Lesson learned.
And to think people get all bent out of shape over whether the toilet seat has been left up or down, when the lid of the toilet is the biggest culprit for disgusting germs all along.
You will probably be keeping your toothbrush locked away after reading this, from our sister site over at HerFamily.ie.
The story reads…
Leaving the lid of the toilet up when you flush sends an explosion of bacteria, which scientists refer to as ‘toilet plume’ from the toilet bowl into the air.
What goes up must come down and toilet plume is no different; it lands all over the surrounding area, spreading fecal bacteria, microorganisms and viruses from the bath tub to your toothbrush.
Toilet plume has been linked to gastroenteritis outbreaks on airplanes and cruise ships and may even have been responsible for a SARS outbreak in 2003. More commonly, it’s a vehicle for stomach bugs in homes, schools and offices.
When a team from Leeds University carried out tests on a sterilised toilet cubicle, they discovered that Clostridium difficile (C. diff – the bacterium that causes diarrhea and more serious intestinal conditions such as colitis) could travel up to ten inches about the toilet seat after flushing… and it lingered in the air for more than 90 minutes afterwards.
Duly noted. Lids down from now on.
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