If you’re sensitive to germs and unsanitary conditions, you may have a tough time using public bathrooms. Although the phone in your pocket or your desk at work can often be dirtier than a toilet seat, it can be hard convincing yourself to sit down on something that hundreds of other people have sat on before you.

If you need to use the toilet and you’re worried about picking up unwanted germs, use a toilet seat cover! These paper coverings shield you against germs and are flushed when no longer in use. This article will teach you how to use a toilet seat cover so you can protect yourself in public spaces in the future.

1. Determine the Necessity

You don’t need to use a toilet seat cover every time you go to the bathroom. In fact, using too many covers too often can be harmful to the environment. Therefore, visually check the toilet to see if you actually need a cover. If the toilet overall looks pretty clean, you probably don’t need a cover.

However, if the toilet is visibly stained or shows traces of liquid or debris, you may want to use a toilet seat cover. Furthermore, you should use a cover if you have any open cuts or wounds on the lower half of your body.

If the toilet you’ve chosen is dirty and you’re able to go to a different stall, choose one that’s clean to avoid using a disposable cover.

2. Prepare the Cover

Toilet seat covers are kept in a container that’s positioned above or next to the toilet. Pull out a single cover as instructed. Before you set it on the toilet, your cover needs its inner flap released. Tear the three seams that connect the inner flap to the outer cover.

When you set your cover down on the toilet seat, position it so that the part of the inner flap that is still connected to the cover faces the front of the toilet. Finally, let the flap fall into the toilet water; this makes it so that the toilet seat cover will get flushed when you’re done with it.

3. Use and Flush

Once your cover is set in place with the inner flap released and in the water, use the toilet as you normally would. When you are done, flush the toilet. The toilet will suck the cover down into the plumbing, along with the rest of the toilet’s contents. Now wash your hands and you’re all set!

A toilet seat cover is a simple thing, yet it can still trip people up. Whether you forget to release the inner flap or you tear out the flap and throw it away, mistakes related to toilet seat covers are common. Therefore, feel free to use this article as a reference whenever you find yourself in a public bathroom so you’ll know what to do.

Additionally, if you oversee a public bathroom, check out our selection of towel and tissue products, which include toilet seat covers. At PackagingSuppliesByMail, we offer free shipping on all towel and tissue, so we can easily make your public bathrooms safer and more sanitary places to be.

For more reading on our jan/san products, be sure to check out our article going over hand safety basics.