The Unfair and Disgusting Fate of the Public Restroom

Once upon a time, in a Mall near you, a young girl walked around for hours cursing herself that she drank too much soda with her lunch. She, along with many women (and probably some men, too) would rather suffer the annoying pains in their bladders than be forced to use the dreaded public bathroom.

At some point she would not be able to bare it any longer. As she would walk through the entrance to the facilities there would be a good chance her nose would be struck for an instant by an awful combination of heavy air fresheners and pungent urine. The floor would probably have scraps of toilet tissue and used paper towels thrust upon it, and at least one of the sinks would be running. Odds are she would quickly poke the stall doors open with her index finger one by one before choosing which one to use.

The first one would have a wad of toilet paper and urine in the toilet, so she'd skip that one hoping to avoid having to flush someone else's mess.

The second one had no working lock so of course would be passed so that someone else couldn't open the door while she was in there. Odds are if that occurred something terrible might happen, right? I mean, there must be tons of peeping women just waiting to push open those stall doors that don't have locks.

Every one of us, sooner or later, is forced to make use of a public restroom. Public bathrooms contain the same key necessities that most home facilities do yet they rarely possess the same qualities. After a recent experience in an absolutely filthy stall I started to wonder why this is so.

Some people have complete disregard for others, simply put. They'll throw the used paper towel on the floor because they know they aren't the ones who have to pick it up. They'll leave the water running on the faucet because they aren't paying for it, and who cares about wasting water?

Others fear they are going to get some disease from sitting on the toilet seat so instead use the seat as a receptacle to catch urine rather than the bowl itself. Studies clearly show it is next to impossible to catch anything from a toilet seat. Think about it - have you ever heard of anyone (not urban legend style, but actually knew someone) getting a disease from a public toilet? Many common bacteria can be found all over the place, not just the poor isolated restroom facility. Recent studies have shown that the remote control to your television has more germs than toilets do. Public telephones, door handles, and other commonly touched items are all equal germ hoarders. The fact is that people are just so paranoid they want to be on the cautious side, which is completely their own choice. However, cleaning up after themselves would be the right thing to do, since assuming that everyone is as paranoid as they are is ridiculous. Not everyone is afraid to sit on the toilet seat in a public bathroom.

Another option for the undesirable fate of the public toilet is that the person responsible for keeping it fresh and clean isn't doing a good job. All toilets, public or not, will become a haven for bacteria and cause lots of repulsive odors if not cleaned for a good length of time. When you are barely getting paid minimum wage, I'm sure scrubbing the bowls to Mr. Tidy Bowl freshness isn't exactly on the top of your list.

The solution to this overwhelming problem is a simple one. When you use a public bathroom, use it appropriately and clean up after yourself. Get the eliminated product into the actual toilet, including the tissue you may use. Wipe the seat when you're finished and flush it all down the drain. Wash your hands without getting soap all over the counter and don't leave the water running. Throw your used paper towel into the garbage pail, even if it appears to be overflowing. Most of all take a deep breath and smile. I promise nothing bad is going to happen to you while you're in there, and a friendly smile at those around you can create a true bathroom born disease - relaxation.