How to Use a Shower Ball: Lather Lightly, Rinse, Dry Outside

Wet it and add body wash

Wet it first. The directions from two US brands (EcoTools, AfterSpa) also start with wetting it and adding body wash.

Follow your product’s directions for how much body wash to use. If there are none, start with a little and add more if you need it. Squeezing out a lot at the start makes rinsing take longer.

Make lather inside the mesh

Squeeze it with both hands to make lather. The layers of mesh are what make the lather.

If your skin is dry, you don’t need enough to make thick lather. Use just enough to wash off dirt and oil, and only where you need to wash. The American Academy of Dermatology (AAD) gives the same advice for dry skin.

Rub lightly in small circles

Both product pages say to rub in circles. Light pressure, just enough for the lather to glide over your skin, is enough.

The same dermatologist also says not to rub too hard. If the spot turns red or stings, stop right away. Too much friction can cause tightness, stinging, and redness (Health Chosun’s English edition).

Move from your arms to your legs

For example, washing your arms, then your torso, then your legs makes it easier to check that you haven’t missed a spot.

For dry skin, it is best to finish a shower within 5 to 10 minutes (AAD). Don’t stay in one spot; keep moving. A wet floor with lather running down is slippery, so it’s fine to sit on a bathroom stool to do your legs.

Rinse the mesh too

Rinse the lather off your body with water that isn’t hot. Hot water washes away your skin’s oils and can make skin drier (AAD).

Then squeeze the mesh under the running water to push out the lather and residue inside. Dead skin you have washed off easily gets caught in the gaps of the mesh, so if you skip this step it stays there.

Wash your face with your fingertips

Your face is sensitive, so don’t put the mesh on it. Put cleanser on your fingertips and wash.

Instead of washing your face right away with the hand that held the mesh, rinse your hand once first.

Shave last, after the shower ball

Shave at the end of your shower (AAD dry skin advice). Skin is less irritated when you shave it after water has softened it. If you wash first and shave last, the mesh doesn’t touch your freshly shaved legs that day. For a few days after shaving, keep the mesh off that spot (the same article).

On days you shave your underarms, also check the steps in the underarm hair removal guide.

On days your skin is weak, wash by hand

On days your skin is dry and tight, or red, make lather in your hands and wash with that. For hygiene too, a dermatopathologist said that well-washed hands carry less risk than sponges or loofahs (Real Simple article).

Hands may feel less refreshing than the mesh. Still, for weakened skin, the option with less friction is the right one.

Why is it a problem if it doesn’t dry?

The mesh is tight, so dead skin gets stuck in the gaps, and if you hang it in the shower, the inside never gets a chance to dry. The dermatologist explained that such a place becomes a good spot for germs to grow (Cleveland Clinic). E. coli, Pseudomonas, staphylococcus, streptococcus, and mold can turn up, it says.

Synthetic material is not automatically safe. A 2020 study in a Brazilian journal looked at 30 used bath sponges.

Clinically important microorganisms were found in 80% of them. That was 14 of 15 natural sponges and 10 of 15 synthetic ones. Staphylococcus aureus was found in 4 sponges and Pseudomonas in 6. Of the 15 synthetic sponges, 4 were polyethylene mesh, and after disinfection this type did better than the other synthetic sponges (original paper).

That doesn’t mean you should stop using it. The same article ends by saying you can keep using a loofah if you dry it every day, wash it once a week, and avoid sensitive areas.

Rinse, squeeze, and dry it outside the shower

After use, rinse until no more lather comes out. Squeeze it hard with your hand or shake it out, then hang it somewhere cool where air moves, not inside the shower. A hook outside the bathroom door or by a window is a good spot.

The EcoTools product description also says to rinse and hang it to dry. Before your next shower, press it with your hand. If it feels damp, it isn’t dry yet. Next time, squeeze it harder or move it to a breezier spot.

If you don’t have a good place to hang it outside the shower

For dry skin, there is also advice to keep the bathroom door closed during your shower (AAD). So get into the habit of carrying the mesh out with you when you finish.

Even without a hook outside the door, don’t leave it inside the shower. A report says germs multiply more in a damp bathroom, so if you can, find a cool spot outside the bathroom where air moves.

One for each person

The medical team who reported a case of infection in Canada said not to share it with family (Health Chosun report). Another report says that when several people share one, microorganisms from one person’s skin can pass to another, so it’s better for each person to have their own (Health Chosun’s English edition). Using different colors and separate hooks keeps them from getting mixed up.

Wash it separately once a week

A dermatologist says to wash a loofah at least once a week, whether it is natural or plastic. Pick just one method from the table. Don’t stack several at once.

After washing, rinse well with clean water and let it dry all the way. If you wash it after a shower, it has time to dry before the next one.

If you use bleach, ventilate first

Follow the dilution directions and cautions on the bottle, and check whether you need protection such as gloves. Don’t mix bleach with other cleaners or disinfectants, because dangerous gas can form. Keep windows and doors open for airflow while you use it, and rinse after soaking so no smell remains (US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention).

For mold or a smell, replace it instead of washing it

If you see mold or smell a musty odor, the advice is to throw it away and use a new one, not wash it and keep using it (the same article). In that case, put it away right away so it doesn’t touch your skin.

Which row is yours?

If you have a plastic mesh shower ball, read the plastic and synthetic loofah rows together with the three rows below them. The two brands in the table also call their own mesh products loofahs on their pages. If your product’s package or description gives a replacement time, that comes first.

The numbers differ because the materials and products differ, and so do the people who said them. There is no single right answer, so look at the signs below too.

Signs to check before the date

If you see mold or smell a musty odor, replace it even if time is left. That sign comes first, whichever schedule you follow.

One report says it is better to replace it if the color has changed, even before the time is up (Health Chosun’s English edition). If it has gone flat or looks grubby, replacing it also gives you peace of mind.

Buy several so you don’t forget

One suggestion is to buy several at once and replace them often (the dermatopathologist in the Real Simple article). You don’t have to go shopping each time you replace it, so you won’t put it off.

Writing the date you replaced it on the wall next to the hook also cuts down on wondering, ‘When did I change this?’

Whether a replacement time is printed

EcoTools EcoPouf lists 30 days and AfterSpa Mesh Bath Sponge lists 60 days on their product pages. It differs by product, so check the packaging yourself. If one is printed, that time is your guide.

Whether it has a loop to hang it by

Some products come with a ribbon for hanging, which makes drying easier. With a loop, finding a drying spot is much easier.

Start with the soft one

Even the same brand makes a soft product and a textured one made for exfoliating (the soft one, the exfoliating one). If your skin is delicate, start with the one labeled soft.

Stop using it first

The EcoTools product description warns to stop using it right away if irritation develops. One report also says to rub less hard or less often and choose a softer product (Health Chosun’s English edition).

On days your skin feels tight and stings, switch to a softer tool or your hands. Washing by hand is enough until it settles.

Moisturize right after drying off

Pat yourself dry instead of rubbing with a towel, and apply a fragrance-free moisturizer while your skin is still damp (AAD). For how to choose a moisturizer, see the body lotion guide, and for shower habits, see the autumn shower habits guide.

If you have red spots or a fever, see a doctor

If red spots or inflammation appear after use and get worse, you need to see a dermatologist (Health Chosun report). A Cleveland Clinic infectious disease specialist said such infections are rare (hospital newsroom), but cases exist.

A 45-year-old man in Canada developed a sore with pus on his right leg, then scrubbed that spot and his body hard with a loofah sponge, and the sores spread to his arms and the other leg. His leg turned red and swollen and he had a fever, so he went to the emergency room. The same bacteria grew from a skin sample and from the sponge he used (IDCases 2022 case report).

When you see a doctor, mention that you use a shower ball. The medical team in this case wrote that patients with skin infection symptoms and no clear cause should be asked whether they use such sponges.

Your hands are the closest tool

Hands are always with you and easy to wash. Just lather up and sweep over your arms and legs, and your body gets clean enough. Hands are also what the AAD recommends when you have psoriasis or hives.

Wash a washcloth after every use

A washcloth is named as an alternative because it is less likely to trap things in gaps and is easy to wash and dry (Cleveland Clinic). But a Real Simple article says it is only hygienic if you wash it after every use.

If your skin has become thin and dry with age, washing with a soft cloth is better (AAD).

If you also want to scrub off dead skin

Tools that scrub off dead skin are a separate topic. See the scrub towel guide for scrub towels, and the body exfoliation guide for a comparison of scrubs, peeling gels, and exfoliating body washes.