Why covering the seat in public toilets is actually totally pointless

Did you know that when you try to protect your backside by using seat covers or hovering over public toilets, this doesn't actually protect you from bacteria?

Using seat covers in public toilets is quite common practice in the United States, but not in other countries. In the UK, we generally put bits of toilet paper around the seat instead. For the most determined of us, we draw on our thigh muscles and hold a hovering position above the bog so that we don't touch the seat that we're scared to potentially contract bacteria from.

But you should know that the bacteria which are found on seats in public toilets are very often also present on our own skin.

According to a professor from the University of Arizona, Charles P. Gerba, there are two hundred times more bacteria on your office desk than on the seats in public toilets. As a result, regularly cleaning your desk would be a much more effective habit than using seat covers in public toilets.

At the very least, you should remember that your work environment isn't completely free from bacteria and other microbes - and just because something seems or looks clean - it doesn't mean that it actually is!