He Rushes Into a Costco Bathroom. Then Leaves in a Panic and May Never Recover From What Happened: ‘Call My Parents Like 20 Times’
Scarred for life.
A video by Cole, @coleundercoverr_0 on TikTok, has everyone cringing – and maybe checking their toilet seats twice. The creator shared a storytime about a bathroom disaster at Costco that left him traumatized and swearing off that stall forever. If you’ve ever had a public restroom nightmare, this one will hit close to home.
It all started when Cole was volunteering at a church “trunk and treat” event. With the church bathrooms locked, he made a quick dash across the street to a nearby Costco, armed with his mom’s membership card. He picked a stall, sat down without a second thought, and only realized something was wrong once he stood up. That’s when he saw it – the entire toilet seat was covered in someone else’s feces, and now it was smeared all over him.
Panic set in. He tried cleaning up with toilet paper, but there was just too much. In a desperate move, he flushed his underwear, which immediately clogged the toilet. Then, with someone waiting outside the stall, he bolted, leaving behind a floating pair of dirty underwear and a whole lot of regret.
Cole’s story is nothing short of an embarrassing nightmare come true
Back at the event, he says he called his parents “like 20 times” before finally reaching them. He begged to go home and shower, but they made him stay until the event ended. For the next two hours, he sat in the car, marinating in his own misery. The video’s caption, “have yet to use that bathroom since,” pretty much sums up the lasting trauma of the ordeal.
This story taps into a universal fear – public restrooms are gross, and sometimes, no matter how careful you are, you can’t avoid the worst-case scenario. Cole’s unfiltered retelling, complete with the frantic “call my parents like 20 times” line, makes it relatable in the most uncomfortable way.
Public restrooms are a necessary evil, but they come with risks. The idea of sitting in someone else’s mess is enough to make anyone shudder, but how worried should you really be about germs in these spaces? Surprisingly, microbiologists say that the risk of catching an infection from a toilet seat is actually pretty low.
According to a report by The Independent, most intestinal diseases spread through hand-to-mouth transfer, meaning you’d have to touch contaminated surfaces and then touch your face or food. Human skin is covered in its own layer of bacteria and yeast, which acts as a protective barrier, and your immune system is pretty good at fending off invaders.
That said, human feces can carry a laundry list of pathogens
This list includes Campylobacter, E. coli, Salmonella, norovirus, and even hepatitis A, just to name a few. So while the odds of getting sick from a toilet seat are slim, it’s not impossible. The real danger zones in public restrooms aren’t always where you’d expect.
Flushing the toilet, for example, can send a mist of microbes into the air, settling on surfaces like the toilet lid, door, floor, and even the toilet paper holder. If you’ve ever walked into a stall right after someone flushed, you might want to reconsider.
Then there’s the door handle. Not everyone washes their hands after using the restroom, so the main exit handle is often a hotspot for germs. To avoid recontaminating your freshly washed hands, experts recommend using your elbow, sleeve, or a tissue to open the door.
And speaking of handwashing, it’s the best defense against toilet-related germs. A thorough scrub with soap and water for 20 to 30 seconds, including under your nails, can remove most harmful microbes. But even the sink and soap dispenser aren’t safe – hands that just wiped bottoms touched those too.
Precautionary measures go a long way
If you’re really worried, carrying a small pack of antiseptic wipes can give you some peace of mind. Wiping down the toilet seat before you sit might not be the most glamorous habit, but it’s better than the alternative.
And while squatting over the toilet might seem like a good way to avoid contact, it’s actually riskier. Hovering can strain your pelvic muscles, lead to incomplete bladder emptying, and even increase the risk of infection or injury. So unless you’re in a truly dire situation, it’s better to just sit down.
The bigger concern might not even be the toilet itself. Research shows that mobile phones can be up to ten times dirtier than toilet seats, with 75% of people using their phones in the bathroom. If you’re scrolling while doing your business, you might be exposing yourself to more germs than you’d find on the seat. So maybe it’s time to leave the phone in your bag or with a friend and focus on the task at hand.
Cole’s story is a reminder that public restrooms are a minefield of potential gross-out moments. While the odds of a full-blown disaster like his are low, the psychological impact can be real. His video resonates because it’s a worst-case scenario that feels just plausible enough to make you double-check every toilet seat from now on.
(Featured images: Cole @coleundercoverr_0 on TikTok)
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