For body exfoliation, there is nothing as good as a loofah. But, does it give the exact benefit you want? Or is it the main culprit behind your recent skin problem?
It only happens if your loofah isn’t clean enough. A fresh, clean, and hygienic loofah can give you the complete exfoliation without doing any harm to your skin. For this, you should clean your loofah regularly and properly.
Today I will tell you the way to clean a loofah and disinfect it to keep germ free. Besides, here you also know how loofah gets dirty, when should you clean loofah and how to dry and store it to prevent the bacterial attack. Let’s see.
How Loofah Get Dirty
We use a loofah to clean ourselves. But we should take care of it first to ensure our cleansing. Otherwise, it will do harm rather than help. Generally, loofah tends to suck moisture from surroundings which makes it a suitable breeding ground of bacteria. If you don’t clean it properly after use you should not expect the maximum hygienic benefits from it. The residue (dead skin cells, dirt, excess oil) what we exfoliate with a loofah will get stuck inside it.
On the other hand, we usually hang loofah on the bathroom wall or keep it in the shower cabinet which is not a good practice. The shower room is the most moisture content area in our home which keeps the loofah damp for all time. And you know this is a favorable environment for bacteria, fungus, and other microorganisms to grow. With time they create molds and odor, and finally make your loofah useless. It only happens due to the negligence of ours and the nature of the loofah.
Why You Need to Clean Loofah
Clean loofah is one of the main precautions of a hygienic bath. If you use loofah again and again without cleaning, it will be responsible for various skin problems. It may happen by bacteria, fungi, or other microorganisms. Dirty loofah cannot serve the purpose you want.
You should not use a loofah on the same day you shave your body. Because bacteria will attack your body vigorously through nicks and cuts. Always make sure your loofah is clean and fresh before use. And stop using the same loofah for the entire family. It helps to prevent the germ from spreading.
When to Clean Loofah
There is a misconception about cleaning loofah. Most people think loofah need not be cleaned separately as it is always used with body wash or soap or some body wash alternatives. But it is not true. You need to clean your loofah to remove the dead skin cells and other impurities from it. And you should clean it just after use.
Besides removing impurities you need to disinfect your loofah to keep it bacteria and germ free. You should do it once a week. This disinfection process kills the bacteria and makes your loofah safe to use.
How to Clean a Loofah
It is a general process. You should clean your loofah after every time you use it. Just rinse it thoroughly with water. For natural loofah, you need to use forced water to wash away all impurities from it. Make sure all parts of your loofah get cleaned.
Now remove the excess water from it. For artificial loofah, you can squeeze or wring to remove the water. But, it is not possible for a natural loofah. If you wring, its structure will deform. That’s why you should shake it thoroughly for 30 seconds. I think it is enough to remove all excess water from the natural loofah. Now dry it. I will explain the whole drying process at the end of the post.
How to Disinfect Loofah
It is very important for your body hygiene. It kills the bacteria, fungus, and other microorganisms of your loofah. It also enhances the shelf life of the loofah. It is very easy. You should disinfect your loofah once a week. If you don’t have much time, once in 10 days is enough as well.
To disinfect your loofah, take a small bucket and mix ¼ cup of liquid chlorine bleach with a gallon water. Now put your loofah in it for 10 minutes. This time is enough to kill all the germs of your loofah. Now bring it out and shake to remove the excess water from it. Then dry it.
Loofah Drying Process
Your whole cleaning process will ruin if you don’t dry your loofah properly. A damp loofah let the germs attack again. Don’t get panic, drying loofah is very easy. Let me explain.
It is always better to dry your loofah under the open sun. Intense sun rays not only dry your loofah but also kill the germs. If it is hard for you to reach the sun, air dry your loofah. Just hang your loofah anywhere outside the bathroom like balcony, near window or fireplace, or anywhere in your room. Then the air will do the rest. It takes 1-2 hours to dry under intense sun and maximum a day for air dry. You can also use a hair drier for this purpose. But, don’t use too hot air.
You can use your microvan to dry loofah. Like sun rays, it also kills bacteria and fungus besides drying. Make sure your loofah is wet before putting it inside the microvan. And don’t dry it for too long, otherwise, it will burn your loofah. Stop the microvan when the wet loofah starts releasing water vapor.
After drying, don’t keep your loofah inside the bathroom. Just keep it in a dry place and use when needed.
When You Should Throw Away the Loofah
It depends on two situations. Firstly, like other products, it has a shelf life and it will expire after that time though you clean and disinfect your loofah regularly. If you use a loofah alone, generally natural loofah last up to a couple of months, and artificial loofah last up to 3-4 months. After this time you should throw it off.
Secondly, if you don’t clean and disinfect your loofah regularly, it must be attacked by microorganisms. And they create molds and odor. In this situation, cleaning loofah won’t be so effective. Just dump it and buy a new one.
The Last Word
Clean mean healthy life and clean loofah mean healthy shower. Here you know the easiest way to clean and disinfect your loofah. Now it is your turn to keep your loofah clean and germ-free.
Have a fresh bath.
Read also:
01. Every man Should Try This Body Wash for Dry Skin.
02. Which one is Best- Body Wash, Shower Gel, or Bar Soap?
03. Organic Exfoliating Scrub with Olive Oil.
04. Best Loofah Substitute.