Dr Oz, shared what he believes is the best answer.
How many times have you entered a public bathroom, only to be driven right back out by the stench alone?
But often that pressing need simply won't be ignored and you have to decide which of the cubicles looks – if not clean – the least filthy.
Celebrity doctor Mehmet Oz, aka Dr Oz, shared what he believes is the best answer: the cubicle closest to the door.
According to him most women avoid the first cubicle, preferring the middle or last ones, in the hopes of "a little more privacy".
And that's exactly why he recommends rather using the first cubicle.
“Because the first stall is used least often, it contains the lowest bacteria levels,” he explained on Share Care, an online medical forum discussion.
“Instead of skipping the first stall, choose it to help avoid possible infections.”This advice is confirmed in Mel Poretz and Barry Sinrod's book, The First Really Important Survey of American Habits.
In it, the authors cite a study that found that when men are faced with three empty stalls, 40 percent will choose the middle one, 32 percent choose right and 28 percent go left – which, in this particular example, was the one nearest to the door, The Telegraph reports.
Research conducted by New York Magazine suggests men tend to use the last, rather than the first cubicle in a public restroom.
"Given a line of identical [cubicle or urinal] options, people 'reliably prefer the middle one'," their report states.
"The problem is stalls or urinals in a line are rarely truly identical, and men tend to opt for whatever’s closest to the door, while women gravitate to those farther from it."
So if you're a woman, Dr Oz's advice seems sound!
Sources: mirror.co.uk, weshare.com, dailymail.co.uk, thesun.co.uk, nymag.com