Wet toilet seats --- Yuck!

Picture of bathroom at Yacht club at WDW - My son was impressed with the men's room at WDW so I went into the ladies room and took a picture for him
@Debs_place (10520)
United States
October 16, 2007 6:16pm CST
I know the claims are that no one has ever caught a disease from toilet seats but there are somethings that really bug me - and wet toilet seats is one of them. So I have to know:Do you check if the toilet seat is wet before you sit down on it? If it is wet do you wipe it first? Or go to another stall? Do you check if the seat is dry behind you before you leave the stall? We were traveling this past week and I could not believe that no matter how nice the bathroom..that you could walk in and find wet toilet seats.
13 people like this
42 responses
@Lifez2short (4962)
• United States
16 Oct 07
I don't travel much really. And when I got to like Wal-Mart and stuff I will wipe the seat off and put a potty seat cover on it. But let me tell you this much I hate it when my hubby leaves the seat wet after peeing. I will yell for him to come clean it off. So I'm with you on the wet seat thing.
2 people like this
• United States
17 Oct 07
I agree with you completely. The potty cover inventions was a great idea but all of the stores including the health dept in my town never have them or they dont refill them so basically it is a waste of the bathroom stall and it is frustrating for consumers
3 people like this
@Debs_place (10520)
• United States
17 Oct 07
Men seems to be oblivious to the aiming thing...I agree...make him wipe it up or teach him to lift up the seat.
2 people like this
• United States
21 Oct 07
9 times out of 10 he is too lazy to lift the seat.
• United States
17 Oct 07
eeeww! i hate hate hate when ppl leave a wet toilet seat! i ALWAYS check before i sit down (no matter how much of the "dance" i am already doing!) i clean it off and put one of those doily thingies on it (cant remember what they are called)! and before i walk away from the toilet i check too! cause i dont want to be the disgusting person who couldnt clean up after themselves..or be that slovenly for that matter!
2 people like this
@webeishere (36313)
• United States
17 Oct 07
The cainos always have wet seats. But it's a good thing sort of as they are in the restrooms almost constantly making sure they are clean for the customers. I too keep it clean as I exit the stall. HAPPY POSTINGS FROM GRANDPA BOB !!~
1 person likes this
@Debs_place (10520)
• United States
17 Oct 07
Well it is amazing how many of us have the same concerns and so many people don't seem to care about what kind of mess they leave behind. Think we can get mylot to make publice service announcements to the whole worlo on our behalf?
@GardenGerty (157551)
• United States
17 Oct 07
Yes, yes, yes, I look before I sit, and if I can find another one, I do not just wipe and go. I will only use the one I found wet if there is no other choice. Yes, I also look before I leave, and try to leave things pleasant for those who follow me.
@Debs_place (10520)
• United States
17 Oct 07
That is what I do, it is nice to know I am not alone. And thank you for trying to leave the world or a small part of it nicer for the next person.
@Calais (10893)
• Australia
16 Oct 07
I dont know how on earth you would make a wet seat, but I have seen it and its disgusting..I dont use public toilets very often at all, but if I saw it firstly I would be sick then move to another stall..But I dont sit down on the seats anyway..I kangaroo it, theres disgusting germs and diseases that you could pick up..
2 people like this
@Calais (10893)
• Australia
17 Oct 07
I just think of how their own homes would look like...eeewwww..
2 people like this
@Debs_place (10520)
• United States
17 Oct 07
Well it seems that people that people do it all the time and they don't care. I agree...we can get a lot of diseases in bathrooms.
1 person likes this
@Amberina (1541)
• United States
17 Oct 07
I hate wet toilet seats I have come to the conclusion that when the toilet flushes it splashes water all over the place (at least thats what I'd like to believe) little boys are good ones for leaving a wet toilet seat behind. I always check the seats and if they are wet I take the time to wipe them off with some toilet tissue and I always use the paper seat protectors. When I went out on the road traveling with my long haul trucker driver fiance I was really tempted to carry a little spray bottle of cleaner with me and clean the seat real quick before I sat down. The rest stop bathrooms were the worst they never had the paper things and most of them are cold stainless steel! Yikes!...lol. -Amber
2 people like this
@Debs_place (10520)
• United States
18 Oct 07
Ick stainless steel..just like in prisons. Many ice rinks use them too..they are totally disgusting. I think the spray cleaner is a great idea. They are now providing antibacterial wipes in many stores for shopping carts...wonder if they will ever do that for toilet seats?
1 person likes this
@colgirl (77)
17 Oct 07
I always try to avoid sitting on the toilet whether they are dry or wet i just don't like the thought of sitting where someone else has just been!
@Debs_place (10520)
• United States
18 Oct 07
Ah..I guess the way I see it, it is just a fact of life. So I do sit..but I do like it dry.
@Sissygrl (10912)
• Canada
14 Dec 07
I usually avoid going to pee in public bathrooms cause it really grosses me out, and i have a hard time going if someone else is in the room! even my hubby!! But if i've really got to go i FOR SURE check the seat EVERY time i go in there to use it. If its wet, i wipe it off good and then go. Not much point in going to another stall.. Chances are that ones been wet at some point through the day as well and some other poor soul had to wipe the pee off the seat before they used it too! I know some people can do the hover technique. Which they hover over the seat while they pee. I dunno HOW they can do that.. I can't get my muscles to relax enough while i'm hoving!
1 person likes this
@Sissygrl (10912)
• Canada
27 Jan 08
lol too true!
@Debs_place (10520)
• United States
27 Jan 08
I think the people who hover maybe the ones leaving the seat wet. I think going in and seeing a dry seat is psychological.
1 person likes this
@Modestah (11179)
• United States
27 Jan 08
I always grab paper toweling and put water and soap on it - and scrub the seat (and then dry it well!) before using a public toilet. If there is no paper toweling I hope to have baby wipes in the purse and maybe purell. if all else fails, I wipe down the seat with tp and then line it with some, my days of squatting over the top are gone... I wonder if that is why there is always wetness on the seat, because of people squatting over. of course those industrial toilets are known to spray up to several feet so some wetness could be due to droplets formed while flushing - though I do not want my flesh touching where another's concealed flesh has touched anyhow... worse than wetness is when I have to wash up someones dark deposits off the seat...oh gag!
1 person likes this
@Debs_place (10520)
• United States
27 Jan 08
Ick to the deposits...shudder. As for industrial toilets...I always look behind me after I leave, and very seldom is it the toilets who leave the seats wet.
@tess1960 (2385)
• United States
17 Oct 07
Yes, I check! I'd be crazy not too. In my experience in the cleaning industry it is mostly the squatters that leave a wet seat. They won't touch the seat with their behind or a tissue to wipe it off. Disgusting!! In one club in Reno I actually found more wet toilt seats in the womens room than the mens over-all. We (housekeeping) used to laugh about it. Had to to keep from being sick!!
1 person likes this
@Debs_place (10520)
• United States
18 Oct 07
Okay..I have a question..how do you know who a squatter is...close circuit tv?
1 person likes this
@tess1960 (2385)
• United States
19 Oct 07
OK, here's the story. I had made a friend working at a big Casino in Reno. We worked in Housekeeping, meaning we we maids. We drew straws for public restrooms duty and The Suites duty once a week. So once a week we had to stay in a Ladies Room our entire shift and clean up after people and offer perfume samples. We hated it and much prefered THE SUITES duty. There we found big tips on the pillows. Well one day we were bored so we started betting each other on who were squatters and who were transvestites, who would spray and stuff like that. If you bend over to pick up something off the floor you can tell by the stance of the feet/legs who the squatters are. Of course the transvestites were easy to spot. They stood feet facing the commode. OK, not my better judgement, but I was young and bored. I hated pulling public toilets duty.
@jillhill (37354)
• United States
17 Oct 07
Most of the time you find out too late that they are wet. I can't stand them and I wonder how they get so wet. They must stand up to go....the least they could do is check after they go. It's so gross.
1 person likes this
@Debs_place (10520)
• United States
17 Oct 07
Oh..I ALWAYS look first...and yes..it must seem they stand up to pee or something...or it could be splashes from the toilet flushing I suppose...but still..I want a dry toilet seat. I remember a 'poem' I saw If you sprinkle when you tinkle Please be neat and wipe the seat! I think it should be posted in every restroom in America
@jillhill (37354)
• United States
17 Oct 07
That is cute. Maybe it would help. I travel alot maybe I should run some off and post them in the bathrooms! LOL....really as you travel you see so many that are nasty. I think the best thing they invented was the toilet that flushes itself. When I went to the grand canyon.....man those seriously needed more attendence!
1 person likes this
@Feona1962 (7526)
• United States
17 Oct 07
I can only think of one reason they would be wet and that is because people are so afraid of getting germs that they do whatever they have to not to sit down....They should at least wipe it off if they make it wet....I have to check everything when I use a restroom...If the seat is wet, If the toilet looks like it could clog, If there is enough toilet paper....I wipe it off before and after...Sometimes I use the paper covers they supply but they stick to my butt and drive me batty....I guess I do take my chances by actually sitting on it...But when I have to go, I have to go bad....Those are the times I use the restrooms..
1 person likes this
@Debs_place (10520)
• United States
17 Oct 07
Yes, I wipe too..but tell me..how can you tell if a toilet might clog?
1 person likes this
@Feona1962 (7526)
• United States
17 Oct 07
LOL....I re-read that and had to laugh....I flush it first to see if the water goes down all the way and if it does I feel safe that it would after I go...There have been times that I have flushed first and it didn't flush right so I went to the next stall...I have had to plunge a few...But they don't always have a plunger on hand either...I hope that made sense.....
@theprogamer (10534)
• United States
17 Oct 07
I NEVER use public toilets at least for "business". For the quick stuff yes, but there is no way I'm using something that requires a stall. Usually you'll find a wet seat or some sort of surprise waiting on you -_-. If I was in your situation, I'd try another stall first. If none are available, then *shudder* wipe it up and use a quad layer of TP. Its not even enough, but we're talking about an unknown substance here. I'm sorry you had to go through that Deb. I feel for you, really. This is also why I've gotten into using hand sanitizers and little sprays. Its only a bit for me, but for seriously in public restrooms it seems people just don't know how to clean up after themselves. I won't go into the aspect of people not washing their hands either. People are so sick sometimes -_-
1 person likes this
@Debs_place (10520)
• United States
17 Oct 07
Well thenk you for sparing us. Put at least if you are standing you are not touching anything. As a woman, it is much more difficult
@Debs_place (10520)
• United States
17 Oct 07
You are lucky..you have the standing option. It would be nice if public restrooms actually did provide us with a cleaning option such as the sprays. I do carry my own. And you are right..so many people don't wash their hands and then people who do wash their hands end up handling the same things that none washers do. It is amazing that we don't get more sick then we do.
@theprogamer (10534)
• United States
17 Oct 07
Debs its not as lucky as you think. Some people can't even get the standing business done right. -_- I'll spare you the details.
1 person likes this
• United States
17 Oct 07
Well I know at my work the toliet seats are always wet. It has to do with the powerful flush it causes water to spray out everytime you flush and the water rushes back in. If the water is a bit yellow i move to a different stall if it is just water I wipe it down. we do have toliet covers but they just get soaked so I dont know what the point of it. I hate people who cant bother to flush now that is gross!
@Debs_place (10520)
• United States
18 Oct 07
Even if it is the spray from the flush...we still know where it came from and people should just wipe it up behind them. You are right about people that don't bother to flush..that is pure laziness.
@whittby (3072)
• United States
11 Feb 08
I was just going to mention this about the toilets with the huge flush that sprays water on the seats. But , just like you, because I can't be sure that's where the wet is coming from, I won't go in the stall if I can help it. Now, people who don't flush EWWWW~!
• Philippines
16 Oct 07
If I'm using a public toilet, I don't sit down on the seat. I squat. That way I don't get to touch the toilet seat even indirectly (by wiping or by using toilet seat covers). So wet toilet seats don't really bother me... unless it's wet with other stuff (use your imagination). That would really gross me out and make me just move to another stall. Toilets that aren't flushed also bother me. I think it's common courtesy to flush the toilet after use and I wonder why some people don't do this.
2 people like this
@Debs_place (10520)
• United States
17 Oct 07
I agree on the flushing thing...it is amazing how people can leave the toilet and not flush.
1 person likes this
@gtargirl (5376)
• United States
19 Oct 07
Sometimes I will go to the next stall if it's just too bad looking. Most of the time I will wipe it clean, even if it's not wet. You never know with these old eyes the things I can miss. lol. We take a lot of road trips and the rest areas are usually okay, but I still wipe it clean before I sit.
1 person likes this
@Debs_place (10520)
• United States
31 Oct 07
If it is bad or not flushed I will also go to the next stall. I think rest areas are usually pretty good these days, but you still never know who has been there.
@hoghoney (3747)
• United States
17 Oct 07
I always check the seats when I am using public bathrooms and some times if there are only a few toliets then yes if it is wet I will get a big wad of toliet paper and wipe it off. But I have seen sometimes that some of the restrooms that flush when you stand up will splash water on the seat also so sometimes you really never know if it is pee or just water.
1 person likes this
@Debs_place (10520)
• United States
17 Oct 07
I am glad that you have witnessed this event. It does make me feel better about the human race. I still wish people would wipe the seat upon their exit, just makes the next person feel better.
@applsofgld (2506)
• United States
18 Oct 07
I don't believe those claims for one minute!! Do you? I am very picky about public restrooms, I only use them if I absolutely cannot wait to get home. Walmart stores have some of the worse kept restrooms I've ever been in, my local JC Penney store is another one, however, I will say since I started complaining about it they did have it cleaner the last time I went in. Yes, I check to see if the seat is wet or clean or whatever. Also, I am conscientious about flushing and not leaving a mess for the next person. A lot of this can be avoided, but some people just don't care and leave a mess.
@Debs_place (10520)
• United States
31 Oct 07
I agree, turn around and make sure you don't leave a mess.
@leeesa (884)
• United States
27 Jan 08
I hate public restrooms, but sometimes they just cannot be avoided! I always check and I will walk past one if it is dirty, unflushed, or pee on the seat! One time I walked into a store bathroom and someone had smeared feces all over the seat! GROSS! I carry disinfectant wipes in my purse just in case the only stall available is wet so I can wipe it. Then I wash my hands like mad!
1 person likes this
@Debs_place (10520)
• United States
27 Jan 08
Oh that is disgusting. Makes you want to carry gloves doesn't it?
• Philippines
16 Nov 07
Whenever I saw a wet toilet seat I always go to and check the other stall if it's clean and if the toilet seat is not wet. If all are wet I just wipe it before I sit. I can't pee in a toilet with a wet toilet seat. I don't why but I'm really really conscious.
1 person likes this
@Debs_place (10520)
• United States
27 Jan 08
I agree, I am a checker
@jesus777 (662)
• Bermuda
17 Oct 07
i am with i check and i wipe it off after im done i use antibacterial and wipe and dry before and after i leave!!!!
1 person likes this
@Debs_place (10520)
• United States
17 Oct 07
Yes, I carry them and use them too.