Many of us are wary to use public looses – indeed, last year a study among 2,000 people for a brand for cleaning bathroom, it turned out that almost eight in ten of us would only venture in a public toilet if there was no alternative.
The fact is that bacteria such as E. coli and salmonella (which cause severe stomach symptoms), as well as the bug Staphylococcus aureus (which can lead to skin infections), hours – even days – can survive on hard surfaces, while viruses can stick to colds or flu for up to 24 hours.
“Public Loos often concerns many people in a limited space that performs physical functions, so there is a lot of potential for spreading germs from one place to another,” Dr. Lisa Ackerley from, an expert in the field of environmental health and scientific adviser to the International Scientific Forum on Home Hygiene, an organization that promotes good home hygiene methods.
But performances can be deceptive – sometimes public empty can be cleaner than you might assume. ‘In the course of my work I have swept public toilets and often they can be clean, but they just don’t seem to be because people leave waste such as paper or empty bottles behind it
That said, the enormous number of people who use a facility can increase the risk of picking up a bug, regardless of how unspoilt it seems: “If many people use the toilet and excrete or discharge pathogens – organisms that cause disease – then there is a risk to pick up bugs.”
So what are the healthiest ways to use a public toilet, from those at work to stationing facilities? Dr. Ackerley offers her tips to this …
“If many people use the toilet and excrete or discharge pathogens – organisms that cause diseases – then there is a risk of collecting bugs,” says Dr. Lisa Ackerley
1. Do not put bags on the floor
Do not place items such as bags on the floor where they can come into contact with germs that can then be transferred when you touch the item.
“If there is a hook, hang everything – and put your phone in your bag or bag,” says Dr. Ackerley.
You must also prevent your phone from using your phone while you are in the Loo in case you place it on a surface and it comes into contact with bacteria.
2. Wear Sanitiser
Wear Sanitiser, preferably with alcohol, so that you can rub something in your hands if you have to touch the door handles on the way out of the laundry room.
3. Use the soap …
Don’t worry about using the soap in public toilets – even if the dispenser looks a bit grim or the bar soap looks a bit gray. It is rubbing, washing and rinsing that gets bacteria from your hands, not the soap itself.
“If you wash your hands well, it should not make a difference in what form the soap is,” says Dr. Ackerley.
After you have wet your hands, added soap and made a foam, make sure you soap soap ‘including your fingers and the back of your hands’, she advises.
Also don’t forget your nails – to do this, “swim some foam in the palms of your hands and scrub your fingertips,” she says.
The entire process must take at least 20 seconds – and then you must feel that your hands are ‘suitable for the goal’ – that is, enough clean to use them to eat food, for example.
4. … Or water and sanitiser if there is none
If the soap is missing, rub your hands in water for as long as possible, as if you are using soap – ‘it is the rubbing action that removes the micro -organisms from the hands’.
Instead of only using Sanitiser, it is best to wash your hands in water in a dirty-looking sink, “because this comes from superficial dirt and to use sanitiser,” she says.
5. Choose a distant cupboard
Choose a distant cupboard when you enter public loos, because this is probably the cleanest.
According to psychologists from the University of California San Diego, people have a natural preference for the middle option when they get a choice.
This may mean that making a line for the less milled loos at the end of the row gives a better chance of avoiding bugs or unpleasant surprises.
6. You don’t have to squat
You don’t have to worry about sitting on the chair, unless you have open wounds due to injuries or disorders such as eczema.
“Intact skin is a good protector and stops bacteria that enter the body,” says Dr. Ackerley. “What is more, squat can mean that you do not completely empty your bladder, which may lead to leaks, irritation and an increased risk of urinary tract infections, because bacteria can grow in the urine left behind.”
Dr. Lisa Ackerley is an expert in the field of environmental health and scientific adviser to the International Scientific Forum on Home Hygiene
7. Close the lid before rinse
This reduces exposure to aerosol spray (the ‘toilet plume’) that can transport particles of faecal matter in a fine, invisible fog.
These drops then settle on surfaces in the neighborhood or stay in the air, where they can be inhaled.
Researchers from the University of Colorado discovered that after rinsing the spray could shoot 1.5 meters high within eight seconds.
And earlier this year, a study showed that the most common potentially harmful bacteria in the air propelled from the Loo bowls are E. Coli and Staphylococcus Aureus.
Although Dr. Ackerley says that research is spread over the extent to which toilet plume can spread germs, “it doesn’t hurt to close the lid.”
8. Do not avoid your face
Do not touch your face – especially your eyes – when you use a public toilet until you have washed your hands, because this is an important way to pick up infections such as Covid.
“It is often overlooked how ‘fingers to eye’ is a transfer route for, for example, COVID-19 and other airway infections,” says Dr. Ackerley.
9. Dry your hands
If there are no paper towels or a hand dryer, shake the drops of your hands and rub your hands together to help dry.
It is not ideal to wipe your hands on your clothing, but if you do that, make sure it is at the front and not at the back of your legs, because you have not been on that part of the fabric, so it is less likely that you have bacteria or bugs.
10. Don’t touch much
In general, do a joint effort not to touch surfaces unnecessarily – including walls, flush handles or baking.
The more you can keep your hands clean, the better. Use a paper towel to switch off faucets that are not activated by Sensor. Once your hands are clean, you must prevent you from touching the door handle on the road. If there is no paper towel, use your elbow.
#ultimate #guide #public #loos #top #hygiene #expert #reveals #touch #rinsing #dangerous #avoid #nasty #bug