How to safely use public toilets? What is the risk of lack of hygiene?
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Fear of using public toilets has been instilled in us since we were children. Do we really have anything to fear? How to use a public toilet so as not to be afraid of being infected with bacteria that are harmful to health and life? We check what is the risk of lack of hygiene in the municipal toilet.

Using public toilets – safety first

A lot of people use public toilets. Those in restaurants are safer, but what to do during a summer festival or trip to avoid bacteria that can be found in portable toilets? The fact is that it is more difficult for women, which is why they were taught from childhood to use the public toilet “in the air”. If this position is practiced frequently, it can cause pelvic problems, especially in childbirth, but there are cases when there is no other option.

Some women use special standing piss funnels, but they are not always on hand.

Nevertheless, all safety considerations should be observed in the public toilet (they also apply to men):

  1. It is best not to touch the toilet seat or other parts of the toilet;
  2. It is important not to put a handbag or put clothes on the floor;
  3. You should leave the toilet as soon as possible after the water has flushed. This is when the most microbes that can endanger health emerge;
  4. There may also be a lot of bacteria on the drain button, so you can wrap your finger with a tissue before touching it;
  5. After leaving the toilet, disinfect your hands as soon as possible with an antibacterial gel with an alcohol concentration higher than 60%. You can also wipe your hands with moisturizing wipes.

In this case, it is also worth mentioning the frequently used practice, which is covering the toilet seat with toilet paper before using the toilet. However, this is not a good solution, because a lot of microorganisms settle on the toilet paper in the toilet. You should also not use a hand dryer – better use disposable paper towels or your own handkerchiefs.

The rest of the article is available under the video.

Lack of hygiene in the public toilet – why is it not worth the risk?

It cannot be denied that regardless of the care taken in cleaning the public toilet, it is still a hotbed of germs. In fact, 1 g of stool may contain up to a trillion of microbes. However, many people forget about the above-mentioned rules for using the public toilet. It is not worth the risk, because microbes such as:

  1. streptococcus;
  2. E. coli bacteria (responsible for inflammation of the urinary system, food poisoning, peritonitis, sepsis);
  3. staphylococci;
  4. hepatitis A viruses;
  5. Shigella (responsible for bacterial dysentery);
  6. influenza viruses;
  7. pathogens that cause skin infections.

Contrary to fears, we will not be infected with HIV, human papillomavirus or hepatitis C in a public toilet.

  1. You can find a wide selection of disinfectants in the Medonet Market

How to properly wash your hands in a public toilet?

In a public toilet, the most important thing is hand hygiene, with which we can touch our face up to 25 times an hour. It is important to choose paper drying instead of a dryer. For information on thoroughly washing your hands, see the graphic below:

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We encourage you to listen to the latest episode of the RESET podcast. This time, we asked Orina Krajewska what, according to her, a holistic approach to health is. How to combine the three aspects – body, spirit and mind to enjoy balance and good health? You will hear about this and many other aspects of the topic in the latest episode of our podcast.

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