I 'showered' in bacteria for a week, and it totally changed my definition of clean

A startup called Mother Dirt has developed a "AO+ mist" - a spray containing a type of bacteria called AOB that you put on your skin, which may restore it to a natural, healthier state.

Our extreme, hygiene-obsessed routines are unnecessary, Jasmina Aganovic, president of Mother Dirt, told Business Insider. "We've confused 'clean' with 'sterile,'" she said.

David Whitlock is the founding scientist of Mother Dirt's research partner, AOBiome. Whitlock, who uses the spray religiously, told Business Insider he hasn't showered in 12 years. Of course, Mother Dirt doesn't recommend that its clients do this, and you should definitely still wash your hands.

But just to get a feel for the most extreme case, I attempted to stop showering for a week, and sprayed myself with AO+ mist instead.

Here's what it was like: