As much of a treat, they are for relaxing prolonged showers; loofahs can be a trouble when cleaning them. These porous shower aides have tiny holes that are hard to clean and are favorite spots for bacteria to colonize.
Yes, you’ve read it right. It’s recommended to disinfect your loofahs at least once a week. If you’re now wondering how you can clean a mesh loofah, here’s how dermatologists have suggested cleaning it.
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Quick Answer
Some really simple ways to clean a mesh loofah are by hand washing it in cleaning solutions or cleaning them in a washing machine with detergent, washing them in a dishwasher, or heating them in a microwave for 2 minutes. All of these methods are chosen to hamper the micro-organism growth, making them safe to use.
Loofah cleaning solutions easily available at home are:
- Bleach
- Synthetic Vinegar
- Hydrogen Peroxide
Now that you know how harmful can a dirty loofah be for your skin, read on to find out in detail how you can clean a mesh loofah through each method:
How to clean a mesh loofah with a cleaning solution?
Cleaning loofah with cleaning solutions is the easiest and most effective way to disinfect them, and both natural and synthetic loofahs can be cleaned through this method.
Here’s how you can clean your loofahs with each cleaning solution:
Bleach:
First things first, rinse off all the soap from it.
Take a big washing bucket and fill it up with water. For natural loofah, take a quarter cup of bleach and for synthetic loofah, take more than half a cup of bleach. Pour the beach and let it sit.
Now soak the loofah for 7-10 minutes, make sure it’s fully dipped in water.
Rinse it through freshwater, and hang it to let it dry out.
Vinegar
Vinegar has been used for cleaning and disinfection since forever. From dishes to marble tops and jewelry, vinegar is a life-saver. Here’s how you can disinfect mesh loofah with vinegar.
Just like usual, rinse off all the soap first.
Now take equal quantities of vinegar and hot water.
Dip the loofah completely and let it sit for a couple of minutes. The longer, the better.
Lastly, rinse with fresh water and hang to air dry.
Hydrogen Peroxide
A milder alternative is hydrogen peroxide.
The cleaning steps are similar to bleach and vinegar. You need to take two parts of hot water to mix one part of hydrogen peroxide.
How to clean mesh loofah in a washing machine?
When cleaning solutions are not available, the second-best way to disinfect your mesh loofah is to wash it in a washing machine.
You can simply wash it along with your clothes, with lukewarm to hot water add your regular detergent, and swing! Make sure you take mesh loofah out before the automatic drying begins. It’s fairly better to let it air dry, as the heat can disrupt the mesh structures and destroy it.
Can you clean a mesh loofah in a dishwasher?
It may sound a little disturbing to some of you who are very particular about the cleanliness and purity of kitchen utensils. But when you’re not left with any other options, a dish washer can save you from the colony of the tiny microorganisms on your cute little loofahs.
All you need to do is, place it on the top rack and press the start button. The only step left now is to leave it to air dry.
How is mesh loofah disinfected in the microwave?
As easy as it may sound, disinfecting a loofah in the microwave is tricky. Here’s what you need to do:
- Look for any element attached on the loofah that isn’t microwave safe. It may include plastic tags or metals.
- Make sure it’s a bit damp when you place it in the microwave, the mesh on a dry loofah can easily break with excessive heat in the microwave.
- You can place a synthetic loofah for up to 2 minutes, but keep a close look to avoid any mishaps.
- And lastly, never lift a hot object from the microwave directly. Leave it out to cool down first.
What is the proper way to use mesh loofah?
There’s no right or wrong way to use a bathing aide, but yes if you use it with care, it can last longer than expected and reduce the colonization rate of micro-organisms and preventing them from invading your body.
Here are a few precautionary measures:
- Be gentle with scrubbing. This will help you in two ways;
- The loofah will stay intact, and the mesh will not break
- Vigorous scrubbing can break open your skin, exposing the bacteria living on your loofah to invade your body.
- Replace it regularly. A synthetic loofah is safe to use for 2 -3 months. However, a natural loofah is more prone to bacterial growth and should be replaced within a few weeks.
- Rinse it well after use. Then squeeze it or shake off any extra water.
- Don’t forget to air dry it after every use.
What are the alternatives to mesh loofah?
If you want to ditch loofah, considering how unhealthy it can be without proper care, you’re surely not alone!
A washcloth can be a great alternative with all the gunk growing within a tiny mesh of your loofah. They’re flat and dry out easily; you can regularly wash them along with your clothes and replace them every now and then as they are quite affordable compared to luxurious mesh loofahs.
Can I get skin infections with the use of loofahs?
Mesh loofahs can cause numerous skin problems, and the root cause is sometimes hard to identify. Firstly, the rough texture of the mesh can give you skin rash if scrubbed on vigorously. Rashes if break open as cuts can lead to bacterial skin infections.
Therefore, one should be really careful about using this super- luxurious bathing aide.
Wrap up
As pleasing as the mesh loofah can be in a hot shower, the horror of bacterial growth can let anyone give up on their use right away. However, if you’re still a fan there are three simple ways to disinfect a mesh loofah.
The most effective one remains, cleaning them with a cleaning solution, the second-best cleaning technique is washing them in a washing machine or dishwasher and the last resort can be disinfection in the microwave. Let us know in the comments, which cleaning technique is your favorite.