“Most well established hotels have a toilet seat cover dispenser, but not many people are familiar with them.
“In fact, people often mistake them for paper towels and I often see them use these covers to wipe their hands,” Carol Njambi, a cleaner in a city hotel, explains.
Besides the above risk reducing precautions, proper hygiene and a strong immune system will significantly defend you against germs found in toilets.
Take precaution
By being mindful of the fact that toilets that are shared by many people, such as public toilets, or toilets in offices and restaurants, can easily harbour a variety of germs, one can take precautions to reduce risk of infections.
People are advised to leave the toilet immediately after flushing.
Those in the habit of lingering in the toilets, particularly women who are lured by mirrors positioned within a toilet, have been warned.
The mist from the flush is bound to contain germs. One should leave before it is released into the air and settles on the toilet surfaces, you included.
Where the toilet seat has a cover, one should put it down before flashing.
Medical experts advise people to wash their hands for about 20 to 30 seconds, with soap or sanitising gel if available, paying attention to fingernails.
Equally important is avoiding coming into direct contact with surfaces within the toilet as much as possible, for instance, one can use a tissue paper to turn the tap off and even to open the outer door of a toilet.
Protect your hands and eyes from coming into contact with toilet detergent since some of them are strong and corrosive.
