The "Dirt" on Public Restrooms

By Ashley Paskill on July 22, 2018

Many people are terrified of the thought of using a public restroom, especially in restaurants, while others have no issue. Even some experts advise against using these facilities due to their dirtiness. However, using a public restroom is inevitable if you live on-campus or commute to college each day. While many people may blame the spread of disease on food handlers, they are not entirely to blame.

Most people would think that the toilet seat is the germiest part of the bathroom, and many take great strides against coming in contact with the surface, but according to SeniorLiving, the toilet paper dispenser beats it out.  In the same SeniorLiving study, researchers compared places in a public restroom to items found in the homes of a typical household. The study claims that toilet paper dispensers are dirtier than toothbrush holders, which are still one of the dirtiest places in your home. Also, toilet seats and sink faucet handles are both dirtier than pet food bowls. Soap dispensers hold more germs than money and soap dispensers are dirtier than coffee reservoirs.

Washing your hands is the biggest thing you can do to help spread bacteria to others, as not doing so can leave bacteria on surfaces up to 48 hours after coming in contact. If possible, avoid contact with faucets and toilet paper dispensers. Bring portable hand sanitizer with you to help decrease the need to touch high-bacteria faucets. At home, keeping your toothbrush in a case can help protect it from bacteria, and cleaning it regularly rids it of residual bacteria.

If you own a restaurant or a business where you have public restrooms, make sure you make it clear that your employees must wash their hands, and implement best practices for decreasing contact with bacteria. These can include automatic flushing toilets and motion-activated faucets and soap dispensers. Make sure your bathrooms are cleaned often to ensure that germs are kept to a minimum.

It may be tempting to hide away for the rest of your life in order to decrease your contact with bacteria, but avoiding germs altogether makes your immune system weaken due to a lack of germs to fight off. Also, it is important to know that bacteria are everywhere, and avoiding it completely is impossible. Luckily, not all bacteria are bad. Taking precautions can help you and those around you stay healthy, but being over-precautious can hurt you by preventing your immune system from having touch with bacteria that help strengthen it.

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