I want to take a break from the triathlon training for this post. A discussion was started at work the other day and it got me thinking.
Toilet seat left up or down?
I know, I know, current social acceptance rules in favor of seat left down, but let’s think about this for a moment. Especially in a public restroom, what is important? Keeping sanitary. Right? Females (if you are doing it the way I assume you are) have to touch the seat regardless of what they are in there to do. Males would only have to touch the seat if it were in the down position. That is unless a guy leaves it down, which only raises the risk of splashing onto the seat, which no one wants. So the most time efficient, sanitary way to handle the situation is to always leave the seat in the up position. Am I right?
I fully expect to hear some point of views from the female perspective, so let me hear it!
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And here you are telling me that I have too much time to think about random ideas.
Where I can understand your viewpoint, I just find it easier to comply with the mandate of the women and leave the seat down. Call me a conformist all you like, I just would rather save up my fight for a better cause. HTTP
I too agree with the “choose your battles” way of thinking, however we have to draw the line somewhere. Today it is toilet seats. Tomorrow it will be holding their purse while they are yelling at the teenager serving them cold popcorn at the movies.
I’m a little confused about the public restroom aspect – most are separated, so in women’s restrooms the seat is always down. On the occasion that the restroom is unisex, I always use TP to put it down so I don’t actually have to touch the seat. And whether it’s down when I get there or not, I put TP down to sit on it – so my skin is not actually touching the seat. Ew.
However, in your equation of women always needing seat down and men sometimes needing seat down … it seems to me that the majority of the time the seat is to be down if the bathroom is unisex. So if we are all being sanitary, then you are right that touching it less is ideal – so if 3/4 of the “events” in a unisex restroom require seat down, I say seat down wins!
First of all, if the bathrooms are separated this is a non issue. I should have specified that the problem lies when the bathroom is unisex.
Second, by saying 3/4 of the “events” require seat down, you are assuming that men poop as often as they pee. This is not true for any healthy man. Based on my polls, the average person poops twice a day and pees 8-9 times a day. Most people will avoid pooping in a public place, so this lowers the average poop in a unisex bathroom to 1 while still having 7 pees. Also based on my polls (don’t ask the source) an average of 15% of women pee while standing. This equation will have to assume a 50/50 usage by men and women. So this would put the percentage of “events” that require seat down to 13% for men and 85% for women. Blend these percentages and you only have 49% of “events” that require seat down, while you still have 51% that require seat up.
Seat up wins!
I know nothing of math but I will say if your percentages are that close then the lectures you get from women for leaving the seat up would more than make up for the 2 percent in poll differences. Seat down wins!
P.S. Women that pee on toilet seats and don’t clean it up are gross.
Okay, so maybe I will have to concede to the ladies. Melissa, you are right that the nagging that would ensue is just not worth the battle. Maybe if more women learned to pee while standing…
Another busy day at the office? The saga of the toilet seat is very important. I once said strictly down, always. However, I’m changing my stance to leave it up. I’ve found that when I yell about it being up my hubby just trie to pee with it down. Hence, pee on the seat.
FINALLY!!! A woman’s point of view that comes to the conclusion of seat up! So, my official results would have to be: Whoever bitches the loudest gets their way. Some guys will conform to putting the seat down because they don’t want to get nagged. Some ladies will conform to the guys because they don’t want the guys to do what comes natural and be lazy and pee with the seat in whatever position it happens to be in at the time, which risks pee on the seat.
You are all missing the point…back to being sanitary. Did you know that when you flush the toilet that germs fly up around you if the top (not just the seat but the whole top) isn’t down? Well, they do. Most public places don’t have tops so you don’t have a choice except to flush and get out as quickly as possible…you should see how many times I hit my big belly with the door trying to get a pregnant body out of the stall as quickly as possible so I don’t get “flushed” on. Anyway, but you can help it at home and it’s fair for men and women because everybody puts the seat and top down….and then your toothbrush and things that you have on the counter don’t get those nasty germs on them. By the way, things like toothbrushes, try to put them on the side of the sink as far away from the toilet as possible. So separate but equal wins again and besides, it looks neater when everything is down.
This is true, I have heard about that. Maybe we should design a toilet that has a motorized lid system that asks you when you walk into the bathroom if you are male or female, then if you have to poo or pee, then if you would like to sit or stand. Then it will properly position the lid/seat for the desired use and when you are finished, vacuum seal the seat and dispose of the deposited items. Then it will steam clean itself for the next user. Once a week, it will self destruct and build itself again using all new materials. What do you all think?
ooooh a self destructing toilet… I like the sounds of that. I somehow am thinking that it would not be very cost effecting however.
I do find it ironic that they have not tried to put a full lid on public restrooms, considering some restrooms have the automatic flushing as well as dryers, sinks, and they have even gotten away from putting doors on them so that its more sanitary. You would think that they would try to destroy the #1 cause of filth in the restroom with the full seat.
It is strange they have not thought of that. And I may have gone overboard with the self destructing toilet idea, but seriously, a lid that would go up or down by a push button you could step on to raise it and then it would go back down after it automatically flushes would not be that hard to do. Anybody want to finance the project?