How to Change a Toilet Seat Cover

We've all been in this situation. We visit a public restroom, often against our will, to perform a regular necessity. Whether it's a gas station bathroom or the facility at the mall, simply opening the door can evoke germ-filled mental images. Public restrooms harbor thousands of germs and opening a stall door often tests your fortitude. For peace of mind, many facilities offer toilet seat covers for their hygiene-conscious patrons. Let's take look at how to change toilet seat covers and make the experience as clean as possible.

Instructions

• 1

  Enter the bathroom stall and examine the toilet seat. If any existing cover material remains on the seat, use your foot to push the paper toilet seat cover into the toilet and flush it. Toilet seat covers are 100 percent biodegradable, just like toilet paper.

• 2

  Unroll the toilet paper and wipe the surface of the toilet seat. Remove all drops of water from the plastic surface to prevent a fresh seat cover from sticking to the toilet seat and, subsequently, sticking to your backside.

• 3

  Locate the toilet seat cover dispenser. Grasp both edges of the cover and carefully pull up to remove it from the dispenser box to prevent ripping the cover. Covers are usually oval in shape with a perforated, elongated cutout in the middle.

• 4

  Tear the perforation in the middle until it releases from the main portion of the toilet seat cover (it will hang like a flap).

• 5

  Place the paper toilet seat cover on the seat with the rounded edge around the back. The flap will lie inside the bowl from the front to allow the swirling water during the flush to carry the seat cover down the toilet.

• 6

  Remember that bacteria are mainly concentrated on bathroom door handles, faucet handles and wet counter tops. Although the plastic toilet seat may seem like a great place to harbor germs, toilet seats contain roughly 49 bacteria per square inch versus the almost 25,000 bacteria per square inch found on a typical office phone, according to a study conducted by a University of Arizona microbiology team.