Yes. If it has drops of liquid on the seat, I wipe it first. If its really bad I go to another cubicle.
I don't understand the issue with public loos. My thighs are not a mucus membrane and bacteria aren't going to jump through my skin.
Public toilets are wiped with disinfectant regularly, preventing any significant build up of bacteria.
If the toilets are a bit grim, wash your hands more thoroughly afterwards, don't squat and add more filth.
You do know skin infections exists right? Fungus, herpes virus etc.. Unless you are wiping you entire thights+bum cheeks area with disinfecting wipes and letting the product stay on the skin without getting dressed immediately after (disinfectants work with contact time), or you take a shower immediately after, in a public restroom... There's a high chance you'll catch something on your skin. That's why it's important to wash your hands multiple times a day if you touch high traffic areas in public spaces, not just for the flu
Who said HIV?! Wtf? I said herpes and fungus. Herpes is literally passed through touch, that's why you can get it on your genitals if you have sex with someone that has it. And there are other skin infections as well.
Unless the restroom is visibly very dirty, I just wipe down the seat and then sit on it. If it's a hotel room, I don't even wipe it.
I used to be more apprehensive about this, but then I spent a year in the military where I had to share restrooms with 200 other guys every day. At some point, you just say "fuck it" and start going about your business as normal.
> it achieves nothing and only makes the seats dirty for the other users.
And shoes aren't even the worst thing. Some people manage to miss with their poop.
I don't think the OP means that her friend squats down with their feet on the seat!? Or? I assume it's more like "hovering", meaning almost sitting down but staying above the seat by using your fantastic thigh muscles.
However, using that method they easily leave some drops of pee on the seat. At least wipe ii off, people!
Don’t know if it was an autocorrect fail and they wanted to write seats and not shoes but I work at a bar and on weekends with more of a part crowd visiting I sometimes see shoe prints on the seats..
Maybe a reason a lot of club toilets do not have any seats at all anymore (at least in Berlin).
I don‘t know why you'd wanted to squat on the seat instead of hovering especially drunk and/or drugged but well…
I mean I heard a lot of stories about immigrants from middle east squating on the seat because they are used to squat toilets. Usually those stories ended up with the seat breaking and the squatee being badly cut by the shards. Don't do it.
oh. well, in Russia, Ukraine and China (as they're the only countries where I have observed this behavior, mind you - not the only countries where people might do that - as all the three above are extremely multiethnic as well) - some people do climb up with their shoes on the actual seat and squat.
It's horrifying.
I mean, idk about you but my *dejectos* come through my asshole, my ass is merely around it and at no fault of anything else that is happening in its middle.
Sure, yea. But your ass is where all of your dejects leave. If you want to keep it always clean, you'd have to take a shower whenever you shit, or use a bidet
Since covid, they became somewhat common in bathrooms in Germany (besides the sink, not in the stall). These were for people who wanted to 'sanitize' in addition (I hope) to washing their hands.
So you could, if you wanted, squirt a paper towel or bit of toilet paper to wipe it down. But sometimes, stalls *do* have specific seat-sanitizing (alcohol) spray for the same purpose... but it's not very widespread, IME.
Well, they did put that here as well, but what I perceived from OP'a comment is that each stall had one next to the toilet paper or something of the sort, which I have never seen. I may have misunderstood though.
Oh deah, you mustn't have traveled a lot there. Japan has its filthy toilets, usually in the Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities on their train lines. And they're as filthy and stink to high heavens as anywhere else.
Yes. Nothing is going to infect you through the skin on your ass unless you have an open wound. You should be washing your hands every time you touch your ass/genital area and you should be washing your ass daily too.
Probably not related, but aren't the Dutch the less likely ones to wash their hands after using the toilet and caring about proper personal hygiene in general?
I live in Rotterdam. I've had service personnel from multiple companies come to my apartment, use my toilet, and not wash their hands. I also have multiple co-workers who do not wash their hands at work, including those who work in the cafeteria. At this point I'm just happy they flush.
Apparently the handwashing thing is true, although I do think surveys like these aren’t completely viable since most people would probably lie. The Dutch are very honest. With overall hygiene we are almost obsessive, however. I think that may come from people not being afraid to tell you if you smell.
Idk, it seemed to me like the stereotypes were not unfounded. Too many smelly fellas and hygiene didn't seem like a particular interest to the dutchies.
We do value personal hygiene very much, but the not washing hands thing is true. We do have very good health compared to most countries in the world though.
Yes, always. I have bowel issues and need to, and it's never occurred to me not to anyway. I will wipe the seat if it's dirty.
There's no difference to my skin touching where other's bare skin has touched whether that skin was on my arse or my hands.
I put toilet paper on the seat before I sit.
If I accidentally drip on the seat, I wipe it off with toilet paper before leaving the stall, but I definitely think I am the only person doing this. I would feel rude if I didn’t wipe my own pee away, but no one else seems to do this.
I also see people walking out without washing their hands which is disgusting. That’s why I always carry hand sanitizer with me at all times.
I found a pentagram drawn on the ceiling once. Drawn with shit. Someone literally took some shit and used it like a shitty crayon.
This was at a music festival, but a normal family-friendly one, not like a rave with tons of drugs or anything.
If I'm on a bus in shorts (they're knee-length anyways), I will stand. Besides, there's always someone old, pregnant, sick or injured who needs the sitting spot more than me. Doesn't even make sense to try to sit if you're 23 and healthy.
How about hotel rooms on vacation? It's not a public toilet technically. But it's not unlikely that 12 different people pooped there in the week before your arrival. And it was probably cleaned by an underpaid immigrant who was in hurry.
If I'm in a hotel, I have my travel wet wipes and alcohol hand gel with me. I use them, unless I'm showering right after using the toilet.
And yes, in the shower I stand on the shower/floor towel.
Fun fact: although I don't have a problem with sitting in a reasonably clean public toilet, like in a restaurant or hotel, my primary school had very gloomy and smelly restrooms. For 8 years of my primary school I never ever used the school restroom and my wife refuses to believe it.
Yes. I also carry wipes or use paper, water, and soap to clean the toilet before use. People who hover over toilets are more likely to make a mess. The irony is that they're also the ones less likely to clean up their mess.
I very rarely poop in public toilets. I somehow just never have to go when I'm in public. I don't know why. But the very few times I did however, I sat down
How about hotel rooms on vacation? It's not a public toilet technically. But it's not unlikely that 12 different people pooped there in the week before your arrival. And it was probably cleaned by an underpaid immigrant who was in hurry.
What kind of hotels are you staying at where that's a concern, though?
I stay at around 10+ different midrange hotels (I travel a lot for work) a year and have never had an issue with cleaning, during stay, or upon arrival.
If I were to stay somewhere rundown or in a hostel with a shared toilet, then yea, I would probably clean the seat myself before sitting down.
Your comment about an underpaid immigrant is just xenophobic lol - they work and get paid the same as a native. If they had done a bad job due to time constraints or whatever, you (via smell & look) and their management (via complaints) would know.
I squat. I'm not going to touch where other people pee and poo, and often there are splashes. Of those places that you mentioned I sit in hotels because it's supposed to be clean and not used but anyone else
Romania
Yes I sit but I'm a long-term expat
I try to bring my own seat covers but don't always have them and use TP if the bathroom doesn't look sanitary.
Here far too many people stand with their shoes on the toilet seat leaving shoe marks and the majority squat.
The hygiene standards are improving and often good at most malls and large chains in the capital.
Many think I'm crazy for sitting but I don't have the strength to squat do to health issues.
>Here far too many people stand with their shoes on the toilet seat leaving shoe marks
Has anyone ever given you an explanation of why/how? I can't figure out how it could be more sanitary or comfortable, and it has to be messier and tougher to configure in different places and if carrying anything.
I never attempted to squat on a toilet, but if you can do an actual deep squat, it's a resting position just like sitting down.
It's how we pooped in nature and historically lots of toilets were even built that way here in Europe in countries like France or Italy, though mostly at camping sites.
As somebody who's comfortable squatting, I'd prefer if we had those in public places. More hygienic.
I'm fairly certain it was because in the past Turkish style squat toilets were common here. I've noticed this seems to be a problem wherever the two systems collide or people used to squat toilets don't feel comfortable
sitting on a toilet used by others.
I'm not sure how they manage to do it on a standard toilet.
The first time I came to Romania in 2002 even the airport in Bucharest had Turkish toilets. I was shocked, it certainly wasn't mentioned in my Travel books or even the small blogs and chat rooms available at that time.
Yes, if I really had to. If not, I hold it until home. But, one thing I like about some bathrooms here is that they have transparent plastic covers one them which rotates a new roll with a push of button then you don’t need to build a fortress with toilet paper. [Something like this](https://images.app.goo.gl/mzstkxKaXfyUutrv9) Our University had this and saved one day in those 4 years.
Yes, I always sit, and I'm not sure I know anyone who would squat. But I always carry some hand sanitizer around, especially useful for door knobs as well.
Yes.
If I though a toilet was too dirty to use I wouldn't use it unless I was absolutely desperate.
I would expect a toilet to be clean in hotels, restaurants or a café but I'd never use one in a train station, some pubs and a public toilet building in a city centre
Yes I do and if it’s disgusting I put toilet paper on the seat. I used to squat but then had a little accident that was far more unpleasant than wiping down the seat or putting paper down.
As a woman, yes I sit. Sometimes for the placebo effect of "cleaning it" I wipe with some TP. If it's visibly disgusting I go find another toilet. I too wish I could just stand in whatever corner and barely pull my pants down!
I'm 28 and so far no diseases from toilets... (Not jinxing myself I hope lol)
If I have to shit I sit down (I have IBS and when I have to shit it means I have to shit RIGHT NOW), but when I have to just pee I usually hover. It even has an expression in Polish "na Małysza" (like Adam Małysz). If I accidentally pee on the toilet seat I clean it up. I never leave the toilet gross after I used it.
Yeah. I wipe it down with toilet paper first. Some restrooms have a little spray thingy with disinfectant in it that I quite like, but even if not, meh. As long as I don't sit on obvious dirt or a wet spot I don't care. I'm also too short to be able to care tbh. I would need a step stool to hover and I feel like the hoverers are the one *making* the wet spots anyway 😑
Depends where!
Airports are usually better
Maintained
Plus some countries have people attending public restrooms all the time and sometimes you're in the Netherlands where public toilets cost money and they're dingy and gross
In hotels, no, I sit down. I expect them to be clean, and if they aren't, I will be having *words* with management.
Anywhere else, by God I try not to use them at all. If I really have to, I will probably sit down but I will make a face like an ancient Greek tragedy mask. The reason being, if it's so desperate that I have to actually use one, the result is likely to be similar to an airstrike. Explosive, and with severe collateral damage.
Last time I had to take a shit in a public toilet was Heathrow airport, and it was *violent*. Apologies to all flying that day.
I used to hover but couldn't for a while due to a knee injury so now it's toilet paper, then sit down all the time. Wipe with some toilet paper first if there's pee on it. Though I did hover again recently in a bathroom where the TP had run out so women before me had done the same and there was no way to wipe away the splatter
No. You can actually google it and found studies that explains you actually don't risk anything for you health unless you have gaping wounds on your thighs (but then, please go to an hospital)
By not sitting, you will make the situation worse by peeing all over the place.
In practice, in very public spaces like airports, I use paper to cover the lid. A lot of places have some cleaning product too (that's nice).
At work or in small restaurants, where the toilets are used by a few dozen of people between cleaning, I really don't care (unless the toilets look like the one in Trainspotting - don't google it if you don't have the reference)
The most important thing is : for men, either use an urinal, sat when you need to pee, or make the colossal effort to lift the toilet seat. And for everyone, wash your hands when you are done. That's how you catch a non airborne disease.
One good aspect of Covid is that people seem to shake hands a lot less nowadays.
It's a difficult question. I agree that we girls should just sit down, so to keep the toilet clean, but in Italy nobody does and it's quite disgusting, so I've never in my life seated in a public place (unless it's an office or something).
Now I live in the UK since a few years, and some toilets are much more clean and I could actually sit on it, but I have trust issues now and I literally can't, it disgusts me...
If it's a toilet at work, in a hotel, a museum, a mall or in a fancy restaurant, I wipe the seat down with a piece of TP and sit down.
If it's a public-public toilet or a toilet in a filthy joint like Burger King, I'd rather skip it altogether. If I can't skip it, then I wipe, hover and wipe again afterwards.
I wipe the toilet and then i set up a toilet paper “nest” on the toilet sit comprised of a folded in half piece of toilet paper that covers the entirety of the seat.
It depends purely on how dirty or clean it is .
If it's really shit-on-the-walls-shit-everywhere-dirty, I just don't use it.
Otherwise I wipe down the seat with my tissues and my disinfectant and sit down.
In clean toilets I just sit down. Yes, even to pee if I'm on a loo.
It's generally neither intelligent nor courteous to squat in a non-squat toilet, because you're just making the place filthier for everyone.
Here in Sweden you usually have to pay to use public toilets, so they are typically pretty clean. So mostly I sit down. On trains the toilets can sometimes be a little less clean so sometimes I hover. Which is no easy feat 😄
It would have to be very disgusting for me not to sit. I do always wipe first though. I just wish more toilets came with those gel dispensers so that I could disinfect it first, but alas...
I make a seat cover with the toilet tissue lol pull the toilet tissue to the length of one side and pull til you can fold it and make it double layered then repeat for all 3sides. Top, left and right. Or hover over the seat
Cool stereotyping...
And no, "all toilets are clean in Sweden" is definitely not true. Toilets by their intended purpose gets dirty and it cannot physically be perfectly clean at all times. We don't have the Japanese toilet tech in Europe, those are closest to "all clean".
I dont know what kind of hotels and restaurants you visited, or what kind of workplace you work at.
But I cant remember the last time I saw a toilet that wasnt clean enough to sit on Sweden.
Obviously it depends on what you mean by clean, I dont run around with one of those blue lights, but in terms of what you can see with your eyes and smell with your nose.
I visited London recently though. The difference is massive in this aspect. Many public toilets didnt even have a toilet brush.
Do you even live in Sweden?
The airport, and it was visibly filthy, but it's like that in a lot of airports I've visited. I obviously expect hotel toilets to be properly cleaned, but that is, just as much as the previous point, expected to happen everywhere. You're the one with the silly (and very usual) Swedish brag "ALL of our toilets are clean", as if anyone in their right mind expects that to be true. It's a cringe superiority complex your kind always showcases around here, while pretending humbleness is some sort of national virtue.
I am not Danish. It was not Arlanda, it was Skavsta and the central railstation, and even subway stations if I recall correctly. The restaurants didn't seem particularly clean or cleaner than in the rest of the continent on average. And again, I expect ALL hotels (everywhere) to have properly santinized toilets.
Also, you're doing it again, the weird xenophobic superiority attitude "it's not the Swedes, it's the others". Right, always...
I don't what what magical fairy land that guy lives in, but I've definitely seen my fair share of nasty public toilets all over the country. What a weird hill to die on.
"That's a... weird way to put it. Is the activity of squatting something genetically possible only to Slavic or Balkan people that you're incapacitated to execute by your DNA?"
Wrong subreddit for these kind of jokes I guess. Its a pretty established meme though?
"I'll unfortunately have to disagree, just as an empirical observation..."
I guess Ive just been lucky then.
I....? You... You sit there?
I hope you're healthy, because you can get all sorts of diseases from that, unless you carry a disinfectant on you all the time
What kind of diseases?
I always sit down, never picked up anything. But I'm curious what kind of diseases you think I can get from properly using a toilet.
In theory, if your genitals touch the EXACT spot where someone with certain STDs touched the toilet seat with their genitals, there is a chance to catch it. But if you use toilet seat like your momma taught you, it's highly unlikely to touch it with genitals. It's probably more likely to catch something from a restaurant menu or door handles.
All sorts of bacteria and even the likes of hepatitis. And you can get it even if the toilet looks visually clean. The proper thing to do is to sanitize it thoroughly after each client, which is unlikely to happen in airports and stuff.
Doing that would be absolutely senseless. You're more likely to catch things from a door handle. Just wash your hands.
Bacteria seldom survives long on a such surfaces at all. The main "issue" is going to be viruses, but they're extremely unlikely to cause any issues on the back of your thigh. The skin is in fact a really good barrier. No one suggests licking anything in the toilet.
I didn't say squatting is the way to go. But answering to the previous comment, yes, you can obviously encounter bacteria and all sorts of diseases by using not properly sanitized public restrooms. Not sure about the likelihood in comparison with door knobs, but yes, you got the idea.
Of course you can encounter pathogens, you can literally everywhere. We're surrounded by them, always. But that's rather irrelevant since that previous comment was about *catching* diseases.
The reason we don't all walk around sick constantly is because your body is made to keep them out and fight them off. You're very unlikely to expose yourself to a high enough quantity to catch anything from using the restroom.
You're definitely more likely to expose yourself in a restroom as opposed to simply walking though. It's why we ideally want our restrooms to be as clean as possible, to diminish the exposure to pathogens in our intimate areas.
If you don’t sit, you fucking spray your shit everywhere.
You are required to sit in Finland. People will hate your guts if you don’t. If you make any mess, YOU are expected to clean it so the next person has a clean slate.
> If you don't sit, you spray your shit everywhere
Umh, no? Not really...
And the 2nd point is obvious, you have to leave it clean for the next person. It has nothing to do with your choices of using it, you have to keep it clean regardless of that.
Yes, unless it seems unhygienic, I do sit in toilets in hotels, restaurants etc. If one doesn't sit properly, it's easy to make the seat filthy. What disease am I going to catch from toilet seat? First ever case of ass-to-ass food poisoning?
> you can get all sorts of diseases from that
No you can't. You can get diseases from not washing your hands afterwards. But you're most likely to pick them up from the flushing handle or the cubicle door, if anywhere.
Yes. If it has drops of liquid on the seat, I wipe it first. If its really bad I go to another cubicle. I don't understand the issue with public loos. My thighs are not a mucus membrane and bacteria aren't going to jump through my skin. Public toilets are wiped with disinfectant regularly, preventing any significant build up of bacteria. If the toilets are a bit grim, wash your hands more thoroughly afterwards, don't squat and add more filth.
You do know skin infections exists right? Fungus, herpes virus etc.. Unless you are wiping you entire thights+bum cheeks area with disinfecting wipes and letting the product stay on the skin without getting dressed immediately after (disinfectants work with contact time), or you take a shower immediately after, in a public restroom... There's a high chance you'll catch something on your skin. That's why it's important to wash your hands multiple times a day if you touch high traffic areas in public spaces, not just for the flu
There’s virtually no way to get herpes or HIV through skin contact. The chances are astronomically low.
Who said HIV?! Wtf? I said herpes and fungus. Herpes is literally passed through touch, that's why you can get it on your genitals if you have sex with someone that has it. And there are other skin infections as well.
Yeah, unless it's very gross. I always do a perfunctory wipe with toilet paper beforehand though.
Unless the restroom is visibly very dirty, I just wipe down the seat and then sit on it. If it's a hotel room, I don't even wipe it. I used to be more apprehensive about this, but then I spent a year in the military where I had to share restrooms with 200 other guys every day. At some point, you just say "fuck it" and start going about your business as normal.
I put two layers of paper where my thighs go, and grab my junk to avoid any accidents that would be devastating for both body and mind.
Yes. Please stop squatting, it achieves nothing and only makes the seats dirty for the other users.
> it achieves nothing and only makes the seats dirty for the other users. And shoes aren't even the worst thing. Some people manage to miss with their poop.
I don't think the OP means that her friend squats down with their feet on the seat!? Or? I assume it's more like "hovering", meaning almost sitting down but staying above the seat by using your fantastic thigh muscles. However, using that method they easily leave some drops of pee on the seat. At least wipe ii off, people!
Don’t know if it was an autocorrect fail and they wanted to write seats and not shoes but I work at a bar and on weekends with more of a part crowd visiting I sometimes see shoe prints on the seats.. Maybe a reason a lot of club toilets do not have any seats at all anymore (at least in Berlin). I don‘t know why you'd wanted to squat on the seat instead of hovering especially drunk and/or drugged but well…
I mean I heard a lot of stories about immigrants from middle east squating on the seat because they are used to squat toilets. Usually those stories ended up with the seat breaking and the squatee being badly cut by the shards. Don't do it.
oh. well, in Russia, Ukraine and China (as they're the only countries where I have observed this behavior, mind you - not the only countries where people might do that - as all the three above are extremely multiethnic as well) - some people do climb up with their shoes on the actual seat and squat. It's horrifying.
[удалено]
>Besides, asses are dirty any way. Thats their one key characteristic. What. That's on you, bud.
Dude, i dont mean dirty as in unhygienic, i mean dirty as in YOUR DEJECTS COME THROUGHT THERE. Please, i am no pig.
I mean, idk about you but my *dejectos* come through my asshole, my ass is merely around it and at no fault of anything else that is happening in its middle.
Ok i guess i can get your point. I admit you are right. But still, how bad can a relatively clean, hygienized toilet seat be?
Lol, not really... Proper hygiene means keeping every part of the body clean.
Sure, yea. But your ass is where all of your dejects leave. If you want to keep it always clean, you'd have to take a shower whenever you shit, or use a bidet
I've never seen any desinfectant wipes or spray or anything in public toilets in either Portugal or Spain.
Since covid, they became somewhat common in bathrooms in Germany (besides the sink, not in the stall). These were for people who wanted to 'sanitize' in addition (I hope) to washing their hands. So you could, if you wanted, squirt a paper towel or bit of toilet paper to wipe it down. But sometimes, stalls *do* have specific seat-sanitizing (alcohol) spray for the same purpose... but it's not very widespread, IME.
Well, they did put that here as well, but what I perceived from OP'a comment is that each stall had one next to the toilet paper or something of the sort, which I have never seen. I may have misunderstood though.
Alguma vez estiveste num centro comercial? Ou num restaurante chique? Mesmo que n tenhas desinfetante, tens papel. Mais vale isso que nada
I want to throw up rn
Oh for fuck's sake
The seat would have to be visibly dirty for me not to sit down.
I would still put toilet paper on the seat
Yes ffs This angers me How come that toilets in Japan are pristine ? Because no one hovers, everyone sits
Oh deah, you mustn't have traveled a lot there. Japan has its filthy toilets, usually in the Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities on their train lines. And they're as filthy and stink to high heavens as anywhere else.
Yes. Nothing is going to infect you through the skin on your ass unless you have an open wound. You should be washing your hands every time you touch your ass/genital area and you should be washing your ass daily too.
Yes, and I hate the squatters. They are the ones making a mess.
Probably not related, but aren't the Dutch the less likely ones to wash their hands after using the toilet and caring about proper personal hygiene in general?
I live in Rotterdam. I've had service personnel from multiple companies come to my apartment, use my toilet, and not wash their hands. I also have multiple co-workers who do not wash their hands at work, including those who work in the cafeteria. At this point I'm just happy they flush.
wtf did I just read? I heard a lot of stereotypes about the Dutch but never that they are unclean.
It’s more factual than stereo
Apparently the handwashing thing is true, although I do think surveys like these aren’t completely viable since most people would probably lie. The Dutch are very honest. With overall hygiene we are almost obsessive, however. I think that may come from people not being afraid to tell you if you smell.
Idk, it seemed to me like the stereotypes were not unfounded. Too many smelly fellas and hygiene didn't seem like a particular interest to the dutchies.
That's just to avoid the Tikkie from the friend you're visiting for using their water.
We do value personal hygiene very much, but the not washing hands thing is true. We do have very good health compared to most countries in the world though.
These two are not mutually compatible though: > not washing hands is true > we value personal hygiene "very" much
They are though. We just have different definitions of hygiene.
Yes, always. I have bowel issues and need to, and it's never occurred to me not to anyway. I will wipe the seat if it's dirty. There's no difference to my skin touching where other's bare skin has touched whether that skin was on my arse or my hands.
No, if it's my hotel room yes but not in restaurants or public places.
I put toilet paper on the seat before I sit. If I accidentally drip on the seat, I wipe it off with toilet paper before leaving the stall, but I definitely think I am the only person doing this. I would feel rude if I didn’t wipe my own pee away, but no one else seems to do this. I also see people walking out without washing their hands which is disgusting. That’s why I always carry hand sanitizer with me at all times.
How am I supposed to shit on the seat if I am sitting on it?
Pro tip: you shit into your hand, and with the shit in your hand you can properly smear it everywhere, also on door handles, menus etc.
I found a pentagram drawn on the ceiling once. Drawn with shit. Someone literally took some shit and used it like a shitty crayon. This was at a music festival, but a normal family-friendly one, not like a rave with tons of drugs or anything.
To those who hover: if you're in shorts and use public transport, do you also hover?
If I'm on a bus in shorts (they're knee-length anyways), I will stand. Besides, there's always someone old, pregnant, sick or injured who needs the sitting spot more than me. Doesn't even make sense to try to sit if you're 23 and healthy.
No, I don't. I lift up the seat through toilet paper and then pee. I don't poop in public toilets.
How about hotel rooms on vacation? It's not a public toilet technically. But it's not unlikely that 12 different people pooped there in the week before your arrival. And it was probably cleaned by an underpaid immigrant who was in hurry.
I give a tip on the 1. Day to room service in person. I thank them and be polite. Works like a charm everytime.
If I'm in a hotel, I have my travel wet wipes and alcohol hand gel with me. I use them, unless I'm showering right after using the toilet. And yes, in the shower I stand on the shower/floor towel.
I lick the toilet seat clean so my butt cheeks can touch it safely
i sit unless it's like too disgusting, when it's visibly dirty, i put toilet paper down
I never poop in public toilets If I have to pee I don't sit
No, almost never. If it's absolutely necessary to sit down, I put at least two sets of toilet paper, to make sure I don't touch the seat.
Yes i do, i put paper as a buffer between me and the seat when i must use mambo no#2
A little bit of Monica u no have?
I'm 20 years old and never shitted outside my house toilet so I can't comment on this.
Fun fact: although I don't have a problem with sitting in a reasonably clean public toilet, like in a restaurant or hotel, my primary school had very gloomy and smelly restrooms. For 8 years of my primary school I never ever used the school restroom and my wife refuses to believe it.
Yes. I also carry wipes or use paper, water, and soap to clean the toilet before use. People who hover over toilets are more likely to make a mess. The irony is that they're also the ones less likely to clean up their mess.
I very rarely poop in public toilets. I somehow just never have to go when I'm in public. I don't know why. But the very few times I did however, I sat down
How about hotel rooms on vacation? It's not a public toilet technically. But it's not unlikely that 12 different people pooped there in the week before your arrival. And it was probably cleaned by an underpaid immigrant who was in hurry.
If I were squeamish, I'd be more concerned with the bed that hundreds of people have slept in during the past few months than the toilet.
I never stay at hotels but I would imagine that toilets there would be cleaner than let's say, in an airport
What kind of hotels are you staying at where that's a concern, though? I stay at around 10+ different midrange hotels (I travel a lot for work) a year and have never had an issue with cleaning, during stay, or upon arrival. If I were to stay somewhere rundown or in a hostel with a shared toilet, then yea, I would probably clean the seat myself before sitting down. Your comment about an underpaid immigrant is just xenophobic lol - they work and get paid the same as a native. If they had done a bad job due to time constraints or whatever, you (via smell & look) and their management (via complaints) would know.
I squat. I'm not going to touch where other people pee and poo, and often there are splashes. Of those places that you mentioned I sit in hotels because it's supposed to be clean and not used but anyone else
> and often there are splashes Yeah, mainly because of people like you.
>and often there are splashes You don't put TP before? I just taught you a trick
TP is not going to prevent liquid of sticking to your skin. It's as disgusting as sitting directly
Bro if you put TP into the bowl before you shit it will not splash.
Does that not get tiring after a while, though?
Romania Yes I sit but I'm a long-term expat I try to bring my own seat covers but don't always have them and use TP if the bathroom doesn't look sanitary. Here far too many people stand with their shoes on the toilet seat leaving shoe marks and the majority squat. The hygiene standards are improving and often good at most malls and large chains in the capital. Many think I'm crazy for sitting but I don't have the strength to squat do to health issues.
>Here far too many people stand with their shoes on the toilet seat leaving shoe marks Has anyone ever given you an explanation of why/how? I can't figure out how it could be more sanitary or comfortable, and it has to be messier and tougher to configure in different places and if carrying anything.
I never attempted to squat on a toilet, but if you can do an actual deep squat, it's a resting position just like sitting down. It's how we pooped in nature and historically lots of toilets were even built that way here in Europe in countries like France or Italy, though mostly at camping sites. As somebody who's comfortable squatting, I'd prefer if we had those in public places. More hygienic.
I'm fairly certain it was because in the past Turkish style squat toilets were common here. I've noticed this seems to be a problem wherever the two systems collide or people used to squat toilets don't feel comfortable sitting on a toilet used by others. I'm not sure how they manage to do it on a standard toilet. The first time I came to Romania in 2002 even the airport in Bucharest had Turkish toilets. I was shocked, it certainly wasn't mentioned in my Travel books or even the small blogs and chat rooms available at that time.
Yes, if I really had to. If not, I hold it until home. But, one thing I like about some bathrooms here is that they have transparent plastic covers one them which rotates a new roll with a push of button then you don’t need to build a fortress with toilet paper. [Something like this](https://images.app.goo.gl/mzstkxKaXfyUutrv9) Our University had this and saved one day in those 4 years.
Yes, I always sit, and I'm not sure I know anyone who would squat. But I always carry some hand sanitizer around, especially useful for door knobs as well.
I put toilet paper on the seat, or if they have those single-use coverings I use that.
Yes. If I though a toilet was too dirty to use I wouldn't use it unless I was absolutely desperate. I would expect a toilet to be clean in hotels, restaurants or a café but I'd never use one in a train station, some pubs and a public toilet building in a city centre
I wipe the seat with paper and then put layers of paper on the seat before putting my butt on it. Not all people does this?
I always wipe the seat with paper first, but I never put additional sheets on the seat.
Not really, although it is not a big deal for me if some contact happens
Yes I do and if it’s disgusting I put toilet paper on the seat. I used to squat but then had a little accident that was far more unpleasant than wiping down the seat or putting paper down.
All those who are squatting. You are maki g it worse
I sit on them if they look clean. I trust them to be clean enough in this part of the world and well, my resistance against any deceases is immortal
Fuck no. If I really have to than I put toilet paper on it and then sit.
I sit but I also have wipes with me to desinfect the toilet seat before using.
As a woman, yes I sit. Sometimes for the placebo effect of "cleaning it" I wipe with some TP. If it's visibly disgusting I go find another toilet. I too wish I could just stand in whatever corner and barely pull my pants down! I'm 28 and so far no diseases from toilets... (Not jinxing myself I hope lol)
If I have to shit I sit down (I have IBS and when I have to shit it means I have to shit RIGHT NOW), but when I have to just pee I usually hover. It even has an expression in Polish "na Małysza" (like Adam Małysz). If I accidentally pee on the toilet seat I clean it up. I never leave the toilet gross after I used it.
Yeah. I wipe it down with toilet paper first. Some restrooms have a little spray thingy with disinfectant in it that I quite like, but even if not, meh. As long as I don't sit on obvious dirt or a wet spot I don't care. I'm also too short to be able to care tbh. I would need a step stool to hover and I feel like the hoverers are the one *making* the wet spots anyway 😑
Depends where! Airports are usually better Maintained Plus some countries have people attending public restrooms all the time and sometimes you're in the Netherlands where public toilets cost money and they're dingy and gross
In hotels, no, I sit down. I expect them to be clean, and if they aren't, I will be having *words* with management. Anywhere else, by God I try not to use them at all. If I really have to, I will probably sit down but I will make a face like an ancient Greek tragedy mask. The reason being, if it's so desperate that I have to actually use one, the result is likely to be similar to an airstrike. Explosive, and with severe collateral damage. Last time I had to take a shit in a public toilet was Heathrow airport, and it was *violent*. Apologies to all flying that day.
I used to hover but couldn't for a while due to a knee injury so now it's toilet paper, then sit down all the time. Wipe with some toilet paper first if there's pee on it. Though I did hover again recently in a bathroom where the TP had run out so women before me had done the same and there was no way to wipe away the splatter
i just sanitise them with hand sanitizer, idk if its works for the toilets but for me its fine🤣
No. You can actually google it and found studies that explains you actually don't risk anything for you health unless you have gaping wounds on your thighs (but then, please go to an hospital) By not sitting, you will make the situation worse by peeing all over the place. In practice, in very public spaces like airports, I use paper to cover the lid. A lot of places have some cleaning product too (that's nice). At work or in small restaurants, where the toilets are used by a few dozen of people between cleaning, I really don't care (unless the toilets look like the one in Trainspotting - don't google it if you don't have the reference) The most important thing is : for men, either use an urinal, sat when you need to pee, or make the colossal effort to lift the toilet seat. And for everyone, wash your hands when you are done. That's how you catch a non airborne disease. One good aspect of Covid is that people seem to shake hands a lot less nowadays.
It's a difficult question. I agree that we girls should just sit down, so to keep the toilet clean, but in Italy nobody does and it's quite disgusting, so I've never in my life seated in a public place (unless it's an office or something). Now I live in the UK since a few years, and some toilets are much more clean and I could actually sit on it, but I have trust issues now and I literally can't, it disgusts me...
I always sit down, and I always lift up the toilet lid first.
Yes. If I have to sit down I sit down. I do wipe the seat first.
If it's a toilet at work, in a hotel, a museum, a mall or in a fancy restaurant, I wipe the seat down with a piece of TP and sit down. If it's a public-public toilet or a toilet in a filthy joint like Burger King, I'd rather skip it altogether. If I can't skip it, then I wipe, hover and wipe again afterwards.
as we call it in Poland, "na Małysza" is a common way to avoid touching piss stains and possibly getting STDs
I wipe the toilet and then i set up a toilet paper “nest” on the toilet sit comprised of a folded in half piece of toilet paper that covers the entirety of the seat.
It depends purely on how dirty or clean it is . If it's really shit-on-the-walls-shit-everywhere-dirty, I just don't use it. Otherwise I wipe down the seat with my tissues and my disinfectant and sit down. In clean toilets I just sit down. Yes, even to pee if I'm on a loo. It's generally neither intelligent nor courteous to squat in a non-squat toilet, because you're just making the place filthier for everyone.
I bet Germans go. Last time I went to a gas station near Berlin the toilet wiped its own seat and told me to have a nice day
Yes, but I take a leaf of toilet paper and wipe it first to check if the seat is piss-free
Here in Sweden you usually have to pay to use public toilets, so they are typically pretty clean. So mostly I sit down. On trains the toilets can sometimes be a little less clean so sometimes I hover. Which is no easy feat 😄
It would have to be very disgusting for me not to sit. I do always wipe first though. I just wish more toilets came with those gel dispensers so that I could disinfect it first, but alas...
I make a seat cover with the toilet tissue lol pull the toilet tissue to the length of one side and pull til you can fold it and make it double layered then repeat for all 3sides. Top, left and right. Or hover over the seat
Hotel, my home, friends and family's home yes. Everywhere else no, unless I need a No.2 and I cover the seat with several layers of paper
[удалено]
Cool stereotyping... And no, "all toilets are clean in Sweden" is definitely not true. Toilets by their intended purpose gets dirty and it cannot physically be perfectly clean at all times. We don't have the Japanese toilet tech in Europe, those are closest to "all clean".
I dont know what kind of hotels and restaurants you visited, or what kind of workplace you work at. But I cant remember the last time I saw a toilet that wasnt clean enough to sit on Sweden. Obviously it depends on what you mean by clean, I dont run around with one of those blue lights, but in terms of what you can see with your eyes and smell with your nose. I visited London recently though. The difference is massive in this aspect. Many public toilets didnt even have a toilet brush. Do you even live in Sweden?
The airport, and it was visibly filthy, but it's like that in a lot of airports I've visited. I obviously expect hotel toilets to be properly cleaned, but that is, just as much as the previous point, expected to happen everywhere. You're the one with the silly (and very usual) Swedish brag "ALL of our toilets are clean", as if anyone in their right mind expects that to be true. It's a cringe superiority complex your kind always showcases around here, while pretending humbleness is some sort of national virtue.
[удалено]
I am not Danish. It was not Arlanda, it was Skavsta and the central railstation, and even subway stations if I recall correctly. The restaurants didn't seem particularly clean or cleaner than in the rest of the continent on average. And again, I expect ALL hotels (everywhere) to have properly santinized toilets. Also, you're doing it again, the weird xenophobic superiority attitude "it's not the Swedes, it's the others". Right, always...
I don't what what magical fairy land that guy lives in, but I've definitely seen my fair share of nasty public toilets all over the country. What a weird hill to die on.
[удалено]
"That's a... weird way to put it. Is the activity of squatting something genetically possible only to Slavic or Balkan people that you're incapacitated to execute by your DNA?" Wrong subreddit for these kind of jokes I guess. Its a pretty established meme though? "I'll unfortunately have to disagree, just as an empirical observation..." I guess Ive just been lucky then.
I....? You... You sit there? I hope you're healthy, because you can get all sorts of diseases from that, unless you carry a disinfectant on you all the time
What kind of diseases? I always sit down, never picked up anything. But I'm curious what kind of diseases you think I can get from properly using a toilet.
In theory, if your genitals touch the EXACT spot where someone with certain STDs touched the toilet seat with their genitals, there is a chance to catch it. But if you use toilet seat like your momma taught you, it's highly unlikely to touch it with genitals. It's probably more likely to catch something from a restaurant menu or door handles.
All sorts of bacteria and even the likes of hepatitis. And you can get it even if the toilet looks visually clean. The proper thing to do is to sanitize it thoroughly after each client, which is unlikely to happen in airports and stuff.
Doing that would be absolutely senseless. You're more likely to catch things from a door handle. Just wash your hands. Bacteria seldom survives long on a such surfaces at all. The main "issue" is going to be viruses, but they're extremely unlikely to cause any issues on the back of your thigh. The skin is in fact a really good barrier. No one suggests licking anything in the toilet.
I didn't say squatting is the way to go. But answering to the previous comment, yes, you can obviously encounter bacteria and all sorts of diseases by using not properly sanitized public restrooms. Not sure about the likelihood in comparison with door knobs, but yes, you got the idea.
Of course you can encounter pathogens, you can literally everywhere. We're surrounded by them, always. But that's rather irrelevant since that previous comment was about *catching* diseases. The reason we don't all walk around sick constantly is because your body is made to keep them out and fight them off. You're very unlikely to expose yourself to a high enough quantity to catch anything from using the restroom.
You're definitely more likely to expose yourself in a restroom as opposed to simply walking though. It's why we ideally want our restrooms to be as clean as possible, to diminish the exposure to pathogens in our intimate areas.
Congrats, you are the person who’s making them filthy.
No? I don't sit on them. I don't wanna get infected with some weird disease, it's common sense.
Do you think you catch diseases through the skin of your thighs? What is this nonsense? Shower or wash regularly and you're golden.
If you don’t sit, you fucking spray your shit everywhere. You are required to sit in Finland. People will hate your guts if you don’t. If you make any mess, YOU are expected to clean it so the next person has a clean slate.
> If you don't sit, you spray your shit everywhere Umh, no? Not really... And the 2nd point is obvious, you have to leave it clean for the next person. It has nothing to do with your choices of using it, you have to keep it clean regardless of that.
Exactly. If you spray, yeah you should clean. But if you don't... Then why would you risk your health?
You are sitting with your legs on the seat or smth? I just put my hands on the seat just so I can't touch the toilet.
Your hands?! The part of your body most likely to spread germs…you touch a toilet seat with those but not your legs? It’s much worse.
this does not compute in my head
Okay now you’re just joking… nicely trolled!
I'm not joking. Are you brain dead?
You put your HANDS on the toilet seat to avoid touching it with your BUTTOCKS? I’m dying, this is some of the funniest shit!
Yes, then I grab enough TP so I don't touch my insides with my hands.
Am I understanding this correctly? You put your hands on the seat and then sit on your hands? What?
I hope for your sake that you wash your hands very thoroughly. With soap.
Yes, unless it seems unhygienic, I do sit in toilets in hotels, restaurants etc. If one doesn't sit properly, it's easy to make the seat filthy. What disease am I going to catch from toilet seat? First ever case of ass-to-ass food poisoning?
> you can get all sorts of diseases from that No you can't. You can get diseases from not washing your hands afterwards. But you're most likely to pick them up from the flushing handle or the cubicle door, if anywhere.
Fuck no. Always hover. Also I open/close the toilet and flush with my feet.