Toilet Question from a germ-freak!

[Juniortrooper]

Hi,
I admit I'm a bit of a germ-freak. ::yes::
Do the bathrooms in WDW have the nice paper toilet seat covers? I have bought a few of these (for next to nothing) in the travel section of Target, but I don't want to pack them if I won't need them!

Are they generally kept pretty clean?

Thanks!

Amy

[*KeepMovingForward*]

I'm a bit of a freak when it comes to bathrooms. My mother told me women "hover" and its stuck with me. :rotfl: I figure those paper covers are porous and don't protect you against anything and I refuse to clean a public toilet. Ick! Anyhoo, I've never really seen a horrible bathroom in Disney, but they are by no means pristine. I think they are about as clean as you can expect for all the traffic that goes through them. I'm pretty sure I've seen the paper covers in some bathrooms, but not sure if they are there in all of them. If using them makes you feel better, i'd probably just bring a pack with you to be on the safe side.

[Hannathy]

I hope if you hover you clean up the mess that you just made and don't leave it for me!!! If Women would just use the toilet the way it was meant to be used half the mess would be eliminated. Disney has some of the cleanest bathrooms around. I don't know about the covers never use them and I have used bathrooms all over the place including other countries and have never had a problem or "caught" anything.

[*KeepMovingForward*]

I hope if you hover you clean up the mess that you just made and don't leave it for me!!! If Women would just use the toilet the way it was meant to be used half the mess would be eliminated. Disney has some of the cleanest bathrooms around. I don't know about the covers never use them and I have used bathrooms all over the place including other countries and have never had a problem or "caught" anything.

If I make a mess, I sure as heck clean it. If done right though, you shouldn't spray all over the place like a dog...guess it could happen though. But anyhoo, nope I don't leave gift behind for the next gal, but I surely don't clean up after the one that used the stall before me and was a pig-and unfortunately it happens.

[jenrein]

Most Disney bathrooms were clean. I had my daughter in a stroller as a wheelchair so we used the handicap stalls a lot- those were always very clean and they have their own sink right in the stall. I liked that- of course then on our way out everyone prob thought we never washed our hands- that bothered me :lmao:

[mandysbus]

I hope if you hover you clean up the mess that you just made and don't leave it for me!!! If Women would just use the toilet the way it was meant to be used half the mess would be eliminated. Disney has some of the cleanest bathrooms around. I don't know about the covers never use them and I have used bathrooms all over the place including other countries and have never had a problem or "caught" anything.


My thoughts exactly! It seems to me that it is mosty the ones that dont want to touch the seat that make the biggest mess on the seat. Nothing I hate more than to go in a stall and there is pee all over the seat. If its a crowded bathroom and the last person that was in my stall is still at the sink, sometimes I will say a bit loudly "man, someone pi**ed all over the seat". Might sound mean but let them be embarassed if they are gonna do that and not clean up after themselves.

I dont use covers and if the seat looks ok, I sit on it. I've used many many public rest rooms...some crudy and some nice and never had a problem with catching anything funky. I just make sure to wash my hands afterward or use my sanitizer.

[gillenkl]

When we were there last June all the bathrooms had the covers - I have to use them for my 6 yr old who can't hover.

[*KeepMovingForward*]

My thoughts exactly! It seems to me that it is mosty the ones that dont want to touch the seat that make the biggest mess on the seat. Nothing I hate more than to go in a stall and there is pee all over the seat. If its a crowded bathroom and the last person that was in my stall is still at the sink, sometimes I will say a bit loudly "man, someone pi**ed all over the seat". Might sound mean but let them be embarassed if they are gonna do that and not clean up after themselves.

I dont use covers and if the seat looks ok, I sit on it. I've used many many public rest rooms...some crudy and some nice and never had a problem with catching anything funky. I just make sure to wash my hands afterward or use my sanitizer.

In all seriousness, how do you know WHO is making the mess in the stall-meaning those who hover versus those who just sit down? Not trying to argue and no sarcasm, but I can't tell who sits or hovers when they are in the stall. :confused3 I totally agree that there are plenty of people that leave a disgusting mess and I applaud you for calling them on it-I probably would too if I were sure of who left such a lovely gift behind for me-and then I'd be on to another stall. It may be an off color saying, but very true-if you sprinkle when you tinkle, please be neat and wipe the seat. ;) I firmly believe in doing that no matter what your bathroom method is!

[jamesmommy]

It may be an off color saying, but very true-if you sprinkle when you tinkle, please be neat and wipe the seat. ;) I firmly believe in doing that no matter what your bathroom method is!

I am always afraid people will think I sprinkled the seat when I didn't, some of those auto-flush toilets spray when they flush...........

[GraysMom]

OP, I'm pretty germaphobic myself (in fact I've been in more public restrooms since DS2 started potty training 3 weeks ago than I have in my previous 34 years total :eek: ) and I found the Disney bathrooms to be about as good as it gets for public restrooms. They had the toilet covers in all the bathrooms (although I carried a few extra just in case I ended up in stall that was out of them) and I usually layer two of them for a little extra coverage. I still felt somewhat like I needed a shower when I came out, but not as bad as some other places.

I do have to say that I don't think anyone cleans the ceiling vents in those bathrooms though :scared1: . There was so much dust/mold/fuzzy stuff hanging out of them.

[MommaPooh217]

For those of you who are germ phobes like me I buy these Potty Toppers and they are very nice and thick and they have adhesive on the bottom so there is no slippage. They are a bit pricey for a 40 pack (the come in 4 packs of 10) but they work really well and I never use all the packs I take on vacation with me. They are great if you are driving to WDW for the times when the bathrooms at the rest stops are nasty. I usually put a 10 pack in our backback we take to the park with us and it lasts us for 2 -3 days with 2 kids.

This is their website :
http://www.tabletopper.com/NSPotty.htm

And Amazon and Target both sell them on their sites :

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/search-handle-url/index=blended&field-keywords=potty%20toppers&results-process=default&dispatch=search&store-name=all-product-search/ref=pd_sl_aw_tops-1_blended_17406502_2&results-process=default



http://www.target.com/gp/search.html/602-7624631-0102260?field-keywords=potty%20toppers&afid=google&LNM=potty_toppers&LID=1194349&ref=tgt_adv_XSGT0706



Blessed Be,
Tina

[Luv Bunnies]

I always use seat covers in public restrooms. What I hate the most is when you carefully lay one down and it immediately absorbs the spritzles from the person (or people) who went before you. In this case, I will take a big wad of toilet paper and wipe the seat.

The public restrooms in WDW all had seat covers, as far as I remember (we were just there in December). I think most places around the country have started supplying them in the last few years. I think California was one of the first states where they were widely available. Several years ago, I remember flying into another state and heading for the airport bathroom. It was like culture shock to find that they didn't have toilet seat covers!

[SnowWhite12]

Hi! We just got back last night, and every bathroom I used were fully stocked with the toilet covers (the nice big ones).

[TravelinGal]

For those of you who are germ phobes like me I buy these Potty Toppers and they are very nice and thick and they have adhesive on the bottom so there is no slippage. They are a bit pricey for a 40 pack (the come in 4 packs of 10) but they work really well and I never use all the packs I take on vacation with me. They are great if you are driving to WDW for the times when the bathrooms at the rest stops are nasty. I usually put a 10 pack in our backback we take to the park with us and it lasts us for 2 -3 days with 2 kids.

I got some like that from Classy Kid and the adhesive is SO strong that it always leaves a chunk of the plastic liner stuck to the seat. Last thing I want to do is sit and pick the remains off the toilet seat! (but I don't want to leave the sticky stuff on the seat for others, ya know?!)

How are the Potty Toppers in that regard?

RE the pricing at Target.com - it looks like they have various themes on them and if you get the balloon theme it's the least expensive choice.

[Andy B]

What I don't get is how your buts are cleaner than everyone else's.

[Beth E. (NJ)]

My mother was a big fan of the hovering school of public toilet usage. Sometimes I hover, but if the seat seems clean I will put down paper or one of those sheildy things they have at WDW.

I will say that generally speaking the toilets at wDW do seem cleaner than those in the real world.

And yes Andy -- all of us who DIS have clean and sanitized butts. :rotfl:

[kribit]

We are the hover crowd, :laughing: but I bought 2 packs of the covers from One Step Ahead too. They are much thicker than the free ones.

[Nynaeve]

I was surprised, they were pretty clean when we went. And, we just used them normally and made sure we washed our hands really good when we were done.

One thing that totally grossed me out, when we were in a bathroom, a teenage girl came out of a stall. Her mother asked her, 'you flushed the toilet with your foot, right?'. The daughter says 'of course' and washes her hands. I was so shocked!! To keep their hands clean, they slap to bottom of their shoe up there, where all the normal people will use their hands to flush. God only knows what kind of nasty stuff they walked all over and is down there. And they just transfered it where someone will get it all over their hands. :scared: Most of them are automatic flushers anyway, why even bother using your foot to do it, let it go on it's own!!
I would have said something, but I was so grossed out and shocked! Does no one have any common courtesy? It's all just me me me, who cares about anyone else!! :mad:

[CastleCreations]

I thought everyone flushes with their foot. :confused3 In microbiology class, we had to culture toilets. The inside of the toilet, was actually cleaner than the handle. The handles rarely get cleaned, and not too many people have germs on the back of their legs, (when they do the deed). But alot of folks have yucky hands I guess and after they wipe, they use their hand to flush. Same as shopping carts. Thanks goodness for antibacterial gel. We cultured handles on the shopping carts at a local grocer and yeach!! gross stuff on there.

[TravelinGal]

I was taught to flush with my foot too - but it's kinda hit and miss for me - depends on how high the handle is and how utterly gross the bathroom is!

I guess, to make it simple, it doesn't matter how you flush it - just wash your hands after you go regardless!

[1rockinmamato2]

I flush with my foot. And I hover. Public restrooms, shopping carts, and the pens provided to sign after a debit or credit card transaction give me the heebie jeebies.

Thank goodness for hand sanitizer, soap and water!

I do have a question though about the seat covers since potty training days are ahead for me. When you use a potty seat cover/liner, how do you dispose of it? I just don't understand how, if I'm concerned about sitting on the toilet seat or having my child sit on the toilet seat, I am then going to remove it with my hand after it's been on the toilet seat? I hope that makes sense. How do you all handle that?

[ellenmiele]

I thought everyone flushes with their foot. :confused3 In microbiology class, we had to culture toilets. The inside of the toilet, was actually cleaner than the handle. The handles rarely get cleaned, and not too many people have germs on the back of their legs, (when they do the deed). But alot of folks have yucky hands I guess and after they wipe, they use their hand to flush. Same as shopping carts. Thanks goodness for antibacterial gel. We cultured handles on the shopping carts at a local grocer and yeach!! gross stuff on there.

Exaxtly - we all need to worry alot more about what our hands touch than what our butts touch! I'd sooner sit on the seat than touch the handle - or the doorknob or the faucets or....whatever.

[MommaPooh217]

I got some like that from Classy Kid and the adhesive is SO strong that it always leaves a chunk of the plastic liner stuck to the seat. Last thing I want to do is sit and pick the remains off the toilet seat! (but I don't want to leave the sticky stuff on the seat for others, ya know?!)

How are the Potty Toppers in that regard?

RE the pricing at Target.com - it looks like they have various themes on them and if you get the balloon theme it's the least expensive choice.



They are pretty good in that regard as long as you don't rip them quickly up from the seat, just pull easy and they come right off. :thumbsup2

Blessed Be,
Tina

[jenrein]

Who DOESNT flush with their foot? Just the thought of touching the flusher gives me the heeby jeebys

[TravelinGal]

Who DOESNT flush with their foot? Just the thought of touching the flusher gives me the heeby jeebys


uggh - my DS(2) - he LOVES to flush. He has a hold of that nasty handle before I can stop him half the time (as I struggle to get my clothes in order and he flushes while I'm still seated!)
Very thorough hand scrubbing occurs in all our public bathroom visits. (more basic washing at home as opposed to the deep cleansing after he touches a public toilet - but I AM trying to teach him to always wash after going potty)

[seashoreCM]

(copied from another post)

Bring a wet paper towel into the stall.

Wipe off the seat with dry toilet paper, then with the wet paper towel, then with more dry toilet paper.

Alternative: Get some of those alcohol swabs/wipes like they use to wipe on your arm before you get a shot. Use one of those to wipe the seat after wiping off droplets of water with the dry toilet paper.

>>> hover

There is this exercise done in tai-chi and pilates classes sometimes referred to as "the air chair". You hold a sitting position with no chair under your backside. How long can you hold that position?

>>> porous

IMHO there is no danger resulting from the porosity of the paper seat covers. The thickness of the paper compared to the size of the bacteria is comparable to a person's having to climb up two stories to reach what is above.

Disney hints: http://members.aol.com/ajaynejr/disney.htm

[SnowWhite12]

I flush with my foot. And I hover. Public restrooms, shopping carts, and the pens provided to sign after a debit or credit card transaction give me the heebie jeebies.

Thank goodness for hand sanitizer, soap and water!

I do have a question though about the seat covers since potty training days are ahead for me. When you use a potty seat cover/liner, how do you dispose of it? I just don't understand how, if I'm concerned about sitting on the toilet seat or having my child sit on the toilet seat, I am then going to remove it with my hand after it's been on the toilet seat? I hope that makes sense. How do you all handle that?


If you use the toilet liner provided in the bathroom, part of it hangs in the toilet, and then it flushes down automatically. You don't have to touch it after you've gone.:goodvibes

[Zoesmama03]

They have always been acceptable when I've gone to any park. :thumbsup2


People always are afraid of the toilet but I've heard that when the toliet is flushed the germs fly out several feet so its in the air and everywhere.

We can't avoid it completely but of course if you can SEE stuff on the toilet eww.

I'm not much of a germ phobe but still gross is gross.

[TravelinGal]

Thank goodness for hand sanitizer, soap and water!

I do have a question though about the seat covers since potty training days are ahead for me. When you use a potty seat cover/liner, how do you dispose of it? I just don't understand how, if I'm concerned about sitting on the toilet seat or having my child sit on the toilet seat, I am then going to remove it with my hand after it's been on the toilet seat? I hope that makes sense. How do you all handle that?

If it's a non-flushable seat cover then you just remove it from the top. You don't need to touch the plastic liner side that was on the seat. Throw it in the 'femine hygene' trash can.
Then wash hands as normal. :thumbsup2

[zoemurr]

but we all flush with our feet here too.. no way I'm touching a public toilet handle.

[Aristomommy]

I remember an interesting show on this topic. What I gathered from it was that if the seat is dry, most if not all bacteria has died within the time the previous person has left and you enter the stall. Also, use the first stall, if possible as it is usually the cleanest. Most people if given a choice will choose a stall away from the door for privacy. I am more concerned about the flushing and the door handle when leaving, than when I am sitting down.

[raestr]

I always pull off a couple of squares of tissue to push the toilet handle and then I throw them in the toilet real quick so they go down with everything else. ;)

Do they sell the seat covers in the local Target stores, or only on-line?

Thanks,
Rae

[dodukes]

Yep Guilty of it all here, i am a foot flusher and a hoverer!...LOL...but yes if theres any mess made it does get cleaned up but for hte life of me i cant figure out how people make them if done right..lol. I dont think I have ever sat on a public toilet. The most i had to do was i was super sick on our cruise and i had to sit so in my sickness i was ccleaning the toilet. I was from the hover and foot flush era of growing up. Era is the wrong word but you all know what i mean. And i dont even use the toilet seta covers those give me the jeebies too, i just hoever for everything. If i am on vacation for 2 weeks, then i hover for 2 weeks. I just cant see it any other way..lol. Ill add that i am extremely germophobic tho and yes i too HATE to touch public door hanldes and the pens at the bank, yuck!!