Survive the Horrible Bathrooms in Your Dorm

The bathrooms in the dorms at college are far, far worse then ones at home. Sharing a bathroom with a whole floor of dirty people is an extremely difficult task. Here is how to make it through.

Steps

 * 1)  Make sure to breathe as little as possible while in the bathroom. If it is necessary to breathe, do so through your shirt and never your mouth.
 * 2)  Always wear shower-shoes, sandals, or flip-flops.  Never venture into the bathroom with bare feet. You never know what is on that floor. Even in the shower, wear flip-flops or some kind of sandal. This will help prevent the possibility of contracting meningitis, warts, staph and strep infections, and athlete's foot.
 * 3)  Touch as little as possible. Make sure not to touch the walls of the shower or the bathroom stalls. Wash your hands before leaving.
 * 4)  Be VERY careful when shaving your legs (girls). Because of the poor lighting, it may be difficult to shave without seriously injuring yourself. And again try not to bump into the walls while shaving.  Consider using an electric razor to shave your legs outside the shower.
 * 5)  When all the disgusting people on your floor decide to not flush the toilet or dirty up the seat, don't hesitate to leave a sign on the door. Signs will decrease the amount of gross things occurring in the bathroom.
 * 6)  Make sure to clean the seat before sitting down. For girls: hover over the seat whenever possible. Not touching the seat is the best possible option.
 * 7)  If at all possible wait to go to the bathroom until you are at a nicer facility. Find good bathrooms that you can resort to every once in a while in order to get away from your almost unbearable bathrooms in your dorm. See if there's a less popular or less messy restroom on another floor, for instance.
 * 8)  Wash your hands with soap after using the restrooms, and remind others to do the same.  Then, try to avoid touching door handles on your way out.  If you do nothing else, do this.  Provided that you wash your hands, most restroom messes are more unpleasant than hazardous. Washing your hands frequently will help keep colds from spreading, too.

Tips

 * When leaving signs it is effective to use fun quotes so people don't retaliate against the signs. A good example for a promising sign is: "If you sprinkle when you tinkle, please be neat and wipe the seat.!
 * Don't hover unless you are sure you can do so without soiling the seat.
 * Purchase disposable seat liners (usually available in the travel/trial size section) if they're not provided. Or place sheets of toilet paper on the seat (without touching the seat!) as a make-shift liner. Push into the toilet with your foot when you are done.
 * Apply anti-bacterial hand gel to a tissue and wipe the seat before using it. Allow it to air dry a few moments.
 * Invest in a spray bottle of anti-bacterial cleanser (or borrow some from your parents). Spray the shower area a few moments before you enter it. Those containing bleach will sanitize the area but the smell may be powerful for such a confined space. You should also rinse it well (moving the shower head to rinse the walls) before you enter to avoid slipping.
 * A really disgusting bath/shower room should be discussed with your RA or whoever is in charge of facilities for your floor or building. A meeting of fellow users may be necessary to discuss proper etiquette when sharing facilities.
 * If the problem persists, you should contact someone higher up in authority. A filthy facility is a health hazard. The cleaning crew may be neglecting their duties or may need additional support or product to keep a high volume facility clean.
 * If this still doesn't improve the facility, you may want to ask your RA or school to provide cleaning products and gloves and have a mandatory cleaning party. If the school uses cleansers that are not adequate for the job it may be advisable to visit the store and buy a few containers of bleach or other sanitizing cleanser and other supplies. People may be more considerate of the facility after putting in some work to improve it.
 * Some old dorms may have years of dirt and germs. Mold and mildew may also be a source of bad smells. If the room has poor ventilation, you should contact your RA or someone from maintenance to check the ventilation system.

Warnings

 * Never mix amonia with bleach.
 * Watch out for wet areas on the floor so that you don't slip.
 * If you use bleach or another strong cleanser, make sure the area is ventilated.
 * Cleansers can make the floors slippery. If you use them to make your facility visits more sanitary, remember to rinse the walls and floors to avoid a fall or injury.
 * Some people have allergies to strong smells such as bleach and other cleansers. Make sure to ventilate the area well or use these cleansers when the dorm area is fairly empty.
 * Mold and mildew can make you very sick. If this is an issue in your facility you should discuss it with someone who can report the problem and have it corrected.
 * Some industrial cleaners (like those used by schools) contain heavy perfumes but have little sanitizing ability. Just because it smells better doesn't mean that it is cleaner. Politely ask a staff member about what cleaner they use. If it doesn't sanitize, you should bring it up with someone who can authorize something stronger to be used.

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 * How to Avoid Self Destructive Behaviour in College
 * How to Do Laundry at College
 * How to Eliminate a Wet Toilet Seat in the Ladies' Bathroom
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