.

A study by Leeds Hospital suggests that bacteria can travel up to 10 inches through the air. Therefore, in addition to closing the toilet lid when flushing, you should also keep your toothbrush and face towel away from the bathroom. While you might think that having your toothbrush exposed to the air, full of bacteria, isn't disgusting, it can actually make you physically ill.

This would happen if the bacteria you encounter are hepatitis A bacteria or norovirus – which cause infection with symptoms such as vomiting, abdominal pain, and diarrhea.

Among sanitary fixtures, the toilet is the most frequently used daily and also the most harmful to health, harboring many bacteria. Besides closing the toilet lid after each flush to limit bacterial spread, regularly cleaning the toilet and other sanitary fixtures also significantly contributes to repelling and limiting the growth and spread of harmful bacteria.

Therefore, we should pay special attention to sanitary fixtures, not just toilets, because even if the toilet is clean, if other sanitary fixtures like sinks or bathtubs are dirty, bacteria will still have the opportunity to multiply, grow, and spread widely.