Do you sit on the toilet seat in public restrooms?

[tinkerbell of winter]

So this is a purely random question and I have included a poll......do you sit directly on the toilet seat in public restrooms? Am I just super neurotic about this, perhaps it stems from the days my grandmother held me above the toilet seat as a child so as not to sit on it. In Korea they have the right idea, you simply squat over a urinal looking bowl in the floor and then flush with your foot. What are your thoughts? I had no trouble in Germany though, on the autobahn the toilets self clean right before your eyes, I had no problem sitting on those seats!

 

[jdlutz]

Scientifically,there is very little bacteria that can form or remain on a toilet seat because of the relatively cold temperature that it generally maintains. Another thought.... where does your human waste go? Everything is recycled by nature, so eventually your "waste" is returned to you in the food you eat.

 

[LiLIrishChick63]

i VERY rarely ever sit directly on the seat. i'm usually hovering if it's a public restroom.

the only time i'll ever directly sit is if i'm not feeling well or something, and in that case i'll use a toilet cover or lots of toilet paper to cover the toilet seat. but i try not to do even that.

 

[mrodgers]

I stand in front of the urinal

 

[Andy B]

Why do people think their bum is cleaner than other people's?

 

[Sleepy]

Hover if you wish, but lift the lid rather than leaving your waste on the seat. You would not want a male leaving urine on the seat at home. Consider the same rule for yourself in a public bathroom.

 

[bananda]

on the seat. unless there's pee on it or it looks really feral. then i cover it in about 3 layers of toilet paper. if there is no seat and i have to sit on the rim, i won't use it.

 

[lacrosse_lady72]

I always put the paper between myself and the seat unless...

... there's no time because I NEED to go.
... there's no more paper product left anywhere.
... there's just enough paper product for me to wipe.

In the above cases, I hover.



And yes, I think my bum is much cleaner than most people. Of course this is dependant on the bathroom... I would cringe less at sitting on a Nordstrom toilet compared to a toilet at the train station.

 

[PaulaSB12]

I stand in front of the urinal

For all things?


I sit on the toilet why not.

 

[bananda]

For all things?


I sit on the toilet why not.

but why would you go number 2 in a public place?

 

[hucifer]

I just saw a Mythbusters that tackled the whole dirty toilet seat issue. While yes, the seat does have few germs on it, the germs they did find living there were pretty nasty. (So quantity was low, but quality was high)

I don't hover and I NEVER sit on the seat without something coming between us. If there isn't any toilet paper to put down on the seat, then there won't be any for wiping...so I move on to the next toilet.

 

[suzimar57]

hover, hover, hover.....

 

[happygirl]

I try not to use public restrooms

 

[LoraJ]

Hover if you wish, but lift the lid rather than leaving your waste on the seat. You would not want a male leaving urine on the seat at home. Consider the same rule for yourself in a public bathroom.

Totally agree!!!

 

[bunkkinsmom]

I sit. However, I think I will start teaching my kiddos to paper the seat first. You have to believe Mythbusters. You just have to.

 

[Rora]

I'll admit it- I'm gross- I sit directly on the seat, unless there's paper, then I use that.

 

[IndianaMouse]

I live dangerously and sit on the seat.

What's the point of hovering? As soon as you walk out of that bathroom and start wandering around touching stuff there's a pretty good chance your picking up germs from someone who didn't wash after going to the bathroom, picked their nose, coughed all over whatever your touching, or hasn't bothered to bathe in the last 10 days. There are just too many germs that constantly get on my hands for me to worry about a small amount of germs(iin comparison) that may get on my butt.

 

[My sister's princess]

I have been treated for OCD, but for some reason I really am not scared of seats. I think living in the dorms broke me of that fear

 

[MIGrandma]

I live dangerously and sit on the seat.

What's the point of hovering? As soon as you walk out of that bathroom and start wandering around touching stuff there's a pretty good chance your picking up germs from someone who didn't wash after going to the bathroom, picked their nose, coughed all over whatever your touching, or hasn't bothered to bathe in the last 10 days. There are just too many germs that constantly get on my hands for me to worry about a small amount of germs(iin comparison) that may get on my butt.

Good answer!! I feel exactly the same way!!

I have to snicker at people who are so grossed out by "germs" in the bathroom that they feel they have to hover over the seat, thus leaving droplets on the seat for the next person to have to deal with, and feeling the need to use a paper towel to open the door or not even bothering to wash their hands because they have "sanitizer" in their purse that they will use after leaving the restroom, blah blah blah.....

But then they think nothing about grabbing the handle of that shopping cart they're pushing around, or picking up items in the store that a dozen other people have touched, etc. etc.

Germs are everywhere, you cannot avoid them 100%.

 

[chicagodisneyfan]

I sit! But I also use bedspreads at hotels, walk around the room barefoot and use the hotel glasses.

Like to live dangerously!