Living in a clean home is hygienic and makes people feel mentally better. However, some household items are particularly vulnerable to the build-up of bacteria, which is not always easy to see.

To help people keep their homes clean and hygienic, one housekeeper has shared the one item she urges all households to throw away due to how disgusting and smelly it ends up getting without people really noticing.

Taking to Reddit's Cleaning Tips forum, the professional housekeeper recalled the several times she'd had to scrub one bathroom items, with the smell often leaving her struggling to do her job.

The caption of the post read: "If you have one of these in your bathroom, throw it away immediately because it STANKS.

"I've been a professionally trained housekeeper for 15+ years and I want to say that one of the MOST DISGUSTING things that I find in almost anybody's bathroom is... toothbrush holder cups," they wrote on the post.

She went on to say: "I think what people don't realise is how much bacteria is left on a toothbrush... And it just drips right down the sides of your toothbrush into a pool at the bottom of that cup EVEN IF YOU 'RINSE YOUR TOOTHBRUSH OFF EVERY TIME'.

"Then that bacteria that collects in the bottom of the cup has a nice dark, moist place to grow and grow."

She went on to explain the bacteria had made the toothbrush cups smell gross, saying she often had trouble cleaning the cups due to how bad the smell was.

"I have NEVER and WILL NEVER use a toothbrush cup again. The ONLY sanitary alternative is to hang your toothbrush and let it drip dry," she said.

If you do insist on still using a toothbrush cup, she went on to explain what the best way to clean it would be.

She explained: "Btw the ONLY way to get rid of that gunk at the bottom is to get some kind of brush with the bristles at the top (think like a thick bristled paint brush?) inside the holes and SCRUB clean with some kind of disinfectant/detergent."

The cleaner went on to say: "You CANNOT just swish some baking soda or bleach or whatever around at the bottom and hope that it stops the growth, it won't!"

She then went on to urge people to go and sniff the inside of their toothbrush cups, as she claimed they'd be shocked at how bad they smell due to the bacteria.

Several people soon took to the comment section of the post, with many sharing their own ways of cleaning their toothbrush holders.

"I clean mine with denture cleaner tablets, which I have because I use them to clean my nightguard too. Works like a charm for both purposes!" one user wrote.

A second user said: "I just throw mine in the dishwasher once a week."

"Mine is clear. I can definitely tell when it's time to clean. I throw it in the dishwasher," another person said.

Someone else added: "Even the base of an electric toothbrush holder. I wipe mine down with peroxide every week. It collects gunk in no time. I can only imagine how gross an overlooked cup can get."