Experts warn that many people don’t clean or replace their loofahs properly, which can lead to problems.
Loofahs are great for lathering up, but they’re also good at harboring bacteria.
Loofah-related infections, while rare, can be serious, says Dr. Donald Dumford, an infectious disease specialist at the Cleveland Clinic.
“The staph, if there’s a little bit on your skin, and then it gets onto that loofah and starts to form a, what we call, biofilm or just kind of like, kind of a mucousy layer there that the bacteria persists in, that can help the bacteria propagate,” said Dumford. “And then, if later on, you use it on your skin, where you have an abrasion, it could get into that abrasion and cause a skin infection.”
To minimize risk, rinse your loofah after every use, shake off excess water, and hang it up to dry.
Deep clean it weekly by soaking it in a vinegar solution.
Most loofahs should be replaced about every month.
Avoid using your loofah if you have cuts, scrapes, or bug bites. Watch for signs of infection.
“Anytime you’ve got an area of redness on the skin that’s starting to get inflamed, starting to get red, you might think it could be infected — that’s a time to talk to your doctor and see if it is infected and get on antibiotics if need be,” Dumford said.