# How do you approach using a public toilet seat? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [October 23, 2009, 3:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-approach-using-a-public-toilet-seat/514869 "2009-10-23T15:29:03Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2009, 10:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-approach-using-a-public-toilet-seat/514869/41 "2009-10-23T22:54:33Z")
I usually do a quick wipe, but only because of other idiotic hoverers who splash the seat and don’t clean up after themselves. I’m not very squeamish, but someone else’s urine on my backside doesn’t thrill me. ETA: I don’t care about sterile or sanitized - you just can’t always see the moisture on a seat. ---
**Author:** ![salinqmind](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3ec8ea/32.png) [@salinqmind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/salinqmind)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2009, 12:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-approach-using-a-public-toilet-seat/514869/42 "2009-10-24T00:21:18Z")
> [@twickster](#): > > Give it a quick wipe with a handful of TP and sit down. > > Been doing this for decades and have never caught a disease of any kind. Me, too! If it looks like a bomb went off in there, of course, I will back out in a hasty manner and find a cleaner looking throne. Quick wipe with TP, siddown, flush, WASH HANDS REAL WELL, and be on my way. … Only thing that bother me is that eerie silence that falls when I’m trying to start peeing, with others in the room - if they start peeing first, then I can join in much more easily. ---
**Author:** ![ToeJam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/dfb087/32.png) [@ToeJam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ToeJam)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2009, 12:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-approach-using-a-public-toilet-seat/514869/43 "2009-10-24T00:22:32Z")
I do a quick wipe and then sit. If there is an ass gasket I will use it. But that’s only the case it seems in like 30% of the places I go. So I went w/ the Combo option w/ choices 1 and 2. ---
**Author:** ![even\_sven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/dfb087/32.png) [@even\_sven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/even_sven)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2009, 3:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-approach-using-a-public-toilet-seat/514869/44 "2009-10-24T03:00:51Z")
Unless it is obviously wet, I’ll just sit down and pee. However, for public toilets I do vastly prefer Asian squat toilets. Nothing touches anything except your shoes. It seems a lot cleaner. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Shroud](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/439d5e/32.png) [@The\_Shroud](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Shroud)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2009, 3:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-approach-using-a-public-toilet-seat/514869/45 "2009-10-24T03:34:56Z")
It’d be ironic if you hoverers were the cause of most of the pee droplets and poo streaks I encounter in public restrooms. It’s nearly impossible to make that kind of mess when seated properly. ---
**Author:** ![Maiira](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f04885/32.png) [@Maiira](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maiira)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2009, 3:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-approach-using-a-public-toilet-seat/514869/46 "2009-10-24T03:47:22Z")
> [@The\_Shroud](#): > > It’d be ironic if you hoverers were the cause of most of the pee droplets and poo streaks I encounter in public restrooms. It’s nearly impossible to make that kind of mess when seated properly. I very much think they’re the cause. I have no cite, of course, but if I were a betting woman I’d put a lot of money on this hypothesis. I just can’t see any other explanation for it. ---
**Author:** ![Asimovian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asimovian/32/172_2.png) [@Asimovian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Asimovian)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2009, 7:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-approach-using-a-public-toilet-seat/514869/47 "2009-10-24T07:26:04Z")
I feel the need to add that I’m disturbed by the number of you who seem nonplussed by encountering blood on toilet seats. I honestly can’t think of any time I’ve ever seen this. Like, ever. In my entire life. Nor do I wish to. ---
**Author:** ![Crowbar\_of\_Irony\_3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f08c70/32.png) [@Crowbar\_of\_Irony\_3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crowbar_of_Irony_3)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2009, 9:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-approach-using-a-public-toilet-seat/514869/48 "2009-10-24T09:38:35Z")
Paper towel option, only if the seat is wet. ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2009, 11:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-approach-using-a-public-toilet-seat/514869/49 "2009-10-24T11:55:46Z")
> [@Asimovian](#): > > I feel the need to add that I’m disturbed by the number of you who seem nonplussed by encountering blood on toilet seats. I honestly can’t think of any time I’ve ever seen this. Like, ever. In my entire life. Nor do I wish to. Women bleed once a month, from parts of the anatomy that come into close proximity to toilet seats. It’s just another bodily waste product to dispose of. So you’ll find the “nonplussed” are almost universally women. Still no good reason for people to NOT wipe the mess up, though! ---
**Author:** ![NinjaChick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/71c47a/32.png) [@NinjaChick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NinjaChick)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2009, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-approach-using-a-public-toilet-seat/514869/50 "2009-10-24T16:10:03Z")
> [@Colophon](#): > > Exactly. I don’t understand how people think you can “catch” something from placing unbroken skin on a toilet seat. Unless you have open sores on your arse (in which case you have more pressing concerns than where to take a dump), then what the hell is the problem? Hoverers, gasket users and other germophobes, you are bloomin’ mental, the lot of you. By all means wipe the piss off the seat, but after that, get on with it. Yes. We all know the horror stories of people who get terrible infections through the skin of their ass and back of thighs. It’s a toilet seat, there’s probably not leprosy on it, and as long as you don’t then lick your own ass, you’ll be fine. Bonus points for people who refuse to touch a toilet seat, then - having touched the bathroom door, the stall door, perhaps the TP holder, and the seat itself with their hands - give their hands a cursory rinse in the sink, and leave. ---
**Author:** ![Tamerlane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tamerlane/32/7602_2.png) [@Tamerlane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tamerlane)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2009, 4:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-approach-using-a-public-toilet-seat/514869/51 "2009-10-24T16:47:51Z")
> [@Shot\_From\_Guns](#): > > I can’t believe there are so many of you who **wipe down a toilet seat that looks clean**. Well in my case, I didn’t read the OP thoroughly :D. I voted wipe the seat, because as a guy I find 70% of public seats have a droplet or two from man-splatter combined with failure to lift the toilet lid ( apparently an onerous task for many in our fast-paced world ). But no, I won’t bother wiping if it looks clean. ---
**Author:** ![Kyla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/eada6e/32.png) [@Kyla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kyla)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2009, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-approach-using-a-public-toilet-seat/514869/52 "2009-10-24T17:05:49Z")
I was in the Peace Corps. There is no toilet in these United States that can skeeve me out. What the fuck kind of diseases am I supposed to be able to get from a toilet seat, anyway? ---
**Author:** ![gaffa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e68b1a/32.png) [@gaffa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gaffa)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2009, 7:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-approach-using-a-public-toilet-seat/514869/53 "2009-10-24T19:40:52Z")
> [@Tamerlane](#): > > Well in my case, I didn’t read the OP thoroughly :D. I voted wipe the seat, because as a guy I find 70% of public seats have a droplet or two from man-splatter combined with failure to lift the toilet lid ( apparently an onerous task for many in our fast-paced world ). But no, I won’t bother wiping if it looks clean. Same with me. I answered that I wipe the seat because, most times, I _have_ to wipe the seat. Because huge numbers of my fellow males are disgusting pigs. ---
**Author:** ![Ferret\_Herder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e47774/32.png) [@Ferret\_Herder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ferret_Herder)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2009, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-approach-using-a-public-toilet-seat/514869/54 "2009-10-24T19:52:30Z")
> [@Kyla](#): > > I was in the Peace Corps. There is no toilet in these United States that can skeeve me out. What the fuck kind of diseases am I supposed to be able to get from a toilet seat, anyway? I answered that I’d just plop down on a visibly clean seat, but - from a toilet in the US or other First World country, I expect as a bare minimum not to have to sit in someone else’s waste. Doesn’t matter if it’s disease free, it’s still someone else’s waste. ---
**Author:** ![MaddyStrut](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/dbc845/32.png) [@MaddyStrut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MaddyStrut)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2009, 11:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-approach-using-a-public-toilet-seat/514869/55 "2009-10-24T23:50:25Z")
I’m not a dog. I can’t lick that region. Neither do my friends sniff it upon greeting me. So I just sit my ass down unless there’s visible droplets which I wipe off with TP. ---
**Author:** ![Shot\_From\_Guns](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ccd318/32.png) [@Shot\_From\_Guns](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shot_From_Guns)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2009, 3:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-approach-using-a-public-toilet-seat/514869/56 "2009-10-26T15:41:58Z")
> [@even\_sven](#): > > However, for public toilets I do vastly prefer Asian squat toilets. This times fifty billion. I’d take the grossest public toilet I ever used in Japan over the grossest public toilet I ever used anywhere else\* any day of the week. \*Republic of Ireland, FWIW–it was as if someone’s ass had exploded all over the toilet. > [@Asimovian](#): > > I feel the need to add that I’m disturbed by the number of you who seem nonplussed by encountering blood on toilet seats. I feel the need to add that I’m disturbed that you forgot about menstruation. On the other hand, I’m bleeding at the moment, so I’m inclined to be tetchier than usual. ---
**Author:** ![NBYodo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/a9a28c/32.png) [@NBYodo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NBYodo)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2009, 10:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-approach-using-a-public-toilet-seat/514869/57 "2009-10-27T10:46:56Z")
What are people worried about? Asscooties? ---
**Author:** ![chela](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chela/32/21582_2.png) [@chela](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chela)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2009, 11:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-approach-using-a-public-toilet-seat/514869/58 "2009-10-27T11:10:57Z")
Usually i don’t give it a second thought unless the place I am in has suffered in cleanliness through neglect or abuse by patrons. I was at a state park campground and there was a smallgroup of ladies and girls getting ready for a wedding, anyway the facilities were dirty and poop was smeared on one of the walls in a stall. And just a couple feet away these gals are primping, one was putting in contact lenses and she dropped one - the Mom said, wait don’t anybody move) and putting on makeup as if they were in the Ritz - Me, I didn’t even want to brush my teeth in there, I did it at the campsite. TYVM. OTOH portajohns, are a nifty experience best approached ass first, and don’t ever look down in the pit, ever. Then shut the lid when you are done, always. Then run for hand sanitizer. ---
**Author:** ![HazelNutCoffee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/ac91a4/32.png) [@HazelNutCoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HazelNutCoffee)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2009, 11:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-approach-using-a-public-toilet-seat/514869/59 "2009-10-27T11:19:20Z")
> [@Edward\_The\_Head](#): > > Unless it’s got some droplets on it I just sit myself down and crap. If there’s something on it then I wipe it off. Yup, me too. ---
**Author:** ![JoseArcadio](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/9fc348/32.png) [@JoseArcadio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JoseArcadio)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2009, 12:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-approach-using-a-public-toilet-seat/514869/60 "2009-10-27T12:33:49Z")
If there’s piss on the seat I’ll give it a wipe, otherwise I just sit on the seat and have at it. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-approach-using-a-public-toilet-seat/514869.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-approach-using-a-public-toilet-seat/514869.md?page=4)