I think most of the time it is toilet flush spray on the toilet seat vs actually pee. At least at that is what I have encountered. Either way I'm still bothered by it because I have to wipe the seat. I still want to test out that Poo-pourri :-)

maire_cate: I don't know if you knew this or not, the ones with the sensors to flush automatically usually have a button you can push to flush it too. It sorta looks like a reset button.

ok...wait though...what if the stink was in there before you or that "exotic looking woman."...she may have gotten the wrap for someone else. That is what I'm afraid of LOL That is when a good ol' fashion match comes handy. And yes I keep some in my purse!!!

"Plume" That's a new one for me! :)

I think the most bizarre toilet seats I've seen are those that revolve, with plasticy stuff on them. Have you seen those? It may have been a short-lived experiment in airports or something.

I remember with great joy the old-time Ladies' Room in Chicago's Marshall Field store, replete with marble, gilt mirrors, a separate sitting room. I've occasionally run into these glamorous bathrooms in other expensive hotels, particularly in Rome.

I'm not particular, and I'm very fast. If the bathroom is relatively clean, I'm just fine. Having used my share of porta-potties on bike trips and even holes with foot imprints to squat in Eastern Europe anything else is welcome.

The plume is also why you don't want to hang a train rack over your toilet for towels. I see that suggested all the time in the bath forum. Shudder.

I must be living in a hole. I never heard of Poo-Pourri but I find the claims fascinating and I can't wait to buy some, lol.

To me what's more disgusting is the door handle on restroom exit doors. I don't sit on toilet seats ( I'm tidy) but if you think about it the private part of the butt doesn't usually get on the seat, that part is over the bowl. However, it's amazing how many people do not wash their hands after handling/wiping the private area when using a public rest room. I use the restroom before leaving the gym and about every 5th or 6th short time I'm there someone rushes out and goes back in the gym without washing their hands. Think of all the nasty on the door handle...a few sprinkles of urine on a seat is one thing but a hand that has been digging around in a possible cesspool is another.

This is why I have a germ phobia over door handles.

Hover Queens-Urine is the least of your worries. Studies show that most toilet seats have about 50 bacteria per square inch. Your kitchen sponge has 10 MILLION bacteria per square inch. Most viruses (such as herpes) can't survive for long outside a human body-so unless you sit on a seat immediately after a person with open, oozing sores, you're not likely to get sick off the seat. You are much MORE likely to acquire some kind of nasty gastrointestinal bug from the door handle of the stall because people wipe then touch the handles.

I would much rather sit on a toilet seat that was damp than grab the handle of a grocery cart and then eat a sample from the sample lady. Grocery cart handles are just about the filthiest things you can imagine, and they NEVER get cleaned. Same with money, cell phones, pens, door handles.

I have been forced to poop behind bushes more times than I care to admit-and of course, when you're in a group of field folk and someone takes off into the trees, you KNOW why they're going.

I don't care if it's a gender neutral room, a mens room or a womens room-just so long as I could find a stall I can go in to and NOT have to hug the toilet just to open the door. Stalls are getting tinier and tinier-I hate to go shopping and have to use the toilet-no where to put packages, much less your purse and coat. I was in one municipal bathroom that was wonderful-there were hooks on the walls, not the door-to hang your purse and above the toilets were baskets to put things in to so you didn't have to put anything on the floor. And it had actual paper towels-no more of those stupid dyson air dryers. Sometimes when I'm out I want to wash my face off or wash a spot off my shirt-and you can't do that without a towel to use.

Yes, and the only thing that is either around as bad or slightly worse for germs than restroom door handles is the serving utensils on buffets on cruise ships. Toilet seats are actually way down the list.

DH is wondering what the heck I am finding so amusing.

The performing arts theatres here have very nice lounge-like ladies rooms, too.

How about rest room attendants who hand you a towel, then expect a tip. At the other end of the spectrum, in India several places sold you TP. My fave is restaurants and hotels that have real linen hand towels, and a big basket to put them in when you are done.

I try not to touch anything after using the sink. I like the automatic flush with the foot lever below for more water. The drought in CA has caused many restrooms to have low water flush and often the paper stays behind for the next gal. I end up covering the sensor with a paper towel I brought in to make sure it's tidy for the next person but it defeats the water saving purpose. They make the sinks shut off as well and you have to keep activating the sensor which is annoying if the water flow is low. Even if I only needed to fix my clothes in the stall, I would still use the sink after being in there. I don't understand people who walk right out again and I would love to see more matches in use.

Can't the magic formula be automatically added after each flush or does it dissipate?

I just don't get people who don't flush or clean up after themselves in public restrooms......do they behave the same way in their own homes?

Flrpwr you're reminding me of one of the times I laughed so hard I almost keeled over, I was out walking with my sister when I realized: emergency. I needed a business with a bathroom FAR AWAY from the main area. Fortunately, as matters were extremely pressing, the first coffee shop I saw fit the bill. Went in, unleashed the hounds of hell. As I was finishing up, two girls walked in and all I heard was a muffled "Oh my God!" They beat a hasty retreat and I shamefacedly emerged from the stall, washed my hands three times, bought an extra fancy coffee, left a big tip and slunk out.

My sister said "two girls just came running out of the shop...was that...you?" I had to say yes.

Oh robo bahaha.

Oh my! I don't know what to think about this thread other than it is cracking me up and I have really learned some new things! LOL Some people are uptight about normal bodily functions, it seems. Re the comment about not washing your hands, I think some people may prefer to use hand sanitizer, etc. rather than wash in the bathroom. At my workplace, we have those hand sanitizer things mounted on the wall OUTSIDE of restrooms and I see alot of people using them. I also don't touch the door handle (without a towel) if possible when coming out of the restroom. As for shopping cart handles, all our grocery stores have sanitizing wipes as you come into the store to use on cart handles. I also see alot of moms using those cover things for little ones in a cart that keep the handles covered. Good idea.

I wonder if anyone is having second thoughts about sitting on toilet seats now that the facts are in. I'm going to be wiping shopping cart handles, so thanks to whoever made me paranoid about them!

Our favorite grocery store, Publix, has a wipes dispenser by the front door. We always use them. I also keep a small bottle of Purell in my car and use it after I pump gas. I'm far more worried about grocery carts, gas pumps and things like that than most toilet seats to be honest. I'm still careful about any handles, anywhere in public places.

Being aware of touching handles does make a difference. I do like mtn and use my sleeve or grab from the bottom of a door handle. I wash my hands when I get home from shopping and remind DH to do the same. Neither of us have had a stomach virus in 15 years and we seldom get colds. Some years we never get them. Haven't had one yet this year, knock on wood.

I have a small bathroom, so inevitably there is stuff above the toilet. BUT, I've trained myself and everyone in the house to close the toilet lid before flushing.

Has anyone ever gotten ill from using towels/toothbrushes/drinking glasses or make-up from critters ( that come from flushing plume ) have gotten to?

Since I use public bathrooms so much, I have come to realize that random droplets CAN come from the flushing, and sometimes the water has iron in it and the droplets appear yellow. Not to say that their aren't other issues, but I've done a lot of flushing and observation in my day . . . always want to check to make sure the toilet is in good shape before I exit the stall. And I've done a fair amount of germ testing too, and they often clean the toilets with solutions so nasty and toxic you don't have to worry much about germs . . . but the door handles and the drinking fountain . . . not so much.

The bathrooms in my old college workplace had a lounge in front of them. Sometimes I had to go in there if I got a migraine and lay down for a few minutes after taking a pain pill. They are nice, but I don't see them staying a trend because of the cost of maintaining them. Like someone here said, even the stalls are getting smaller.

I was thinking along the same lines, Maddie. If all this bacteria is so bad for us, why are we all not ill and/or in the hospital on a regular basis?

My goal is to try to prevent colds/flu. I try to use paper towels to open the doors from rest rooms. I try to be mindful of touching banisters, salt/pepper shakers, tongs at a salad bar (although I try not to frequent those unless absolutely necessary) especially when you know you will be using your hands to eat bread during your dinner. Sometimes I might make a quick trip to the ladies rooms just to rewash my hands.

Knock on wood, I haven't had a cold this winter and I think my diligence has paid off. I would usually get one bad cold per winter season.

ETA: Ipink, I don't drink water from a public fountain.

“The toilet plume may contain fecal bacteria, as well as other
microorganisms that may be present in these substances, such as certain
viruses,” says Amesh Adalja, M.D., an infectious disease specialist in
Pittsburgh.

The main bacteria found in the plume is E. coli, which can
cause bacterial gastroenteritis, a.k.a. abdominal pain and diarrhea,
says Marc Leavey, M.D., a primary care specialist at Mercy Medical
Center in Baltimore.

Few toilet plume-related illnesses have been documented,
though, so it’s unclear how much of a risk it really poses, says Adalja.
He notes that some outbreaks of gastroenteritis on airplanes and cruise
ships have been linked to the plume, as well as a SARS outbreak in 2003
when a patient in Hong Kong may have spread the virus with a flush.

http://www.womenshealthmag.com/health/toilet-plume

And then there are the public bathrooms that don't have a hook on the door or wall to hold your purse and you're forced to hang it around your neck - if you're lucky enough to have a long enough strap.

Such a fascinating thread.....glad I'm not a germophobe. I'm of the philosophy that more exposure builds up your resistance. That's probably a complete fallacy but my anecdotal experience supports it. The most important thing to me is good hand washing practices.

Of course you can't believe everything you read online but try googling what has more bacteria than a toilet seat.

True 3katz, and I don't consider myself a germophobe either. BUT, there is no way I'm using a toothbrush sitting out in the open anywhere near a toilet. It could be totally germ free, but it's the THOUGHT of it. Ick.

Exactly, tinam61. A germaphobe is someone who sees every normal activity as fraught with germs so they avoid those activities. I take reasonable precautions against catching colds and stomach virus, but it's not on my mind once I enter the store and start shopping. I never used to put down the toilet seat to flush but I do every time now. I
don't in my powder room because there's no toothbrushes out. I don't understand sitting directly on a public toilet seat when there's paper covers and TP available, and especially if you encounter wetness on the seat at least half the time, as stated upthread.

"And then there are the public bathroom that don't have a hook on the door or wall to hold your purse and you're forced to hang it around your neck - if you're lucky enough to have a long enough strap."

This is one of the many reasons why I wear a backpack purse!

Whether or not I sit or use the paper liners or even just toilet paper on the seat, depends on what public bathroom I'm using.

i never ever poop in public bathrooms. I can only think of a couple of occasions where I was out in public and desperately needed to go but raced home instead (once in the middle of a local play when I had an allergic reaction to seafood but we managed to rush home just in time). I think I have a bit of "stage fright" in that my bowels sort of lock up. This happens especially while traveling and I've read somewhere that it is fairly common. My boys must hold it in during school, b/c the minute they get home they race to the bathrooms with something to read.

I always close the lid when I flush at home, or when I'm at someone else's house. I also make sure that I don't leave the bathroom unless everything has flushed down.

I'm another one who won't touch the door handle when exiting a public bathroom after I wash my hands. When out in public, I always wash my hands as soon as I get home. Sometimes I use hand sanitizer but prefer soap and water.

I guess that I've just been lucky the past 50 odd years, because I rarely get sick, maybe a cold every few years, despite sitting on toilet seats and touching door handles, and who knows how many other horrible things - like money.

Off the subject a little but I read once that if everyone who had colds wore a mask and stayed home as much as possible, it might be possible to end colds and flus. Some native populations never had them at all years ago. The power is in our hands. I hate getting colds! At the equator, people don't get as many because the germs sink in the warm moist air. In dry heated buildings and transportation, they remain circulating in the air for up to 2 hours after a cough or a sneeze. Keep yourself hydrated so your membranes can hold off germs and try to stand in a steamy shower if you have been out and about. The steam kills most of the germs hanging around on your nasal tissue before they start multiplying. Your immune system kills the rest.

I LOVE the family restrooms. It was nearly impossible to get my stroller into a stall, and once he was mobile--yikes, convincing him to stay in the stall with me was AAAARRGHHH nerve-wracking. Thank goodness for single-seater bathrooms with wide doors and high locks!

I read once that if everyone who had colds wore a mask and stayed home as much as possible, it might be possible to end colds and flus.

Here in the U.S., public schools are funded via daily attendance so there is a lot of pressure to have students attend. Elementary age kids, the younger ones, will wipe their runny noses with the back of their hands, and then proceed to touch everything as usual.

I crack up at Poo-Pouri's competitions commercial for VIPoo...especially the "devil's donuts" line.

As to public bathrooms, some of the worst I've seen were actually in schools I've worked in. Most of them were dedicated to female staff members and some of those staff members were slobs. I watched many of them leave toilets unflushed, hands unwashed.

One of the school secretaries had put together a lovely basket of tissues, spray, feminine products (schools never supplied any such things, not even a paid dispenser) it didn't last a day before the entire basket, products and all, was stolen.

Regards to the flushing plume I have heard of this before, but foe the germs to get from your butt to your hands/face you would need to touch your butt. How often are people touching their butts? I guess when I'm in the shower but there is soap involved.

I've hovered twice. I was at a bar, and everything was pee soaked so I hovered as well as my short legs could. The second time I was in an out house type thing on top of an old volcano in New Mexico. It was February, and the wind whooshing out of there was frigid which is way too cold for butts.

Poo-Pourri ad:

Poo-Pourri

With the exception of a few times I heard women complain of the long lines at places like concerts, I've never ever heard anyone (man or woman) complain that men and women's restrooms were separate. Total strangers of the opposite sex should pee together said no one ever! Everyone was happy. We've had separate restrooms for ever and it's worked just fine until a tiny fraction of a fraction of the population decided EVERYONE should change and do what they want. Now all of the sudden it's politically incorrect to separate the males and females to do their "private" business and anyone that dares to not agree is a racist and homophobic . Hell, why even have doors on the stalls. I'm sure that's the next thing to go. And even tho I haven't bashed anyone here for their opinion on the subject, watch the party of tolerance and acceptance bash me for mine. Not everything needs to "progress".

I can probably count on one hand how many times I've pooed in a public restroom. And after living with a Washlet for 9 years, not cleaning with one seems caveman-like. According to my husband, men don't feel as self conscience about pooing in public restrooms as women do so that's probably one of the reasons men's restrooms smell worse than women's. But speaking of poo, Poo-pourri DOES work VERY well! I had it in both bathrooms for years before we got a Washlet. No need for it with a Washlet (and a Scentsy warmer) :) Still used it in DH's bathroom till a few years ago when we upgraded his bathroom exhaust to a Panasonic Whisper exhaust fan. It used to be only found in specialty boutiques and I ordered it on line but it's in a lot more stores now.

I have my own bathroom. We built this house in 1981 with a large master bathroom including a 7+ foot vanity with two sinks. I thought that was plenty big enough for both of us. Yeah, I don't think they make a bathroom big enough for man and woman to share lol and I see a lot of women here agree and have their own bathroom (but we SHOULD share a bathroom with a total stranger of the opposite sex :/...hummm)

I think it's pretty lame of a public restroom to not have a waste basket by the door so you can throw your paper towel (provided they still offer them) in the trash after opening the door. If there isn't one, I do my best to toss it in the trash but if it doesn't make it, oh well.

I used to use my foot to flush the toilet till my mother said the same thing the article above linked to. You can wash your hands but you can't wash the bottom of your shoe. Then you track into your house. Mom even takes her shoes off before going in her house and uses a baby wipe to clean the bottoms. This is mostly to just get dirt and grim off to keep her floors cleaner.

And why oh why have so many places removed the purse hooks? I hate having to put my purse around my neck.

Toilet "plume"...I think I've just decided to stop flushing!

I appreciate a nice lounge in a restroom. It's a place to make adjustments, retouch your makeup and hair without having to stand in front of the sinks.

I think it just depends on your definition of man and woman. How I see it is that everyone was getting along just fine using the bathroom they felt most comfortable in until a bunch of busybodies decided to make a big old stink out of nothing and now we are all doing weird stuff like beating people up and chasing them out of bathrooms, if we are horrible people, Or promoting more unisex bathrooms if we are the more accommodating type of people because everybody couldn't just chill out about the whole thing and mind their own freaking business. literally could not be less of an issue until some genius saw it as a wedge political issue similar to the Jim Crow laws of yesteryear… And by yesteryear I guess I mean this year and last year. The thing that is so sad about it is that I think bathrooms are one of the sources of most anxiety, stress, and public violence for trans people. And people are preying on and exacerbating this anxiety for political gain and, I think, definitely increasing the risk of violence and murder against trans people which is already extremely high. Just because of some anxiety about who gets to hear you go pee. :(

I honestly don't see what the problem is with unisex bathrooms. I've used porta-potties at construction sites that were cleaner than some retailers toilets. Gas stations often have uni bathrooms inside, a lot more restaurants are moving that way too.

As for doing #2 in public-I'm in an office all day. After the 2nd cup of coffee you KNOW there is going to be use of that toilet. And I'm not ashamed to use the restroom there. I'm probably a lot more comfortable with bodily functions than a lot of the posters here-and I feel that a lot of our queasiness is due to social upbringing. I am conscientious of odors (use spray) and I apologize if sounds are made and i know someone else is in there also. I also make it a point to double flush-just to ensure cleanliness for the next person. But I'm an adult-I know that everyone poops! I'd sure hate to think of holding it in-the damage to my digestive system alone would be reason not to.

I've actually run in to one transgender person in a restroom-this was years ago and at first, I'll admit, I was a bit put off (it was at a rest stop off the freeway-not one of the safest places) but after I thought about it-she was dressed in a dress with hose, had her hair done and make up-obviously identified as a woman. She would not have been safe at all in the mens room-and seemed more nervous about being in the womens room than the women in there were of her. I've never taken the idea that a man would dress as a woman just to go into a womens room. For crying out loud-if they're going to be a predator-they're just going to go in when it's clear and hide in a stall.

monicakm said in part:

" I see a lot of women here agree and have their own bathroom (but we SHOULD share a bathroom with a total stranger of the opposite sex :/...hummm)"

Just for the record since I am one of the women who has her own bathroom and my spouse his, I would have my own even if my spouse were a woman because I like the luxury of not having to wait to take a long shower or bath. The gender of the spouse, for me, has nothing to do with separate bathrooms in my home.

The thing that is so sad about it is that I think bathrooms are one of the sources of most anxiety, stress, and public violence for trans people. And people are preying on and exacerbating this anxiety for political gain and, I think, definitely increasing the risk of violence and murder against trans people which is already extremely high. Just because of some anxiety about who gets to hear you go pee. :(

Yes. This. A thousand times THIS.

Total strangers of the opposite sex should pee together said no one ever!

Peeing "together"? I don't pee "with" anyone, anywhere, nor does anyone I know of, nor does anyone I have ever seen in a restroom, public or otherwise. There are stalls with doors, and we all know how they work. I couldn't care less who is in the one next to me, or what they're doing on the toilet.

Fixated, I tell ya. There are so many in this country that are wrongly fixated on genitalia, and considering that we're all going to hell in the proverbial handbasket marked with a glittery gold "T", I find it preposterous that anyone should give a fig where another human being dumps their bodily waste, so long as it isn't hurting another.

I think having your own bathroom in your home is an entirely different issue than having a separate bathroom in a public place. In my home, by having my own bathroom on my side of the bedroom, I get a ton more storage for personal products and cosmetics, room to sit, no hairs in the sink, a private potty room that is never in use, my own shower for as long as I like (with only my products in it) and a soaking tub. DH gets his own shower with his preferred shower head and temperature, and no one ever knocking on the door. We can get ready to go out at the same time. None of this comes into play in public restrooms.

In public, I would rather have a separate bathroom, too. Not because of predators or sexual overtones or my concern about the exact mechanics of someone else's private parts. I heartily agree with HHireno on this. But, I think Neetsie and Monica are right about why men's bathroom tend to be gross. And btw, there is a wide range of "normal" elimination routines/schedules, but it does not usually take extraordinary effort to avoid doing so the hours you are in the office, so I do not see it as unhealthy at all to prefer using your home bathroom.

I would also say that, with men sharing a public restroom, I might feel a tad inhibited about spending time primping, lest I disturb the image that my overwhelming beauty is entirely natural and God-given. : )

In California, most of the unisex bathrooms I see is where the space is limited, like small restaurants, because they also have to make the room ADA compliant. Thus we end up with one big unisex bathroom that also has a baby table. This even occurs in large stores where there are separate facilities -- it's just a convenient way to comply with the law and the diversity of the customer needs.

I've been in restrooms in restaurants in France where the washup area is communal and not very blocked off. The guys are pretty much lined up at the urinals with your back facing you while you are washing your hands. Just a different level of comfort with exposure, I guess.

In the US, there are clubs/restaurants where the walls are essentially partially see through in the washup area -- not popular with the women, for certain (had to be guy who thought it would be cool).

In Quebec city there is a public washroom that is communal with stalls, like a women's washroom but for everyone. It was a bit odd walking in there with men taking the stall next to me but by the end of 3 days I was used to it.

In Victoria there is a pub with a shared trough sink with mens and womens on either side. My husband went off to the washroom and I dared my friend to grab his hands underneath as he washed up. Luckily he took it in the spirit & laughed.

Fascinating, as Spock would say....

I can't hover even if I wanted to. Squatting is something my knees no longer permit me to do.

Oh, and never pooping in public toilets? Just did it today. 40 minutes from home and about an hour and fifteen from my destination, when my occasional bout of IBS struck. It was either find a public potty or destroy my clothing and car upholstery. Chose the former. Flushed several times after.

With my foot.

There is a restaurant near us that has the automated flushers as well as the motion detection sinks. They also have the Dyson blowthesetoutofyourrings hand dryers.

BUT they ALSO have a metal thing installed on the bottom of the door that you use your FOOT to open the door. Works great!

(Unless you have to search the floor for any stones that fall out of you rings.)

Am I the only one that loves Dyson hand dryers?

I really like those dryers, too. But I don't often wear rings, so losing stones is not an issue.