The History of Fuzzy Toilet Seat Covers

Fuzzy toilet seat covers were all the rage in the middle of the 20th century and reached peak popularity in the 1970s. They had their roots in contemporary living room design trends that focused on lots of matching textiles. Notably, this was often extended into the bathroom and ruffled shower curtains and fuzzy bathmats were also very popular in the '70s. Fuzzy toilet seat covers typically matched these other accessories and could be fitted just over the lid of the seat or, in many cases, also over the seat itself to provide a soft, comfortable surface. But the trend wasn’t just aesthetic. At the time, it was thought that these washable accessories could help cover up the germ-prone areas of a toilet seat, making the bathroom more hygienic. While the logic here doesn’t quite hold up, as fabric generally holds onto more bacteria and moisture than hard surfaces, this thinking did help popularize the trend. However, by the 1980s, the trend was on its way out, and the 1990s marked the last decade wherein this style of bathroom décor was popular. Today, fuzzy toilet seat covers do still exist, but due to hygiene concerns and changing trends, they are relatively rare.