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If you use protective paper covers in public bathrooms, Dr. Oz says you may actually be covering up the cleanest part of the restroom. "The toilet seat is actually one of the cleaner places," he says. "Someone's job is to go into the toilet and clean the toilet seat."

If you do find yourself in a treacherous bathroom situation, Dr. Oz says his personal routine is foolproof. He says you should be especially careful when flushing the toilet. "There's a plume of fecal material that comes out of the water and gets on your toothbrushes and everything else. So the first thing you do is close the lid. And if you're in a public place, use your feet, kick shot, and flush the thing," he says. "Then you walk out. Wash your hands, obviously, and then you use that same towel that you dried your hands with to open the door as you walk out of a public bathroom."

Still, Dr. Oz says the biggest germ offenders are found outside of the bathroom. "I'll tell you what you shouldn't touch if you're working in an office: the public phones," he says. "In the hospital, never touch the remote control. You probably shouldn't touch it at home either without cleaning it, because who's cleaning the remote control?"

Dr. Phil's straight talk on relationships

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