When you flush, the churning water aerosolizes what's in the bowl. Your bathroom is coated in a thin film of shit. Does closing the toilet lid help? It does not help much, scientists report. Impacts of lid closure during toilet flushing and of toilet bowl cleaning on viral contamination of surfaces in United States restrooms, by Goforth et al., concludes that the airgap between lid and bowl is enough to release the poomidity.
These results demonstrate that closing the toilet lid prior to flushing does not mitigate the risk of contaminating bathroom surfaces and that disinfection of all restroom surfaces (ie, toilet rim, floors) may be necessary after flushing or after toilet brush used for the reduction of virus cross-contamination.
So many solutions—clean everything after every use, toothbrushes in cabinet, buy a sealing toilet lid, stop worrying about hardline hygiene, put the toilet in its own room—but the best one is surely to just stop cease your defecations entirely. How hard can it be?
Previously: Review: American Standard 735125-400.020 Toilet Tank Lid
