There aren’t too many folks out there that like spending time cleaning their bathroom – especially around the toilet. But it’s still something most of us do at least a couple of times a month (if not even more frequently than that).
And while a lot of attention gets spent cleaning the inside of our showers, our sinks, and our toilet bowls it’s hard not to notice when something is a little “off” on the seat of our toilet – like when our legs leave residue behind.
What’s that all about?
Why are your legs leaving residue on the toilet seat? Are everyone’s legs leaving residue on their toilet seat? Is it a sign of something bad – and can that residue make you sick? Is it difficult to clean? It could be dead skin cells left behind, or oil from your skin. Some cleaning products also leave behind a residue.
In this article, we will try to answer all of your questions. So keep reading to find out why your legs are leaving residue on the toilet seat and how to deal with it!
Why Are My Legs Leaving Residue on the Toilet Seat?
First things first, we need to hammer home exactly why you find residue left behind from your legs on your toilet seat.
There is a myriad of different reasons your toilet seat might have some residue on it from your legs, but the most common reason is totally natural and nothing to be alarmed about.
Dead Skin Cells Left Behind
You see, our skin cells inevitably slough off of our bodies pretty much around-the-clock. New layers of skin are created, the older layers of skin die and rub off, and sometimes that skin ends up sticking to your toilet seat.
Now, if you’re noticing a ton of skin residue on your toilet it may be a sign of something more serious.
Maybe you’re dealing with your skin peeling off more than it would have otherwise because of autoimmune system disorders, allergic reactions, and things of that nature.
At the end of the day, though, one of the most common reasons you find residue on your seat is simply because your skin comes in contact with the seat on a day-to-day basis and friction rubs some of that dead skin off.
Oily Skin Leaves Residue Behind, Too
Secondly, some of us have naturally oily skin that keeps us pretty hydrated and moisturized – but that residue can get left behind on our toilet seats, too.
Making things look worse than they are, of course, is the fact that these oils are dirt magnets.
It doesn’t take very long for dirt, dust, and “gunk” to get gummed up inside of those natural oils, making your toilet seat look a lot dirtier than it would have been with your natural oils alone. Still, it looks funky and needs to be cleaned ASAP.
Super Duty Cleaning Products Leave Residues Behind
While modern science and engineering have produced some pretty incredible cleaning products over the last few decades, some of them are quite a bit harsher than anything that was produced in the past – and that can cause some skin residue to be left behind on your toilet seat for sure.
It doesn’t matter if these cleaning products are skincare products applied to your body while you shower, irritating your skin and making it easier for extra skin to be left behind, or cleaning products applied to the toilet directly that have the same kind of impact on your body.
At the end of the day, harsh chemicals can cause more sloughing off of dead skin cells that stick to your toilet seat. And that’s going to look like a gunky sort of residue for sure.
Stop Leaving Residue on the Toilet Seat with These Tips
Luckily for you, making sure that this residue doesn’t build up (especially to the point where your toilet seat actually becomes discolored) is pretty simple and straightforward.
All you really have to do is consistently clean your toilet seat after you use it – even if you are only doing a “quick clean” for a couple of seconds after you’re done going to the bathroom.
A quick spritz with a disinfectant spray and a wipe down with paper towels (or toilet paper if you want to flush after you’re done cleaning) will do a world of good to keep your toilet seat looking fresh, new, and totally free of residue.
Of course, you could also use toilet seat covers (like the disposable kind you have probably seen in public restrooms) if you don’t feel like cleaning your toilet every time you use it.
These are pretty inexpensive and very effective, and while they are a little bit annoying to use at first (and to continuously reapply to your toilet) you won’t have to do any spritzing or scrubbing if you go down this road.
Am I Going to Get Sick from Toilet Seat Residue?
Most of the time, you don’t really have a whole lot to worry about when it comes to health concerns stemming from leftover toilet seat residue – so long as that residue is (mostly) made up of dead skin cells or oil from your body.
At the same time, though, even those natural residues are eventually going to turn pretty funky and pretty rancid.
The residue will attract all kinds of bugs and germs, including dangerous bacteria that can lead to issues like E. coli, strep, and staph infections.
It’s a good idea to start cleaning your toilet seat on a more regular and consistent basis to avoid these kinds of conditions.
You’ll definitely want to give your toilet seat a deeper scrub as soon as you start to notice a residue. That means it’s already progressed beyond the “invisible” layer of dead skin cells or oil you’ve naturally left behind.
Conclusion
All in all, it’s a good idea to keep your toilet seat as hygienic as humanly possible. Especially when you consider what this thing gets used for on a daily basis.
These are not the kinds of germs that you want to mess around with. Use the tips and information we highlighted above, though, to keep your toilet seat clean and free of buildup residue and you won’t have a whole lot to worry about from here on out.