TikTok just sparked a huge debate: Do you wash the bathtub before bathing your kids?

When was the last time you deep-cleaned your bathtub? If you ask me, if it was within the last month or so, you’re doing just fine. But a recent TikTok video sparked a huge debate on this topic, because there are apparently people out there who think the tub needs to be deep-cleaned (as in, scrubbed and disinfected) before every time they bathe their child. I have to be honest and ask, who the heck has time for that?

The debate started when TikTok user @mama_tiktok_here posted a video asking her followers about this. She stumbled upon the debate in her local parents’ group on Facebook.

“So I just saw a mom ask this question in a Facebook group I’m in, and she asked if parents were washing the bathtub before giving their kids a bath,” she said. “Are we supposed to be doing this? I mean I’ll do a deep clean a couple times a month, but not every night. Am I the crazy one?”

Luckily, it does appear from the comments that most people are sane and don’t clean their bathtub before every use. 

“Absolutely not. My tubs are clean but they definitely aren’t cleaned every night,” one person commented on the video.

Another added, “I feel like the chemicals on the surface before the bath will taint the water and will make it a 409 bath,” which is a very valid point.

However, not everyone in that comments section was in agreement. There were some parents in there who were pretty grossed out by the idea of people putting their kids in a “dirty” bathtub — and revealed that their idea of “dirty” is one that was used for someone to shower in since it was last scrubbed down.

“I can’t imagine all the bacteria that is just growing and then bathing in it,” one commenter wrote. No one tell them about how much bacteria just lives on their skin at all times — they’re not ready to face that truth.

Another commenter weighed in, “Everyone who showers before the kids have their feet in the tub and washing grime off their bodies. Why wouldn’t you wash it?”

Honestly, that’s kind of an insane take. Do people really think that when you shower, loads of dirt and grime come off your body and then just stay in the tub? How dirty are these people on a daily basis? Why isn’t all that dirt going down the drain, as is the entire point of using the shower instead of the bath?
At the end of the day, this is probably just one of those quirky things that will depend on what kind of household you grew up in. Some people can’t fathom the idea of using a tub without giving it a full scrub beforehand, while others can’t fathom the idea of deep cleaning a bathtub every day of their lives. No matter which camp you fall in, you still have a ton of bacteria on your skin, no matter how recently you bathed. You’re welcome.