Toilet hygiene is much more than just making sure you flush every time after use, or whether you use the best toilet cleaning liquid on the market.

According to infection control expert Junya Jarayopas, understanding toilet sanitation is to first accept the fact that the toilet is home to a great number of germs as well as dirt.

"The toilet is simply the best breeding area for germs," said Junya. "This is why toilet users are so scared of germs from every part of the restroom _ from the door handle to the floor and particularly the toilet seat _ especially when they use public toilets."

Exterminating those frightening, disgusting germs is the most popular option given that most people believe zero trace of germs or dirt equals zero chance of getting a disease.

According to Junya, however, the fear of toilet germs is in fact an unnecessary worry. The best thing to do to maintain good toilet sanitation is to learn how to live in harmony with germs.

"Wiping out all the germs is an absolutely impossible mission even if you use the world's best toilet cleaner," said Junya. "The only thing we can do is to just reduce the number of germs in the restroom so that our chances of getting infected becomes lower too."

But there is still a piece of good news about germs _ they do not necessarily cause diseases. There are three types of germs: natural, healthy and harmful. The first type refers to micro-organisms that naturally reside within the human body, while healthy germs are those that we choose to take in because they are beneficial to health, such as friendly bacteria in yogurt drinks. The last type, harmful germs, are disease-causing micro-organisms.

Toilets harbour two kinds of harmful germs _ those that cause sexually transmitted diseases, and those that cause digestive diseases. But coming into contact with disease-causing toilet germs does not necessarily bring about illness because the development of disease requires three significant factors.

"Whether you will get infected from toilet germs depends on the number of germs, the severity of the germs and the portal through which germs get into your body," explained Junya.

"A small amount of germs cannot cause sickness as the body's immune system will fight and defeat them. In the worst case, if you happen to accidentally touch something in the toilet that is contaminated with the HIV/Aids virus and you then bite your nails, you will not get HIV/Aids since your saliva will automatically kill the virus. On the other hand, if you happen to have a cut on your leg and the virus comes into contact with your wound, then it is likely that you will be infected."

People feel uneasy about the fact that they cannot be sure about how the person before them used the lavatory and what that person left behind in the restroom. This is why the majority of health-conscious people believe using a good quality toilet cleaning liquid to slaughter all the germs as often as possible is the best way to keep the toilet clean and keep themselves free from infections.

Not only is such a belief a huge misunderstanding, it can also bring about serious health problems.

"Using too much toilet cleaner in the long run will bring about drug-resistant toilet germs. And such an unfortunate situation has been commonly found in many countries including the United Kingdom and the United States," said Junya, adding that highly concentrated toilet cleaners can also potentially destroy nasal membranes.

Community-associated methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus infection (CA-MRSA) is a result of the overuse of toilet cleaners, she added. Previous outbreaks have been more often seen among Thai housekeepers. The infection typically begins as a skin infection and can later develop into pus-filled bumps that can last for years. CA-MRSA is easily transmitted through person-to-person contact and it is difficult to treat and diagnose.

As with most things, toilet sanitation must be carried out in moderation. And a word of advice for "super clean" type of people _ being too aseptic means zero tolerance.

Using toilets properly amidst all the germs, only three steps are needed: washing your hands before using the toilet, thoroughly cleaning the toilet seat and washing your hands afterwards.

"After you are done with washing your hands, use tissue paper to dry them before using the same damp piece of tissue to wipe the toilet seat. Let the seat dry first and then use a toilet seat cover before you sit on it. If there are no toilet seat covers, use toilet paper to cover the seat instead," explained Junya.

Bear in mind that it is crucial that the toilet seat is completely dry before placing the seat cover on it. Germs travel very quickly in wet or damp areas. So if the toilet seat is dry, it is safe to some extent. Many, however, might consider such steps a waste of time and resources. If so, then just wash your hands before and after using the toilet.

"Washing your hands is the only way to cut the transmission of germs. Even if you do not use a toilet seat cover, you can just wash your hands and you'll be safe. People usually think washing their hands after using the toilet is enough. But washing them before using the toilet is equally important because it is those unwashed hands that you use to clean yourself while in the toilet."

It is essential that the restroom is kept as dry as possible. There should be no areas for stagnant water to gather as it will become a place where germs accumulate and multiply. Good ventilation is also key to good toilet sanitation.

And do not ever store water in the restroom. If you wish to do so just in case of an emergency, the water container or storage tank should have a lid to stop the water from evaporating and causing humidity in the bathroom as well as to prevent mosquitoes laying eggs on the surface of the water.

Ideally the restroom should be cleaned at least once a week, starting from the least dirty parts like the walls down to the wash basin, the toilet and then the floor.

According to Junya, instilling better toilet hygiene among people requires the collaboration of everyone in society. First, the issue of proper toilet use must be considered a national agenda. At the same time, people should create public awareness among themselves regarding toilet sanitation. This is because toilet hygiene is not just about one person but involves everybody.

"There are two types of toilet users," said Junya. "The first type are people who care so much about themselves. They keep everything super clean even though they tend to waste resources like water or paper. The second type are those who don't care at all. They do not even look back to see if they've flushed properly. What we need are people in between these two types who know how to use the toilet properly and also care about the environment.

"In the restroom, you are fighting something you cannot see. And this in turn makes you become overly worried, selfish and care only about yourself. You actually forget that the next person who returns to use that toilet might be yourself."

Tissue paper should not be in contact with your external urinary and rectal organs for more than 9 seconds. Scientific studies have found that toilet paper is full of mould. Tissue paper is basically made of used paper, bleached in chlorine, spread out to dry, flattened and rolled. And we have no idea how these paper rolls are stored before they are placed in the restroom. So it is best to keep toilet paper in minimum contact with our delicate body parts.

Washing your hands with tap water can reduce the number of non-disease-causing germs by 99%. But it cannot get rid of disease-causing germs completely.

It takes 40 minutes for germs to travel from the dry surface of a toilet seat to your body through a toilet seat cover, while it only takes 15 seconds if the seat is not dry.

Wipe your hands dry every time after washing them. Failing to dry them is equal to not washing your hands at all.

A waterless alcohol hand sanitiser is the best type of hand cleaning liquid and is more effective than a gel-based one as alcohol in the waterless cleaner will take effect and kill germs immediately, while alcohol in the gel-based hand cleaner will take effect only after the gel dries.

Before using a toilet spray hose, squirt some water away first before spraying it on yourself. Make sure the nozzle does not touch your body.

Avoid using hand dryers if necessary. The air blasting out of them is full of germs and bacteria which can potentially cause diseases, especially in people with weak immunity.

TOILET TITBITS

Tissue paper should not be in contact with your external urinary and rectal organs for more than 9 seconds. Scientific studies have found that toilet paper is full of mould. Tissue paper is basically made of used paper, bleached in chlorine, spread out to dry, flattened and rolled. And we have no idea how these paper rolls are stored before they are placed in the restroom. So it is best to keep toilet paper in minimum contact with our delicate body parts.

Washing your hands with tap water can reduce the number of non-disease-causing germs by 99%. But it cannot get rid of disease-causing germs completely.

It takes 40 minutes for germs to travel from the dry surface of a toilet seat to your body through a toilet seat cover, while it only takes 15 seconds if the seat is not dry.

Wipe your hands dry every time after washing them. Failing to dry them is equal to not washing your hands at all.

A waterless alcohol hand sanitiser is the best type of hand cleaning liquid and is more effective than a gel-based one as alcohol in the waterless cleaner will take effect and kill germs immediately, while alcohol in the gel-based hand cleaner will take effect only after the gel dries.

Before using a toilet spray hose, squirt some water away first before spraying it on yourself. Make sure the nozzle does not touch your body.

Avoid using hand dryers if necessary. The air blasting out of them is full of germs and bacteria which can potentially cause diseases, especially in people with weak immunity.