Toilets

So I came across this toilet in the Chicago airport that has an automatic toilet seat cover on it. You wave your hand in front of a censor and voilà, a new seat cover moves on. Now, this may be my influence from being in the UK for too long, but is this really necessary? Honestly people, if you want to save some trees (well, not in the case of the automatic seat cover, since it is plastic, but you get my drift) and get a work out at the same time, squat and stop using toilet seat covers! In the UK, toilet seat covers are unheard of. But, I also must admit, their public restrooms always seem clean and we all know this is not the case in the states. But still, is it necessary to always use a toilet seat cover? What exactly is it protecting you from? Think about it…when the seat is wet from what someone else left behind, it soaks through your seat cover and the germs are all over then anyway. And, at the end of doing your business, you have to touch the seat cover to get it in the toilet. Then, with the germs on your hands, you grab your purse and leave to wash your hands. Squatting is much easier and much more germ free. But, back to the automatic seat covers. My question is, how do you know you are getting a clean one? What if the little machine just recycles through used ones? What happens when the machine runs out? Oh so many questions for just one little invention.

I would love to hear other peoples take on this. Are you a toilet seat cover user or not? And if so, do you really think it protects you?