Public bathrooms aren’t the most appetizing places on the planet. On any given day, a considerable amount of people visit the shared stalls, which makes them smelly, dirty and filled with germs.
There is a VERY good chance that you’ve had to use a public restroom in your lifetime so you can relate to the unappealing situation. There is also a good chance that you were taught to use fresh toilet paper to line the seat before you sat or hovered over it. For all these years, you probably thought that you were doing the right thing and taking every precaution to protect yourself from germs. After all, the little toilet paper nest seems like it would be a safe way to distance your bum from the widely used seat.
But, there is one very good reason why you should not build a toilet paper nest prior to sitting down in a public restroom. Toilet seats are designed in a way that protects you from bacteria. The slickness and shape of the seat is not a welcoming place for bacteria to get comfortable, so it slides off the seat and back down into the water. Toilet paper, on the other hand, is a nice resting spot for that same bacteria, so when you flush the toilet, there is a chance that the bacteria floats up and lands on the toilet paper. You are already in danger of adding bacteria to your body when you use the paper from the roll on the wall, but that danger is doubled when you place it beneath your bum. It’s like creating a little breeding ground for the bacteria, right before you sit down on it.
While this may be difficult to stomach, it is actually safer for you to sit right down on the public toilet seat. Yep, try to think of something else as you take the plunge because fear sets in when your mind starts to think of all the people who sat their before you.
Another more obvious way of protecting yourself from germs while in a public restroom, is to be sure to always wash your hands. In addition to toilet paper, germs also accumulate on the sinks and faucets, so if you want to be extra cautious, carry around one of those travel hand sanitizers.
Another scary fact is that even if the bathroom was just recently cleaned, human bacteria can take over a stall within just an hour of a deep cleaning. And researchers also concluded that even if your hands are freshly washed, those jet dryers can scatter your remaining hand bacteria around the bathroom.
Viewers of the video below shared their thoughts on the scary bacteria news…
“Those air dryers are the worst – well, second to the idiots who just dab some water on their hands instead of actually washing them. USE SOAP, PEOPLE. ‘Where there’s water, there’s life.’”
“My worst fear about public bathrooms is that there is a splashback.”
“Also, after washing hands in public restrooms, use the paper towel when touching the door handle when leaving. A lot of people don’t wash their hands and will contaminate the handle.”