Is the shower dirtier than toilet?
Andrew Hansen
Published Jun 01, 2026
You might imagine that it's the filthiest thing in your bathroom, and while you're not far off, there is actually something in most bathrooms that is even grosser. A new (admittedly small-scale) study performed by SafeHome suggests that your shower is actually dirtier than your toilet in terms of overall germ count.
What is 8 times dirtier than a toilet seat?
Kitchen cloth or spongeDishcloths and sponges are dirtier than any other item in the average home, harboring the largest amount of E. coli and other fecal bacteria—mostly because they aren't replaced as often as they should be. Each square inch of these items contains 456 times more bacteria than a toilet seat.