For many couples, one of the most annoying parts of their relationship involves the toilet seat. Women prefer it down, men eventually give in but then 'forget' about it by the next flush, leading to arguments.
Let's put the seat aside for a moment. Here is some toilet etiquette that may satisfy both sides and settle the debate once and for all: everyone should close the lid. This way, everyone in the household does an equal amount of lifting up and down. Additionally, maybe the most important reason we should all keep the lid down after using the toilet is for hygiene purposes.
A recent study in South Korea discovered that an open toilet during flushing can spread at least twice as many bacteria in its area than one with the lid closed.
What is released when you flush
When we flush a toilet, it's more than just waste being flushed away. It's a launching pad that sends tiny particles into the air, some potentially carrying disease-causing pathogens. In 2022, researchers at the University of Colorado Boulder set out to shed light — quite literally — on this unseen threat.
They used green laser beams to light up the aerosol cloud produced by a flushing toilet, showing how particles from the toilet bowl can become airborne and potentially pose a health risk to individuals in public restrooms. The results are surprising: particles expelled during a flush can reach speeds of up to 6.6 feet per second and rise to nearly 5 feet above the ground in just seconds.
Moreover, particles smaller than 5 microns can linger in the air for over a minute, traveling in various directions, including upwards and along walls, potentially spreading pathogens far from their origin. These findings were similar to an earlier 2020 study from China that utilized a computer model to demonstrate how water from a flushed toilet can spray particles as high as three feet.
“If it’s something you can’t see, it’s easy to pretend it doesn’t exist. But once you see these videos, you’re never going to think about a toilet flush the same way again,” said John Crimaldi, lead author of the study and professor of civil, environmental, and architectural engineering at the University of Colorado Boulder.
“The goal of the toilet is to effectively remove waste from the bowl, but it’s also doing the opposite, which is spraying a lot of contents upwards,” he added.
An automatic lid-down toilet
Researchers at the Asan Medical Cent