Can You Get Genital Herpes from Public Toilets?

Using a public restroom isn’t always pleasant. It’s common to feel anxious about how many people have been in the stall before you — and if there are germs on the toilet seat. Can sexually transmitted infections (STIs), like herpes, be lingering around? It’s time to answer this common concern with the facts about how herpes is spread, and the chances of getting it from a public toilet.

What is herpes?

Herpes is an infection caused by the herpes simplex virus, also known as HSV. It’s relatively common. It can cause blisters or ulcers that are sometimes painful. There are two different types of herpes infection:

• Oral herpes: Oral herpes involves painful ulcers — also known as cold sores — in and around the mouth and lips. Oral herpes is usually caused by the virus HSV-1, which can be transmitted through kissing and oral contact. It’s estimated that up to 80% of adults in the U.S. have been infected with HSV-1. 

• Genital herpes: This type of herpes involves sores and ulcers around a person’s genitals and/or anus. Traditionally, genital herpes has been associated with the HSV-2 virus. But HSV-1 is becoming a more common cause — at least half of new cases of genital herpes are caused by HSV-1. 

For the purpose of this article, we’ll focus more on the most common concern with toilet seats: genital herpes. 

How does herpes spread?

Herpes spreads through contact with the virus in sores, saliva, or surfaces around the mouth or genitals. Genital herpes is usually transmitted during sexual activities. This includes oral sex, anal sex, vaginal sex, and kissing. It can also spread when you touch a herpes sore on your body or another person’s body, and then touch your face, mouth, eyes, or genitals before washing your hands. 

The fluid in blisters contains the virus. So herpes sores tend to be the most contagious when they look like blisters, or when they have fluid coming out of them. If a sore is crusted over, it’s usually not contagious anymore. 

But even a person without any sores can pass herpes to another person. The herpes virus can be sneaky — it can replicate and then “shed” in saliva or genital fluids without causing any obvious symptoms. So a person can pass it on to another person through bodily contact even if there are no active sores or lesions anywhere on their body. 

And sometimes a person can have the virus for a long time — several years, even — without developing sores. Herpes can live dormant for a while, making it harder to know when or where you may have gotten it.

Can herpes live on surfaces like toilet seats?

There isn’t a lot of research looking at how long herpes can survive outside of the body. One study found that HSV-1 can survive for up to 2 hours on plastic surfaces. And the same thinking likely applies to HSV-2, although no formal research has been done. Infectious HSV has also been detected on objects like doorknobs and toilet seats, but researchers haven’t found evidence that surfaces like these play a role in transmission. 

And when it comes to toilets, it’s important to remember that urine and feces don’t contain any HSV virus. So for herpes to even get on a surface like a toilet seat in the first place, there would need to be direct contact between an active sore and the seat.    

Can you actually get genital herpes from sitting on a toilet?

Even though there’s some evidence that herpes can survive on objects like toilet seats, it’s considered almost impossible to get genital herpes from sitting on a toilet. In fact, the CDC goes so far as to state, “you will not get herpes from toilet seats.” If you’re feeling nervous about a theoretical risk, you can rest assured that there are no documented cases of someone getting herpes from a toilet seat. 

So — while you may prefer to wipe down the toilet seat or use a toilet seat cover — you don’t have to worry about getting genital herpes even if the person before you who used it had active sores. 

Tips to prevent herpes transmission

You don’t need to avoid toilet seats. But there are steps that you can take to prevent getting or transmitting herpes. 

One way to avoid transmitting herpes is to not have sex. But it’s important to know that people with herpes can still have a safe sex life. 

If you or a partner has genital herpes, you can decrease the risk of transmission by:

• Avoiding any kind of sex during an outbreak

• Using a condom every time you have sex. But remember that a condom only protects the area of skin that it covers, so it may not work 100% of the time.

• Talking with your healthcare professional about taking a daily medication — called valacyclovir — that can help decrease the chances of transmitting herpes

• Talking openly with your partner about your herpes symptoms. This can help build intimacy and trust about higher-risk periods.

Why trust our experts?

Written by:

Cherilyn Davis, MD

Cherilyn Davis, MD, is a board-certified pediatrician in New York City. She has held local and national roles at the American Medical Women’s Association including board member of the physician division and physician chair of social media.

Edited by:

Katie E. Golden, MD

Katie E. Golden, MD, is a board-certified emergency medicine physician and a medical editor at GoodRx.

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