We’ve all have the pleasure of walking into a public restroom only to find a visible surprise left for us on the seat, usually in the form of a yellow liquid. Unfortunately, other than avoiding public bathrooms altogether, these incidents are inevitable.
Some restrooms provide paper covers to help keep users clean, but it’s not always available, so some people turn to using toilet paper. This could be doing more harm than good. The toilet paper barrier keeps you from the actual toilet seat, but that’s not the source of the germs you need to worry about.
A design benefit of the toilet seat is that it’s a difficult surface for germs to cling to. It’s good to note here that developing an infection from sitting on a toilet seat is highly unlikely, since most intestinal diseases involve hand-to-mouth transfer of bacteria. Your immune system is also ferociously good at protecting you from any potentially dangerous pathogens. In fact, squatting over a toilet is riskier for your health than just sitting down as it can increase the risk of injury or infection.
It may seem smart to cover the seat before you sit down, but it’s actually the opposite. The paper you are using is covered with more bacteria than the bare seat. You can blame this on the plume.
Every time a toilet flushes, germ particles are thrown into the atmosphere. Those germs land all over the stall, including the door, walls, floor, and toilet paper. These particles are called toilet plume.
So how can you avoid this germ cloud? The best advice is to bring your own toilet paper, or sit on the bare seat – once you’ve wiped it down, of course. Disinfectants can keep bathrooms clean when used correctly. Our line of restroom cleaners can help keep the plume away. Until then, please be sweet & wipe the seat.
