Will Not Touch Toilet Seat Lid

[stephonline]

Hi everyone. Now I am having trouble whenever I visit people's homes. I will not want to touch the lid of the toilet and sometimes it freaks me out so much that I get some toilet paper and use it to lift the lid. I sort of wish that my toilet didn't have a lid at this point. Does anyone else do this too or is it just me?

 

[Panic57]

Oh, I always put down toilet paper down when I go to someone else's house, even my grandma's house. It's not personal, I just don't want to touch foreign toilets. I'll even do it when I have guest over because I don't know if they'll do it or not. If I feel like that's not enough, I've taken soapy toilet paper and washed down the seat before putting down toilet paper at other people's houses. When it's my house though, I'll immediately wash the toilet down with bleach after my guest leave. I didn't realize that people went to other people's house and didn't put down toilet paper, thought that was normal.

 

[Zeesi]

I don't think it's just you. I don't visit other people much, as a matter of fact, I don't even remember the most recent time I have visited someone's house, it's been years I'm sure. Whenever I do visit though, like you, I'm using toilet paper if I have to touch the toilet; toilet paper before I sit down on the toilet (wet the toilet paper, add whatever cleaner I find in the bathroom and wipe the toilet seat down), and toilet paper after I use the toilet.


Whenever I have guests in my home, I will wipe down the toilet before they come over, and after they leave I will use soap and bleach to wipe the entire toilet off. Door knobs and bathroom sink faucet fixtures might also get this treatment depending on the mood I'm in. I think that it is perfectly normal to do so.

 

[Aree Wongwanlee]

Yes, I do have some kind of phobia about toilet seats, too. Somehow, I don't trust them to be germ-free. So if I have to use the toilet in a strange place, I will wash the toilet seat before I sit on it. Usually, I would use the sole of my foot to rub the toilet seat as I pour water over it. Most of the time, when I can help it, I will keep things under control until I get home.

 

[ReadmeByAmy]

When it comes to my personal hygiene I am always aware of this thing. As much as possible i do not want to use any public toilet or other's house toilet. That is why when I am going out of the house I do not drink too many water or fluids so that i will not feel urinating in other's place. And also when we had visitors at home when they left I will flush the toilet bowl many times and clean its seat with soap and disinfectant. I am the type of person who always want a clean house and the toilet is one part of our house that I like to clean everyday because it is a breeding ground of bacteria. I always value my health and that of my family that is why when it comes to cleanliness I am always like this.

 

[Alex]

I think it's one of those things everyone does but not one ever talks about. If you have concerns over cleanliness then it's quite normal to do what you do. When I go to public bathrooms I use a paper towel to open the door on the way out or use my sleeve.


I use copious amounts of toilet paper in hotels for lifting and closing lids, and I don't have qualms about it because it makes me feel better.

 

[lexinonomous]

I wouldn't worry too much about this. It's a completely normal behavior. I do not like touching toilet seat lids, regardless of where I am. I won't even lift my own toilet seat lid at home without a piece of paper between my hand and the seat. My school has made me a bit of a germaphone.


I can't blame you for not wanting to touch people's toilet seats. You don't know when it was last cleaned and when it was last used. I wouldn't think too much on it.

 

[amy88]

I don't so much do this at other people's homes, but absolutely when I am out say at a shopping mall or something. I hate using public restrooms - I am a bit of a clean freak and using anything that hundreds of others have used always grosses me out a bit.


I do think that it's a pretty normal reaction though.

 

[kimmie216]

I think this is very common and I don't blame you in the least bit. It doesn't matter where the toilet is for me, whether it is a public place or my own home, I don't want to come in contact with the germs that are on it. I will use toilet paper to lift the lid and drape across. When I am in a public place, such as a concert venue or the mall, I do not even like to touch the faucets or the doors. So, I use my elbow or paper towels. I do this because I can't afford to get sick and I think it is just easier to do this even though it might look silly to others.

 

[GrubbyRose]

Most public toilets in my area have those paper covers you can use, and I always use them. I also use paper towels on the door knobs. At friends houses, I don't mind sitting directly on the toilet seat, but in a public restroom, I would never touch the seat after some of the things I have seen splattered on them. Not touching a public toilet is not silly, it is smart.

 

[Ashley0323]

I think this is more of a cleanliness issue, rather than an OCD issue. I will NOT touch a toilet seat lid. If anything, at the very minimun, I use a wad of toilet tissue to put the seat down if needed, but my actual hand cant touch the toilet seat. I have a family of 5, and bleach my bathroom daily, and I KNOW its clean, but I cant touch it.

 

[sidney]

I think that's just normal. I myself also would not want to touch anyone else's toilet lid or even the flush handle as much as possible. I dread it when I use public bathrooms and I have no tissue and I have no choice but to touch the bare flush handle of the toilet seat.

 

[rz3300a]

I would say this is more common than you might think. I am not that particular of a person when it comes to being clean, but certain public restrooms can be hard for me to go into. I certainly know some people who want absolutely nothing to do with anything slightly less than clean, and they pretty serious about it. Maybe I am just hanging around some strange people, but I cannot help but notice there is a good amount of them around.

 

[Laneorexorcist]

I guess that this is a pretty common issue on public bathrooms for a lot of people, including me. Before sitting on the lid of a bathroom I always clean it up with toilet paper but it's mostly related to hygienic stuff. But it has never been a real issue on other people's houses because I already know them, I guess. But still, there is an hygienic background on it.

 

[VanM]

Don't worry about it, I think its a normal reaction to get freaked out by toilet seats regardless if you are in a public restroom or someone else's home. Yes I do use the tissue paper whenever available. Otherwise I will just use my foot to move the seat up or down.

 

[kgord]

I think a lot of people have this concern when they go to public restrooms, but I am not sure how many people extend that to other people's houses. I think that if it makes you feel better to use toliet paper on handles and so forth, that is nothing to really be concerned about. I don't have toilet phobia personally unless I go to a really gross one, say like in a service station. They are so nasty sometimes, I would almost rather go outside. I am sure it would be less gerny!

 

[sorrowscall]

I don't do this, but I can see why someone would. Toilets can be very dirty and you never quite know how dirty unless you are the one who cleaned it last.

 

[kelden]

You're overreacting, pal. It has been proven that toilet lids actually have less bacteria content than door knobs and public seats. Also your friend's toilet lid seat is even cleaner than those from a public bathroom. Don't worry about it.

 

[explorerX7]

This seems to be a universal concern. It's a common thing for people to be wiping off or not wanting to touch toilet seats otherwise from those at home. They fear of contracting some sort of disease or infection may be the main driver behind the fear of coming in contact with toilets outside their home.

 

[tinnie]

While I am concerned with hygiene because of my emetophobia, I don't go too far when it comes to cleaning the toilet seats. Depending on where I am I may sit on it with no paper on it or just hover. I don't think the chances of catching something from putting your butt/thighs on something dirty are that high. I'm more concerned with washing my hands.