In many public rest rooms you will be able to avail yourself of a disposable paper toilet seat cover. The intention of the cover is to provide protection for the current user from any germs that may have been left behind by previous users of the toilet. Whether or not the cover does any good or not has a lot to do with the material that the cover is made from. Other forms of toilet seat covers may be found in homes; they are padded and in some cases, heated; they are not disposable. You may also find instances where people refer to the top part of the toilet seat as the toilet seat cover put more accurately, that component is known as the lid.
The disposable toilet seat cover often found in public restrooms is thought of as a way to prevent coming into contact with germs left by others, there actually is little truth to this. AIDs is a common fear, many people are of the belief that you can contact this disease and other sexually transmitted diseases through contact with a toilet seat. STDs can be transmitted through the skin, through the transfer of body fluids through an open cut or sore. Even diseases such as genital warts and herpes can be caught from a toilet seat.
Any toilet seat cover that is made from paper instantly loses its effectiveness the moment it gets the least bit wet. Additionally many people use multiple paper seat covers to prevent the porous paper from transmitting any problems. Sanitary plastic toilet seat covers are more beneficial in shielding people from germs and disease, and only one needs to be used as they are completely impervious to fluids and germs.
In washrooms that provide disposable toilet seat covers they will usually be available from a dispenser which is located close to the toilet. In the case of plastic covers, they can be advanced at the touch of a button or waive of a hand over a wall mounted sensor. There are many cases where seat covers are not available and there are people who are so adamant that the seat must be covered that they bring their own covers or use massive amounts of toilet paper in the event they have to use the toilet while they are out.