Let me get straight to the point: I’ve spent way too much time today in the bathroom. My little one brought home an unforgiving stomach bug from preschool, and now I’m living through a marathon of discomfort, minus any celebratory medal. Ah, the joys of parenthood, right?
While I was stuck on the porcelain throne, I stumbled upon a rather gross but enlightening article from Shape that explained just how ineffective toilet seat covers really are. We’ve all been conditioned to think these flimsy paper shields are essential for our safety. After all, toilets are notoriously unsanitary—people do their business in them, and public restrooms are often avoided like the plague due to the fear of picking up some nasty germs.
But here’s the kicker: those seat covers you’ve counted on for years? Experts say they don’t do much at all. Because they’re absorbent, the bacteria and viruses on the seat can easily seep right through and onto your skin. Gross, I know.
Now, before you decide to avoid public restrooms altogether, let’s break down the situation. First, the good news: the chances of actually catching a disease from a toilet seat are quite low—unless you have an open wound, in which case, you might want to be a bit more cautious. However, there’s something else lurking in your bathroom that deserves your attention: “toilet plume.”
Wondering what toilet plume is? It’s the invisible cloud of air filled with germs that shoots up when you flush. This nasty plume can travel up to 15 feet, potentially landing on your sink or even your toothbrush. Yikes! A study published in the American Journal of Infection Control revealed that this toilet plume could play a significant role in spreading infectious diseases that are shed in feces or vomit.
So, what can we do about it? If you’re at home, make sure to put the toilet lid down before you flush. In public restrooms, make a swift exit after flushing. And please, for the love of cleanliness, wash your hands thoroughly afterward. A 2012 study found that leaving the toilet seat up increases the amount of diarrhea-causing bacteria—specifically Clostridium difficile—in the air by twelve times. Clearly, putting the lid down and practicing good hand hygiene is the way to go.
Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to go back to battling this stomach bug. I wish I could say this was a prank, but alas, it’s just February.
For more insights, check out this related post that dives into some other essential topics. If you’re looking for more information on home insemination, you can visit Make a Mom, which is a great resource. For those curious about the process of in vitro fertilization, Wikipedia has an excellent overview.