Thursday, March 19, 2020

Make Your Own Public Restroom Survival Kit Reviewed

Make Your Own Public Restroom Survival KitProtect Yourself in Public Restrooms! 


My husband and I enjoy making day trips as well as traveling. What I hate most about traveling whether for a day, or even a week, is the necessity to use public restrooms.  

By now, we have all heard that you should use a paper towel to open the bathroom doors since so many people do not wash their hands before touching the door knobs.  As if that is not enough to make you cringe, I was recently told that drug addicts will clean their needles by poking them in the toilet paper in the restroom stall.  This takes things to a whole new level of contamination concern.  

To be fair, I did check Snopes to determine if needle cleaning in public restrooms is a valid concern and found that none of the health services questioned had ever heard of that happening.  Still, it made me hesitate to trust the provided toilet paper in public restrooms.

For me and my family, I have decided better safe than sorry.  After all, we know there are germs in any restroom.  With the flu, a multitude of viruses, and the concern for cleanliness, why take the risk if not absolutely necessary? 

Some might consider this an extreme and unnecessary precaution.  Perhaps it is.  But, like any other precautionary measure, if it gives you peace of mind, why not.  You are certainly not hurting anyone else by carrying your own public restroom survival kit.


Items Needed for Your Public Restroom Survival Kit

Make Your Own Public Restroom Survival Kit
I assemble my own public restroom survival kit.  I include individually wrapped toilet seat covers, my own toilet paper in a sandwich bag, flushable single pack wet wipes, camp soap sheets, and a few of my own paper towels. 

I carry two different types of toilet seat covers.  One is the typical paper cover that you see in many public restrooms.  The other is a plastic toilet seat cover.  The plastic seat cover is not flushable, but I find it required in some public rest stops.  Even though it is made to encase the seat cover, I simply lay it on the seat.  If I won't sit on it, I certainly will not lift that seat to "gift wrap" it.

You all can stop laughing now!  No, I am not a germaphobe, but over the years I have truly seen some pretty nasty things in public restrooms.  I won't go into the graphic details and descriptions.  Suffice it to say, I've seen enough to know I believe in the proverbial "ounce of prevention".  In this case, I would alter that saying slightly to state an ounce of protection.

If you think I am alone in this concern, allow me to point out that Amazon.com even offers a pre-assembled public toilet kit.


In a pinch, I would totally invest in that "go bag"!  Because I have time to prepare my own survival kits packed with my preferred supplies, I don't mind putting them together myself.  

If you plan on traveling by plane, you may prefer a clear bag for supplies in your carry-on.  There are no liquids in my public restroom survival kit, but a clear bag might keep baggage inspectors from opening it and touching everything.  Hand sanitizer would need to go in your clear liquid carry-on bag.  If you are traveling by car, you can choose any tote bag.

I prefer a tote bag that will clip to my jeans belt loops or my camera backpack loops.   This is a nice inexpensive trio that I found.  I only need the medium sized bag in this set for my restroom survival kit, but I can always find different uses for the other two.
 

 50PCS Travel Disposable Toilet Seat CoversCheck Price Charmin Ultra Soft Cushiony Touch Toilet PaperCheck Price Simpleaf Flushable Single Pack Wet Wipes | Eco- FriendlyCheck Price Coleman Camp Soap Sheets, Travel Soap Sheets - 50 countCheck Price

 


 

How Do I Know I Am Not a Complete Germaphobe?


A real germaphobe would recommend two more items!  After all, the dirtiest places in a public restroom are the floors, the toilet handle, and the faucet.

Eek!  Perhaps I should rethink this!   After all, I do wear my shoes in the car and in my home!  And, those gloves and shoe covers are disposable.

 Dealmed Medical Exam Gloves – 200 Count Small Nitrile Gloves, Disposable GlovesCheck Price Blue Shoe Guys Professional Grade Disposable Boot & Shoe Covers BootiesCheck Price

 




And if you really want to do things right, be sure to include your Poo-Pourri! It was previously reviewed by Dawn Rae and would make a fabulous addition to your public restroom survival kit. 
 
poo pourri

When you are out and about, be sure to be prepared, stay safe, and "rest" protected in those public restrooms!

 




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9 comments:

  1. Not at all a bad idea, Mouse. I, too, have seen some pretty awful situations in public restrooms. I usually travel by car and limit my 'rest' breaks to highway Rest Areas (which, for the most part, are well maintained), but I have seen some 'not so clean' other restrooms over the years.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Public restrooms can certainly be a horrible experience. Most of us only stop out of necessity and we don't want to end up sick simply over a rest stop. Taking my own supplies has given me a greater peace of mind about stopping!

      Delete
  2. Cynthia, oh my goodness that's being prepared! What you've provided here is very handy. I'll be keeping this as a reference. I had to take mom to the hospital a few days ago for a cancer followup check and used the washroom there and, yep I was cleaning it first. But I had never considered carrying my own supplies. This is a great idea.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hospitals are always scary places to visit (germ wise). I can just imagine you cleaning first! I remember as a child, my mom carried our own roll of toilet paper or tissue in case the stalls were out. Taking the additional items is really only building on my mom's original idea to be prepared to care for ourselves.

      Delete
  3. Another practical post. We all could use a "Cynthia's Go Bag." Love that title on the bag.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. LOL, thank you Brenda! A little levity seemed in order for such an open discussion of our restroom visits.

      Delete
  4. Public restrooms are disgusting!!! I haven't been smart enough or prepared enough to carry my own hygiene kit like you do. But I should. Especially in those bathrooms with the air hand dryers that force you to touch the door handle as you exit. That makes me cringe everytime (I like to use the papertowel to open the door). Thank you for the product suggestions. (Ps... your "Go Bag"... I see what you did there! haha)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Indeed! Many public restrooms are disgusting. I'm not crazy about the air hand dryers for several reasons. Like you, I prefer a paper towel. If I carry my own (which I do) it is a none issue. But, we all do what we must when we are away from home and need to use a restroom.

      Delete
  5. What a timely post! But it's also evergreen. Yucky public restrooms will always be with us. This go-bag looks compact and easy to use. Looks like a winner to me.

    ReplyDelete

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