<div><p>It's safe to say that we have all been in a situation where a toilet seat cover is necessary. </p><p>Public washrooms are not a place you want your butt to touch. Even if you're squatting, most people still throw down one of those paper covers just to be safe. </p><p>But what happens if you forget to put down a cover, or the stall you're in doesn't have any left?</p><p>Honestly? Not a whole lot, according to public health experts. </p><p>Apparently those 'protectors' made of what can only be described as cheaper-than-dollar-store tissue paper don't do a heck of a lot to stop germs from getting on your bare behind, and that's okay. </p><p>Kelly Reynolds, a public health researcher, <a href="http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation-now/2017/03/17/what-happens-when-you-dont-use-toilet-seat-cover/99293226/">says </a>the chance of you getting an infection from sitting on a public toilet seat is pretty slim in the first place. You're more like to get germs from flushing the toilet than sitting on the seat. When you flush, tiny bits of fecal matter and other germs are shot into the air in tiny aerosol form. This gets on your hands, which is why you should probably wash them.</p><div><figure><amp-img src="https://www.shared.com/content/images/2017/03/toilet_flushing_5.jpg" srcset="https://www.shared.com/content/images/2017/03/toilet_flushing_5_GH_content_550px.jpg 550w" sizes="89vw" title="" alt="" height="9" width="16" layout="responsive"></amp-img><figcaption class="op-vertical-center"><cite>Mental Floss</cite></figcaption></figure></div><p><!-- [invalid-shortcode] --></p><p>Dr. William Schaffner even shot down the myth that you can get an STD from a toilet seat. </p><p>"That's because toilet seats are not a vehicle for the transmission of any infectious agents"”you won't catch anything," Schaffner <a href="http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation-now/2017/03/17/what-happens-when-you-dont-use-toilet-seat-cover/99293226/">said</a>.</p><p>Not only that, apparently it's actually WORSE to use a toilet seat cover, because it gives the germs more surface area to multiply, making it "considerably less hygienic."</p><p>Basically, all experts agree that the most important part of using a public restroom is washing your hands as best you can. </p><p>Do you use toilet seat covers when you use a public washroom? Let us know!</p><p></p></div>