It’s no secret that public bathrooms aren’t the epitome of cleanliness, but new research shows they’re a little worse than we thought. It turns out those people that open the bathroom door with paper towels might be on to something.
Germ infested bathrooms
Researchers from the University of Florida swabbed 22 public bathrooms inside malls, restaurants and planes. They checked all of the “high touch” areas, in other words, all the places people put their hands while in the bathroom like the doors, facets, towel racks and locks and latches. What they found is enough to turn your stomach. They found all sorts of bacteria, bugs and mold that can lead to anything from diarrhea to serious infections.
Lennox Archibald, MD, PhD, of the College of Medicine, University of Florida, in Gainesville conducted the study. He said, “You can go paranoid thinking about all the germs we found.”
While we’ve all suspected that bathrooms carry all sorts of germs, there isn’t much research into what kind of bacteria or germs are prevalent. Archibold’s work is a step in documenting the germs typically found inside bathrooms.
The solution?
While Archibald suggests avoiding public bathrooms as much as possible, he is aware that is not always easy. He suggests carrying your own tissues or paper towels to avoid touching the germy towel racks.
Another professor says people shouldn’t get too crazy about these findings, after all some bacteria is good to build up the immune system. “We don’t live in a sterile world,” William Schaffner says. “You don’t want to obsess. On the other hand, you want to be hygienic.” He suggests carrying hand sanitizer and using it often, especially after using a public bathroom.
Of course, washing your hands frequently can also keep germs away.
The findings were presented at the annual meeting of the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA) in Boston.
