Is It Really Bad If You Don’t Wash Your Hands After Going to the Bathroom?

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Even if you haven’t been watching Bravo’s newest reality show, Next Gen NYC , there’s a good chance you’ve heard about the controversy surrounding cast member Georgia McCann . On the show’s premier episode, she revealed that she doesn’t wash her hands after going to the bathroom, calling herself “pro-germ.”

“I have no allergies, I never get the flu. I might be crazy, but I really think it’s because as a kid, growing up, I had no sense of germs,” she said, according to Popsugar . “Germs are good.”

RELATED: How Often Do You Wash Your Towels? Doctor Warns They’re Probably Full of “Infectious Bacteria.”

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Failing to wash your hands after using the bathroom can result in a range of viral and bacterial conditions, such as skin, eye, stomach, and respiratory infections.

That’s because most people unknowingly touch their eyes, noses, and mouths throughout the day, creating a direct pipeline for bathroom germs to their bodies.

While it should come as no surprise that your bathroom harbors germs, you may be shocked to learn just how densely populated these contaminated areas can be.

“A single gram of human feces—which is about the weight of a paper clip—can contain one trillion germs ,” explains the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). “Make a habit of washing your hands after you use the toilet every time to reduce your chance of getting sick and spreading germs.”

Moreover, when you flush, even if the toilet seat lid is closed, “viral aerosols” contaminated with harmful pathogens spread throughout the bathroom, as a study published in the American Journal of Infection Control explained.

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Forgetting to wash your hands after using the bathroom can also facilitate the life cycle of parasites, warns Kash Yap , MD, a general practitioner and consultant for Facialteam .

Yap says that although many parasites require multiple hosts to complete their life cycles, some parasites, such as pinworms, require only one.

“Ingestion of the eggs causes the parasite to hatch in the intestines,” she tells Best Life . “The mature parasite lays its eggs in the perianal area,” which can then become “dislodged with the stool.”

When you fail to wash your hands, Yap explains that you can then spread the microscopic eggs via your hands or fingernails onto other surfaces, leaving those in your household vulnerable.

RELATED: 10 Things in Your Home Crawling With More Germs Than a Toilet Seat .

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Neglecting to soap up after using the bathroom can easily become a direct threat to your health if you then prepare food with your unwashed hands, says Jennifer Silver , DDS, a dentist at Macleod Trail Dental .

“Transferring hazardous germs and other toxins to food without washing your hands can result in food poisoning,” she tells Best Life .

The CDC says the best way to temper this possibility is to wash thoroughly and often. The health authority says it’s best to wash your hands not only after you finish up in the bathroom, but also “before, during, and after preparing food,” as well as before eating.

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Experts say that even if you don’t use the toilet while in the bathroom, you should still wash your hands if you enter the room—especially if you touch anything while inside.

“The bathroom is one place in the house where the diversity of bacteria, molds, fungi, and other microorganisms is very high,” says Kasparas Aleknavicius , MD, a medical advisor at DoFasting and the head of medical affairs at Kilo Health. “Even just going inside the bathroom or flushing the toilet while the toilet seat is open exposes you to a lot of microorganisms.”

Aleknavicius tells Best Life that this is primarily because the bathroom tends to be humid, making it a good place for microorganisms to thrive.

“If you don’t wash your hands after using the bathroom, you are just distributing the microorganisms (germs) from the bathroom to other parts of the house. It is highly possible that these distributed bacteria, fungi, etc., will thrive in other places and will then cause health problems to you and your family. This is especially dangerous if there are kids in the house, as they are more vulnerable to infections and diseases,” he warns.

This story has been updated to include additional entries, fact-checking, and copy-editing.

We offer the most up-to-date information from top experts, new research, and health agencies, but our content is not meant to be a substitute for professional guidance. When it comes to the medication you’re taking or any other health questions you have, always consult your healthcare provider directly.

Bravo Fans Slam New Reality Series: “Nobody Was Asking for a Nepo Baby Show”

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We may not be getting a new season of The Real Housewives of New Jersey ( RHONJ ) anytime soon, but there is a new reality series hitting the Bravo airwaves this summer. Next Gen NYC will follow 10 twenty-something-year-olds as they strive to make a name for themselves in the concrete jungle. The series premieres on June 3 and has already piqued a lot of interest—not all of it good.

In the days following its release, the trailer has racked up more than 1 million views on X. The teaser gave fans a sneak peek into what they can expect from the Big Apple’s “next generation,” led by Real Housewives “nepo babies” Gia Giudic e, Riley Burruss , and Brooks Marks . Also on the scene is Ariana Biermann , whose family was once considered Bravo royalty. (Does the show Don’t Be Tardy ring any bells?)

Rounding out the cast is content creator Emira D’Spain , who also serves as Paper magazine’s beauty director; Ava Dash , an aspiring full-time model; and Georgia McCann , New York’s “ultimate Gen Z it-girl.” They’ll be joined by Shai Fruchter , Charlie Zakkour , a crypto trader and private investor, and Biermann’s longtime on-again, off-again boyfriend Hudson McLeroy .

RELATED: Frustrated HGTV Fans Slam “Fake Scenes” on Popular Series: “The Show Is Clearly Staged.”

“We’re no longer gatekeeping this show. a new generation takes on nyc in bravo’s new series,” Bravo captioned the announcement.

There will also be a handful of cameos from famous Bravo family members, including RHONJ star Teresa Giudice, Kandi Burruss of The Real Housewives of Atlanta, and Kim Zolciak-Biermann . And of course, The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City crew Meredith Marks and Seth Marks will make an appearance, alongside their daughter Chloe Marks .

However, Bravo fans were left less than impressed by the trailer. In fact, some are even calling for a recasting.”I couldn’t even finish the trailer. It looks bad,” replied an X user .

On Reddit , fans agree the Next Gen NYC trailer made the series look “terrible” and “dreadful.”

“I’ll be honest, I don’t get the appeal of this show. It seems like a very forced together group of people,” wrote one user, to which another added: “Are any of these people actually friends?”

A third quipped, “Do you know how boring you have to be to make NEW YORK look unappealing?”

“This trailer was a snooze,” commented a fan. “Don’t get what Bravo was thinking with this… nobody was asking for a Bravo nepo baby show.”

“Wow this looks awful. I couldn’t get through the trailer. I was going to give the show a try but I’m not sure it’s even worth it,” said a Redditor.

Elsewhere in the thread, someone joked that the trailer is positioning the series as a Marks family sitcom. “The fact Meredith/Seth is featured more in this trailer than a majority of the cast,” reads a comment.

“I admit I guess I expected more Gia and there was like… no Gia,” another pointed out.

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Separately, other fans argue that Next Gen NYC “isn’t meeting the moment.”

“Do people really want to see a bunch of rich nepo babies cosplaying as trying to ‘make it’ in New York?” reasoned one viewer.

“Should have had them all go on vacation together with their moms or something. None of them have enough personality to stand out on their own,” a Redditor said in the thread.

“The offsprings can rarely translate their parents’ original content/charisma. As a native nyer, looks like most of them are a bunch of transplants running around nyc acting goofy,” someone wrote in the thread.

One fan declared the show tone-deaf, given the current climate.

“With the state of the world I don’t think I can bring myself to watch this. Not because I’m morally superior, but because it’s one thing to watch Housewives who are older than me run around spending a fortune, but another entirely to watch people younger than me spending my rent on one nice dinner. Too depressing on top of everything else going on,” admitted a fan.

Another comment reads, “I would prefer it if it was actually normal kids hustling in the city but nobody wants to watch the nepo babies of Bravo.”

Is It Really Bad If You Don’t Wash Your Hands After Going to the Bathroom?#

Bravo Fans Slam New Reality Series: “Nobody Was Asking for a Nepo Baby Show”#

Is It Really Bad If You Don’t Wash Your Hands After Going to the Bathroom?

Bravo Fans Slam New Reality Series: “Nobody Was Asking for a Nepo Baby Show”