Is It Bad To Eat In The Bathtub? (Yes, In Most Cases)

Whether you are a secret eater who would sneak chicken wings with you into the restroom or you love sipping some good cold beer as you soak yourself in the bathtub, the whole idea of eating in the washroom is a debatable one.

The entire washroom space, not just the bathtub, is often a dirty place with invisible germs lurking everywhere.

It is worth mentioning that some of the germs found on your toilet seat often end up on your bathtub and pretty much every other fixture in the restroom.

The danger of catching a bacterial infection in this space increases with poor management.

But Is it Bad To Eat In The Bathtub?

Yes, but it can depend. It isn’t entirely bad to carry a bottle of beer with you into the bathtub – who doesn’t do that? However, a plateful of lamb chops at the side of your bathtub can be a No! If the bathtub still has last week’s foam and grime all over it and you don’t even take good care of the whole space, bringing even a bottle of beer to this place would be incredibly gross.

Beware Of Bathroom Bugs

Although it may look clean after a recent cleaning, your bathroom space is the dirtiest place in your home. That’s because it’s the place you normally poop and clean yourself.

So, if you ever hit the tub with a plate of snacks, you may likely leave with a plate full of (microscopic) bathroom bugs.

Ew!

See, some of the bugs that stick on your toilet bowl don’t always stay there – they end up on everything else in this space depending on how often you clean the place.

If you normally take weeks to give your washroom a sparkle and a fresh smell, there’s a chance even your bathtub is infested with a sizable colony of fecal microorganisms from your toilet seat.

Maybe you are on your way out to refill your plate or wash it out in the kitchen—and nature calls while you are on the way.

You may figure why not stop and relieve yourself. We get it. You should think twice though before you do.

It turns out that your mug and coffee or whatever you may be eating could pick up a few “bathroom bugs” or fecal bacteria and even the filth itself depending on where you choose to place the plate while on the act.

But, depending on the size of bacteria we ingest and the state of our immunity, we could get slightly ill or very ill with vomiting, diarrhea, or nausea, vomiting.

It might even make you catch salmonella, listeria, and shigella which are all transmitted through fecal bacteria.

Should Add A Lid To Your Food?

Do you think putting a lid on the plate or cup of your food/drink will make a difference?

Think again.

It is not the liquid/food inside that cup/plate that is the issue. (In fact, the hot food or drink should stop the bacteria or viruses from flourishing, don’t you think?).

It is the outer space surrounding that lid and plate or mug that might be infested with some of the worst bacteria you could contract in the restroom.

Also, whatever you do, do not bring that plate or cup into the sink or stall with you.

That’s because when you flush your toilet there are about 3 million bacteria and other disease-causing microorganisms every square inch of your toilet’s bowl – the aerosols that fly up and sideways can easily land all over the bathtub, mug, and anything else in the vicinity.

You Actually Can Eat In Your Bathtub In Some Situations

It just depends.

Do you have an audience in your bathroom? No?

No one should fear taking food and drinks to their washroom and feeding on them while in there. Unless there’s an audience, don’t worry so much about “gross.”

It can be advantageous to eat or drink while soaking.

Think about – you are more likely to stay in the tub longer if you take a cold decent drink with you.

Staying in the tub longer gives you time to get a better scrub and even clear a few things from your mind as you swim in the warm water.

But this applies to drinks most of the time and some types of snacks.

For example, there’s no problem with bringing a few bars of chocolate with you. As long as the space is clean and smells great, you are good to swill or munch in there.

Four Foods To Never Eat In The Bathtub

Eating in the tub isn’t gross after all, just be careful with what you bring along.

If the space is clean enough, there are kinds of food and drinks you’d be good to bring and munch as you soak yourself.

Choose something dry – like candy or biscuits – or bottled drinks.

Beverages in wide-open cups and mugs are a No! We thought it’d be easier if we gave a list of what you should NEVER bring:

1. Soups

Imagine sitting in the bathtub eating some hot saucy soup then oops! your spoon falls in the pool of foamy water.

Also, the sight of gooey soup and the dirty water in the tub doesn’t just look nice to most of us especially when you have to look at them at the same time.

And what if the spoon moves to the wrong place?

2. Tacos

The problem with tacos is their tendency to turn your fingers cheesy and all flowy.

No one wants to swim in the tub with cheesy fingers.

Other factors worth considering with this choice of food: your meat spilling over.

Please imagine trying to enjoy taco meat off your tub.

No swag at all.

Actually scratch that, do not even try to imagine it.

You can bet Taco Bell does not have a new sauce packet with the slogan “Wipe from The Frontside to The Back” written on it.

3. Chicken Wings and Meatballs

You may be having a party at home and you just want a few minutes in the tub before you emerge clean and escort a friend back to their place.

But you want to have a few more wings before everyone gobbles the bowl empty – it is a common source of worry.

Don’t ever carry these into the bathtub. It doesn’t even matter if you are carrying them in a sizable container or plate.

The thick sauce will run all over your palms and fingers.

Remember your fingers need to aid in soaking and scrubbing at some point.

This can cause a huge mess if you are not careful (and it’s hard to be careful in situations like these, isn’t it?)

However, your chewy wings or meatballs may easily end up in the pool of foam. Yuck!

4. Any spicy food

The reason why you’d bring food in the tub would be to enjoy the whole soaking experience.

But we know spices are never gentle on the tongue.

It would be really hard to have a glamorous soaking in your tub with paprika-laced fries burning in your mouth.

Now of course it won’t be really a bad idea to eat anything in your bathtub, but keep this brief list in your head next time you even think about eating in the washroom.

What food or drink would you add to our list? You’re right – anything you’d interpret as tacky.

In a nutshell

So, is it bad to eat in the bathtub?

Absolutely, but it can depend.

Do you bear?

If you do, then it wouldn’t entirely be a bad thing to carry your favorite bottle with you into the bathtub – lots of people do it after all.

But, a plateful of lamb chops at the side of your bathtub would be unwelcome for some reasons.

If the bathtub still has a month’s worth of dirt, foam, and grime all over it and you don’t even take good care of the whole space, bringing even a bottle of beer to this place would be incredibly gross.

Although it may look clean after a recent cleaning, your bathroom space is the dirtiest place in your home.

That’s because it’s the place you normally poop and clean yourself. So, if you ever hit the tub with a plate of snacks, you may likely leave with a plate full of (microscopic) washroom bugs.

But, you actually may eat in your bathtub in some situations – it just depends on what you plan to eat.

Choose something dry – like candy or biscuits – or bottled drinks. Beverages in wide-open cups and mugs would be unwelcome. Taco Bell Doritos and spicy foods are some of foods you shouldn’t bring in the tub.

Also, no one should fear taking food and drinks to their washroom and feeding on them while in there unless there’s someone looking.

So, unless there’s an audience, don’t worry so much about “gross.” It fact, it can be advantageous to eat or drink while soaking.

Think about – you are more likely to stay in the tub longer if you take a cold decent drink with you.

Staying in the tub longer gives you time to get a better scrub and even clear a few things from your mind as you swim in the warm water.