Q. I am appalled at the condition of the public restroom where I work. It is filthy and I hate to get close to the toilet seats. I have osteoarthritis in my knees, so crouching above the toilet is very difficult.
How effective are disposable seat covers? I have seen them in the pharmacy, but I don’t know if they can really protect me from germs.
A. Toilet seat covers are a good investment if they make you feel more comfortable and keep you from crouching. Research has shown that women who hover over toilets instead of sitting down are less likely to empty their bladders completely and may be more vulnerable to urinary infections or incontinence.
Toilet seat covers do provide a barrier against germs, but we have never seen any research showing that people catch diseases from toilet seats anyway.
Another option is to use a Clorox wipe on the seat before drying it with a paper towel.
People who visit this website get very angry about those who precede them and are super careless. There is also great concern about catching something from a toilet seat.
Here is a message from Denise:
Don’t get me started! With urinary urgency (or irritable bowel or any one of many other conditions requiring immediate access to a toilet), there just isn’t time to get a disposable toilet seat cover or disinfecting wipe out of one’s bag and cover or wipe the seat.
Women who pee on seats are doing so because they do not want their bare bottoms (mostly thighs, actually) to contact a surface – even a dry surface – that has been sat on – or peed on – by others. Perhaps they should go in the men’s room and use a urinal.
When I unsuspectingly sit on a wet seat (rare now that I look first) I am not so much worried about germs as I am wet and uncomfortable and put out that I now have to dry off my entire backside before I’m done. The preceding offender should wipe off the seat so I don’t have to. Come on, people!
To those of you who leave behind a wet seat: Not everyone is physically able to squat like you. Some of us have to sit. Many of us are older and find it difficult to clean up after you before we use the facilities. I don’t actually think you care. But someday it might be you – in fact, it probably will.
If you would like to read more outraged messages, click on this link. Add your own at the bottom of this message.
To be perfectly honest, we worry more about the bacteria that are found on flush handles, taps and door knobs. If you touch contaminated tap handles to turn the water off or open the door to leave, you could carry someone else’s germs on your hands even though you washed them. Using a paper towel can solve this problem.
