Public Toilet

“One of the cleanest spots is usually the toilet seat. A lot of people will wipe it all day, and [cleaners] tend to use disinfectants on it,” says  Ph.D., a professor of microbiology and environmental sciences at the University of Arizona.

So no worries if you make contact. Even if the person before you didn’t wipe it down, there’s no huge risk: Very few germs transmitted that way can make you sick, says Kelly Reynolds, Ph.D, an associate professor of environmental and occupational health also at the University of Arizona. And even if they could, the porous toilet paper would basically do nothing to prevent it. (Comforting.)

The real threat lies beneath, Gerba says. “The germiest spot in restrooms is always the floor.” According to Gerba’s research, when the toilet flushes, it sends a spray of droplets into the air, which then settle onto any surfaces within six feet of the flush. Those droplets can be carrying bacteria from any fecal-borne diseases, like E. coli, norovirus, salmonella, or shigella.

All that can be avoided by closing the lid. The only problem: Public restrooms have by and large eliminated lids, Reynolds says. Which means the handle, the toilet paper dispenser, and even the little purse shelf are hotspots for bacteria to linger.

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