It’s never a… nice experience.
Using a public toilet is never a great experience. It smells, it’s grubby… and just generally dirty (even the ones that are cleaned regularly).
But if you’re bursting to go, you don’t really have an option, do you?
Many of us fret about using public toilets because we’re scared that we’ll catch something, but according to a UK NHS physician, Dr Preethi Daniel, it’s highly unlikely.
Dr Preethi said that one of the most common questions she’s asked is if it’s possible to catch a sexually transmitted disease, to which she said: “To contract these diseases the germs would have to be directly transferred from the toilet seat to your genital tract, or through an open wound or sore on your legs or buttocks.
“You are more likely to be struck by lightning whilst riding a flying pig than catching a sexually transmitted disease from a public toilet seat, so please don’t worry.”
Dr Preethi went onto say that the only diseases you could catch from sitting on a public toilet seat is E-coli or Salmonella.
However, she also urged people to just sit down and do your business, because it’s actually more common to catch something if you’re fussing around.
“All that squatting and hovering we do to avoid touching the toilet seat, and the mad rush we are in to get out of the toilet cubicle are what can give us a urine infection,” she explained.
“By not emptying your bladder completely, in a rush or if you are squatting, you are exposing your body to potentially harmful bacteria.”
She added that the only advice she has is to wash your hands thoroughly after using a public loo and buy some hand sanitiser!
