According to Daily Mail, researchers from the University of Arizona and Reckitt Benckiser, the company that makes Lysol, have shown that simply shutting a toilet lid does not stop aerosolized germs from spreading to walls, floors, and sinks.
To stop the transmission of viral diseases, they advise cleaning the toilet and using a scrub brush instead.
The most recent study, which was published in the American Journal of Infection Control, aims to determine whether a closed lid can also slow the spread of germs from a flush. Previous research has demonstrated that this is the case for larger virus particles.
In an office building, they examined viral particles in both the public and residential restrooms.
After flushing a virus that is not contagious to people down the toilet, they swabbed the surfaces with a sponge.
No discernible variation in the amount of viruses detected on toilet surfaces, lid positions, or floor inspections was discovered by the researchers.
The toilet seat was the most infected surface, with very little viral contamination seen on the nearby walls. Similar contamination patterns were discovered in public restrooms as well.
The researchers found that closing the lid before flushing increased contamination levels to the left and in front of the toilet but only slightly decreased contamination to the right of the toilet.
Toilet bowls that were cleaned using a brush and a disinfectant—more precisely, hydrochloric acid—showed less pollution than those that were cleansed using a brush.
Along with the bathroom floor and toilet brush caddy, it also lessens contamination on nearby surfaces, reducing it by more than 99.99% on the toilet and more than 97% on the brush.
“Our study highlights the importance of regular disinfection of toilets to reduce contamination and prevent the spread of viruses,” stated lead author Dr. Charles P. Gerba, a professor of virology at the University of Arizona. “Results show that closing toilet lids has no meaningful impact on preventing the spread of viral particles.”
