How dirty is a plunger?

It’s the toilet plunger! Since toilet plungers can harbor plenty of nasty germs and bacteria including E. coli and salmonella, cleaning your toilet plunger is important. That dirty toilet plunger can spread those germs and bacteria to everything it comes in contact with.

Do people wash plungers?

It’s not exactly a cleaning tool, but your plunger definitely needs the proper attention considering the messes it gets itself into—you want to clean it thoroughly every time it’s used. You can start off by flushing the toilet and using the running water to give the plunger a first rinse. Then, do a bleach soak.

How does a plunger work?

Plungers work via physics, specifically Boyle’s law. When you seal the plunger over the drain opening and push it down, you increase the pressure in the pipe. This increase in pressure pushes the water downward. When you pull up, the suction reduces the pressure allowing the water to rise.

What is the most common way infection is transmitted?

Contact transmission is the most common form of transmitting diseases and virus. There are two types of contact transmission: direct and indirect. Direct contact transmission occurs when there is physical contact between an infected person and a susceptible person.

How often should you buy a new plunger?

Like your toilet brush, you’ll probably get a few years out of your plunger, but it will be a bit more obvious when to replace them. “It’s designed to create a vacuum,” Tetro explains. “So if it can’t plunge anymore, it’s time to replace it.”

What do you do with a dirty plunger?

Steps required:

1. Pour several capfuls of bleach directly into the toilet.
2. Swirl the plunger around in the water to let the germ-killing bleach do its work.
3. Flush the toilet several times to allow the running water to rinse off the plunger.
4. Let the plunger dry and then store it away.

How do you dispose of a plunger?

Push down on the plunger slowly at first, then pull it back up as you would when plunging a toilet. Repeat pushing down and pulling up on the plunger until the water begins to move freely down your disposal drain. Remove the plunger from the sink and turn the power to the garbage disposal back on.

Can a plunger make a clog worse?

Somehow, the force of the plunger had actually made things worse. Whereas the water had been draining ever-so-slowly before, it now wasn’t going anywhere. I tried running more water into the tub, thinking that if I could get a better seal around the plunger, it might provide enough force to push the clog through.

What kind of plunger is best?

The Best Toilet Plunger

• Our pick. Korky 99-4A Max Performance Plunger. A powerful plunger.
• Also great. MAXClean Universal Plunger Holder Drip Tray. A compatible drip tray.
• Runner-up. Simplehuman Toilet Plunger. Not as powerful, much prettier.
• Also great. Ridgid 59787 3-foot Toilet Auger. What the pros use.

Should you keep a toilet brush?

Toilet brushes are used to keep your toilet clean. But all that bacteria you’ve scrubbed away from the toilet is now thriving on your brush. As these toilet brushes can be riddled with germs, it’s best to replace them every six months so you don’t just spread germs around the toilet bowl every time you scrub.