# What is the mentality of people who use disposable toilet seat covers? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [January 30, 2009, 2:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-mentality-of-people-who-use-disposable-toilet-seat-covers/483663 "2009-01-30T02:14:13Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 4\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Caractacus\_Pott](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e19b73/32.png) [@Caractacus\_Pott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Caractacus_Pott)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2009, 11:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-mentality-of-people-who-use-disposable-toilet-seat-covers/483663/61 "2009-01-31T11:25:20Z")
> [@Small\_Hen](#): > > Because we’ve been sitting down to urinate/deficate for centuries now (I assume. I’m not up on the history of toilets) and it’s cultural. Besides, I’ve heard that you get similar problems in cultures with squat toilets, such as a big turd right where you’re supposed to plant your feet. Amen, sister (or brother)! Most of the squat toilets I saw in multi-stall public bathrooms were disgusting. Gross, disgusting, wet, boggy. I couldn’t wait to get back to the hotel room for a good [washlet.](http://www.washlet.org/) Back to the OP: Yeah, I don’t understand, either. Wipe the seat off if it looks wet or recently wet. Schmear it with [alcohol rub](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alcohol_rub) from your personal bottle if you’re that worried about germs. What? If you’re THAT worried about germs and you were logical, you’d be carrying your own bottle of alcohol rub. You don’t want to catch someone else’s germs while trying to disinfect your own hands, right? They may have just touched a naked toilet seat. ---
**Author:** ![shijinn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/cc9497/32.png) [@shijinn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/shijinn)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2009, 2:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-mentality-of-people-who-use-disposable-toilet-seat-covers/483663/62 "2009-01-31T14:43:33Z")
> [@Small\_Hen](#): > > Because we’ve been sitting down to urinate/deficate for centuries now (I assume. I’m not up on the history of toilets) and it’s cultural. Besides, I’ve heard that you get similar problems in cultures with squat toilets, such as a big turd right where you’re supposed to plant your feet. > > Out of curiosity, how do the disabled use the bathroom in a squat toilet culture? Do they have special seats or something? would you prefer to step or sit on where turds used to be? nearly all public toilets here include a stall designed for the disabled. > [@Meyer6](#): > > While I agree with you that the average persons handwashing practice is probably woefully inadequate (myself likely included), I’m not sure why you say ‘nope’. Whether or not people do it properly, the purpose of washing your hands is still to avoid germ transfer into your mouth or onto other people. My butt doesn’t transfer anything, so I’m not worried about giving it scrub after every trip to the john. like i said, while that may be the ostensible reason for washing your hands, the actual reason would be something else. i don’t know what it is exactly, but let’s look at people with long fingernails mentioned above. they may be conscientious about washing their hands but they might not exactly be worried about what’s under the fingernails so long as it _looks_ clean. they probably aren’t worried about kissing strangers at all. ---
**Author:** ![control-z](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/eada6e/32.png) [@control-z](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/control-z)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2009, 4:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-mentality-of-people-who-use-disposable-toilet-seat-covers/483663/63 "2009-02-11T16:01:47Z")
One day in the future the stalls will be watertight and after you leave and shut the door, the entire stall will flush, dousing everything with a rush of water that escapes through the floor. Of course it will be amusing when a stall occasionally malfunctions and soaks someone to the bone. ---
**Author:** ![levdrakon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@levdrakon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/levdrakon)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2009, 4:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-mentality-of-people-who-use-disposable-toilet-seat-covers/483663/64 "2009-02-11T16:47:15Z")
There are already self-cleaning bathrooms. Usually they’re public toilets. I used one in San Francisco. I think the Japanese are the leaders in the technology. The Japanese will make mecha-potties if you fund them. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-mentality-of-people-who-use-disposable-toilet-seat-covers/483663.md?page=3)