Most of us have reluctantly sat on a dirty public toilet seat. Some of us have even touched the toilet water, albeit on accident. We do everything we can to avoid the situation and wonder if we can hold it until we get home.
Eventually, we succumb to the call of nature.
Some people might attempt to hover above the toilet or perch on top of it to avoid touching the dirty seat. Others may create a barrier using toilet paper. Most people, however, embrace the unfortunate situation and sit down.
If you’ve ever wondered about the diseases, including STDs, that exist on a toilet seat, you’re not alone.
Millions of Americans use public toilets every day and virtually all of them have thought about the germs they’re exposed to while sitting on a toilet seat. We take precautions to use toilet seat covers and wipe away the stains but we know that these surficial actions may not protect us.
You may be surprised to learn that sitting on a public toilet seat, or touching the water, aren’t ways to get a disease or STD. The Center for Disease Control states, “obtaining diseases or STDs from a toilet is a common misconception and something that is extremely rare”. In other words, it won’t happen.
In the sections below, we’ll discuss why toilet seats are so gross and what type of germs we can find on them. We’ll also look at best practices while sitting on a toilet and other places in the bathroom we should be careful around.
Why Toilet Seats Are Gross
Just the thought of a toilet seat is gross, right? We sit on toilet seats while we deposit our waste. We touch toilet seats after we’ve finished our business, which spreads germs and other Needless-to-say there are a lot of smelly germs that are left on toilet seats.
Then we expose our skin to the same toilet seats that we know are filthy. It sounds a little crazy.
A toilet seat at home is one thing. We know who uses it and we know the health of those individuals.
But public toilet seats are another story. There might be hundreds of people who use the toilet seat before us. Furthermore, we don’t know when the last time it was cleaned.
Known Diseases On A Toilet Seat (Should We Watch Out For STDs?)
So, let’s get the STD misconception out of the way first. You will not, in all likelihood, ever get an STD from a toilet seat or toilet water. The rumor that you could get an STD from a toilet likely came from partners who denied they were the source of the disease.
Think about it.
If you confronted a partner about getting an STD from them they’re going to be defensive. Maybe they don’t show symptoms of the STD (which happens often) or they are embarrassed and never informed you.
Either way, they have to come up with a way it was transmitted. Blaming the toilet seat and/or toilet water is not an option.
STDs are transmitted when they find a warm, cozy host in the orifices of the body. Significant amounts of body fluid should come into contact with the anus and urethra as well.
There are plenty of other bacteria you can get from sitting on a dirty toilet seat.
- Ebola (hopefully you’ll know if your area has an Ebola outbreak)
- E. coli
- Shigella
- Streptococcus
- Staphylococcus
>> learn about using a pumice stone in your toilet
All of these microbes can be picked up from vomit or fecal matter. The truth is you’re also unlikely to get these unless you sit on a seat with vomit or fecal matter – who in their right mind does that.
Interestingly, the chances of getting these bacteria from a toilet seat is likely less than the chances of getting it from a door handle or water faucet. Could our hands be filthier than a toilet seat? It’s possible
Does Toilet Water Carry Diseases
Toilet water can carry all kinds of bacteria, however, it’s doubtful to transmit disease. Toilet water is clean when it enters the bowl. It comes into contact with human waste and becomes “contaminated”.
But the amount of water in our toilet bowls greatly dilutes the germs. In order to
Splash back is a problem with toilets, especially public toilets that have strong flushing power. If you’re worried about splashback, you can try the Hover approach as you defecate, or you can stand up from the toilet before flushing (splashback is more common with flushing).
Precautions To Avoid Bacteria
We’ve learned that contracting a disease while on the toilet isn’t likely. So what are some ways we can reduce our exposure to other bacteria?
Hand washing is the single most important thing you can do. It sounds gross, but most people who get sick from the restroom do-so because they touched a facet, door, handle or toilet seat, then touched their mouth.
Our skin does a great job of protecting itself, however, if we bite our nails or pick our nose, or itch our ear, we are inserting those germs into our bodies.
- Hand-washing
- Skin barrier – (eczema, open wounds)
- Weak immune system
- Splashback
- Antibacterial wipes
- The Squat and Hover
People with compromised immune systems (HIV/AIDs) or weak skin barriers like eczema and wounds due to injury have a much higher risk of catching something. The better you know your body, the more proactive you can be in limiting your chance of getting sick.
What Other Items Should We Be Careful With In The Bathroom
In addition to taking precautions, it’s important to know where we’re catching bacteria. It’s easy to figure out places where there are high bacteria counts.
- Bathroom faucets
- Bathroom doors
- Stall doors
- Toilet paper roll
- Walls near corners
- Drinking faucets
Some people will also argue that washing your hands after going to the bathroom in a public bathroom is a bad idea. It really depends on the condition of the bathroom. The faucets for hand washing might be exposing you to the most bacteria!
Conclusion
We can all agree that toilet seats are gross. Unless you’re in the comfort of your own home, sitting on a toilet seat usually feels uncomfortable because you don’t know who’s been sitting on it, nor do you know the last time it was cleaned.
After reading this article, you’re probably relieved to learn that you won’t get a disease or STD from a toilet seat. It takes more body fluid than you think and it has to enter your orifices. No matter what your partner tells you, it wasn’t the splashback in the toilet and it certainly wasn’t the seat.
You can, however, pick up a lot of other bacteria that resides on toilet seats. As a rule of thumb, don’t sit on a toilet seat with visible urine, feces, or vomit on it – chose another bathroom or toilet. Bacteria from fecal matter and vomit can survive for days on toilet seats, on the flusher, on bathroom water faucets and door handles.
If you have disinfecting wet wipes they work great to kill bacteria. If not, make sure you use hand sanitizer or wash your hands. Remember, that faucets in public restrooms can be filthy so take steps to protect yourself before and after washing your hands (use paper towels to turn them on and off and use paper towels to open and close the door).
Thanks for reading another Toilet Travels article. We cover all things toilets!