Are Toilet Seat Liners Totally Pointless?

When you’re in a public bathroom and have to sit, do you hover . . . use a toilet seat liner . . . or just pop a squat?

A poll a few years back found 9% of us just avoid public toilets completely . . . 21% hover . . . and 63% just go for it.

But half of people in the “go for it” group do use one of those thin, paper liners. And “thin” is a key word here. According to a new BBCarticle, those liners might be kind of POINTLESS.

Quote, “Alayer of toilet paper or a toilet cover will likely NOT protect you from pathogens. They are made of porous materials, so they cannot stop germs from seeping through and touching your butt.”

Experts say hovering isn’t great either, because it’s harder to fully empty your bladder. And for women, it can potentially cause a U.T.I.

So what SHOULD you do? Keep using the liners if it makes you feel better. Or, just risk it. The risk is VERY low.

Most STDs can’t survive on a toilet seat. HPV and herpes technically can, but it doesn’t really happen under real-world conditions. You’re way more likely to inhale germs in a bathroom, or get sick from touching stuff with your HANDS.

Here are two practical tips they gave . . .

1. Touch as few surfaces as possible while you’re in there. And definitely wash your hands when you’re done.

2. Flush the toilet and FLEE. (???) Toilets toss out a plume of tiny droplets when flushed, and those droplets can have pathogens in them.

A virologist at the University of Arizona said it’s what he does. His strategy in public bathrooms is to, quote, “flush and run.”

(BBC)
Photo by Gabor Monori on Unsplash