Put a lid on it!

It's time for a little rant as it is becoming a great annoyance that many people are still ignorant to the scientific fact that the toilet lid was invented for a very good reason. Now, before all you ladies move the focus onto the men; we are talking about the lid here, not the seat.

Obviously, we are all subjected to bacteria everyday and have an immune system which naturally fights these off. However, basic cleanliness is still needed to avoid having dangerous levels off these bacteria. Further, it is depended on age and health according to what level one can tolerate. Therefore, cleanliness should be adhered to for other people's well being, not just our own. When a toilet is flushed, droplets of water containing bacteria from the bowl are thrown approximately six to eight feet in the air and can travel a distance of around twenty feet before they settle; sometime up to an hour after a flush. This is why public washrooms often have toilet paper encased in a plastic or metal structure to prevent contamination.

The types of bacteria which can spread are that standard one's associated with faecal matter, such as e-coli; but it can also spread cold and flu viruses. The very simple way to prevent this is by putting the toilet lid down before you flush. Yes most of us will be fine if we don't bother doing this, we may pick up the occasional stomach bug which goes unnoticed by us, or we may pick up a cold; but a prevention is better than cure. Some people are more prone to illness and others are not always able to fight off infection.

It is also of great annoyance when this type of subject is raised, because many people dismiss it is 'paranoid cleanliness'. This is not cleanliness to a high standard, it is cleanliness of a basic standard!

Science Article