Hygiene Protects toilet paper on toilet seats from germs?

Protection against germs? Better not put toilet paper on the toilet seat

Nobody likes to look for public toilets. After all, these are often not exactly clean and possibly full of pathogens. Many people cover the toilet seat with plenty of toilet paper to protect themselves from bacteria. But does that really help??

Unhygienic conditions in public toilets

Visiting a public restroom is often not pleasant. Not every quiet place is cleaned regularly and well enough. This is not only disgusting, but sometimes also harmful to health. However, less than is often suspected. Health experts, for example, point out that because of STDs, there is little need to worry about toilet-gum infections. Nevertheless, hygiene is especially important when visiting the toilet. Some people therefore put toilet paper on the toilet seat to protect themselves from germs. But this can be counterproductive.

Many people use toilet paper in public toilets before sitting down. But this is not good for preventing infections. (Image: nito / fotolia.com)

Toilet paper can be full of germs

It is known that in toilets many pathogens frolic. Therefore, to put toilet paper on the toilet seat, but usually does not protect against such germs.

After all, infections caused by bacteria are not caused by skin transmission. And moreover, the flushing is often operated with the lid open, so that collect on the glasses not so many germs.

On the toilet paper itself but may well lurk pathogens. Finally, flushing a lot of bacteria with the rinse water splash through the air and can wet the floor, walls and just the toilet paper.

Therefore, the laying out with paper should rather be dispensed with.

Unfortunately, hand washing is often neglected

However, should not be waived on thorough hand washing.

Most men, however, often neglect these important hygiene rules.

For example, a study by students at the SRH University of Applied Sciences in Heidelberg showed that around seven percent of visitors to public toilets did not even wash their hands.

There was a significant difference between the sexes here: While about eleven percent of the men completely renounced the cleansing ritual, the women only had three percent.

With water and soap, but without taking into account the intensity, 82 percent of the women examined looked after the infection germs.

For the men it was only 51 percent. The hand contact with men thus carries a higher transmission risk.

There are dangers in the kitchen

However, what is often neglected: not only in toilets can lurk pathogenic germs, even in the kitchen often huge amounts of it.

For example, scientific research has shown that kitchen sponges are true germicides.

"Partially, the bacteria reached densities of more than 5 times 1010 cells per cubic centimeter," explained study leader Dr. Markus Egert according to a message from Furtwangen University. "These are concentrations that are otherwise only found in fecal samples."

And also over wipes and cloths dangerous germs can be transmitted, as scientists from the University of Mauritius reported recently. (Ad)