The germiest place in a public restroom is not the toilet. It's the floor. And while a Columbia University study concluded that you can't catch a disease from a toilet seat, you won't want to place your purse or diaper bag on the restroom floor. If your purse picks up those germs and then you touch your purse and then your mouth, nose or eyes, you could get sick. Here is a few more things to keep in mind.

  • Use the first stall; it tends to be the cleanest. The middle stall tends to have the most bacteria.
  • If the toilet doesn't flush automatically, use your foot instead of your hand to flush it.
  • You are more likely to pick up germs on your hands than on your behind. So wash your hands with hot water and soap for at least 30 seconds.
  • Make sure your children also wash their hands thoroughly. Little kids typically put their hands on the toilet seat to steady themselves, and these germs could lead to an infection once those hands touch the nose, mouth or eyes.
  • After you dry your hands, use a clean, dry paper towel on the door knob. Other people who didn't wash their hands have touched that knob, leaving it coated in bacteria.
  • Hang your purse and diaper bag. Don't ever place them on the restroom floor. In a study in which Gerba examined women's purses, he found that fully one-third of them had fecal bacteria on the bottom. If there isn't a hook in the stall, hang your purse around your neck!
  • As a rule, the cleanest toilets are in hospitals and the worst are in airports and airplanes.

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