A Question for Germaphobes

A cute sign might help, most would probably do it after the fact tho.

I dunno, no one puts the lid down in my family and we are all still alive, just saying.

I consider myself a germaphobe for the most part. Thanks for giving me something else to freak out about!!! lol. I personally, wouldn't think it was weird if I saw this in someone's bathroom - then again, I don't think a lot of things are weird when it comes to germs.

Mythbusters did a show on this topic...they put toothbrushes all over their bathroom and made everyone who worked on the show use and flush the toilet with the seat up. The toothbrushes on the top of the toilet tank had the same number of e coli and one other poop related germs on them as toothbrushes tested...RIGHT OUT IF THE PACKAGE.

It showed that you were not exposed to any more gems by an open toilet flushing in the bathroom than when you open that new toothbrush and use it for the first time.

I felt a lot better after seeing that show!!!

Just a thought . . .

The people that don't wash their hands afterward, open the bathroom door, turn on and off the light, open your front door to leave, turn on the kitchen faucett, handle a number of glasses before they get one to drink, etc.

If germs killed or made everyone sick, mankind would have been extinct a long time ago.

Good luck to you and yours.

Yes, I would think it was weird. And I may still forget to put the seat down, despite the sign.

I am so not a germophobe, and guess what? My family is healthy. I mean, how do you deal with your kids going to school & maybe not washing their hands, and all the germs just on the sink, door knobs, water fountain at the school? What about public places? How do you function? It seems kind of sad, honestly.

Your post is exactly why we do not keep our toothbrushes in the bathroom EVER!!!! I used to be a huge germaphobe but have really learned to calm down and relax when it comes to germs because they are everywhere and I was making myself crazy!!!! Life is so much more enjoyable now and not just for me but for those closest to me as well =)

To answer your question if putting a little sign in your bathroom asking others to close the lid prior to flushing makes you feel better than do it ..... it's your home and hopefully everyone will respect your wishes.

Wow more fear mongering about germs.

When you are a germaphobe you risk you children getiing sick MORE often and suffering from allergies. The immune system needs something to do that's why it's there --- to fight germs to get strong to fight bigger germs to get stronger to fight bigger germs....

Wow Shane B.! I didn't know about the feng shui issue! I will have to ask my acupuncturist about that . . . she's into it too. Maybe that's where my money is going! :P

I can barely get my guys to lower the seat, much less the lid. :(

yeah that is weird.
We need germs. And things like hand sanatizer and antibacteral soap and Lysol are the reason why we are now getting super germs. They are evolving to beat that stuff.

A typical day, I get puked on, pooped on, and peed on, so what is your point? Im gonna get it one way or another.

I totally used to be a germaphobe, but now after anxiety meds and 3 kids, I let it go....

But thanks for sharing! Gross!

I put the seat down before flushing, but only because my boss is on a Feng Shui kick and she wants the lids down at all times. Part of my job is checking to make sure the lids are always down because she believes that if we leave them up, our fortunes will go right down the toilet.
So, it's just become a habit for me, even at home.

When we relocated back to this area, we moved in to our rental house. Really nice house, but only 1 bathroom. We went from three to one and the adjustment was not logistically easy. I am not fond of peeing outside if someone else is in the bathroom.

We renovated our laundry room into a combo laundry/bathroom. It sounds weird, but it actually turned out really nice.

I have a silly sense of humor. I told my dad I was going to make a sign in the bathroom area that said, "Free Laundry With Fill-Up".

Not to get you completely freaked out, but there are more germs on door handles than on most toilets.

You can't escape germs. That's not exactly a bad thing.

As far as our fortunes going down the toilet....I haven't noticed that I'm any richer spending energy keeping toilets lids down so much.

Do the people who use your washroom already know you are a germaphobe? I would think it was weird, but I would understand if I knew the person was a germaphobe. I conserve water and practice selective flushing, so my toilet only gets flushed when there is poop. We always keep the lid down.

In all of our homes, meaning my family husbands families, we all have been taught to place the lid down when flushing. I cannotevenrecallthe last private bathroom I have entered where the toilet seat was up.

So yes, you could put up a sign if this seems to be a problem in your home with family or guests.

Maybe cross stitch a little sign.

I always put the lid down, and I think the majority do in private homes. (Could be wrong.) If I saw a sign like that in a bathroom, I would totally leave the seat up on purpose...

I would do it if I saw the sign, and not think much about it....

That is kind of gross though, I never saw that demo or even heard about it... Don't suppose you have a link to it to put in you SWH?

I am not a germapobe, not even close, but um how far does the spray actually go??

ETA: The only reason we ever put the lid down was to keep the dog and then our daughter from getting into it...

ETA # 2: No link was posted, but I found my own showing that it is a non issue... http://health.discovery.com/videos/dr-know-how-dirty-are-...

The only time I ever put the lid down is when DH is asleep (it's quieter that way). I would think the sign was strange, but not so much. The sign I thought was strange (I remember this from when I was a kid visiting parents' friends' beach house) 'In this land of sun and fun, we do not flush for number one'. And yes, I immediately flushed.

I didn't know anything about this, good info...but I also am so surprised that so many people keep their toilet lids down all the time. I can understand that it seems polite and clean...but I never even heard that before. When I have toddlers around I always keep the lid down, but other than that...its always been up! Strange concept.

I ALWAYS put the toilet lid down before I flush. It just seems more sanitary that way, and I hate the look of a bathroom with the lid up.

But I wouldn't necessarily put a sign up either, but I dont have many people come to our house.

we all have our own neuroses, don't we?
germs are SO not one of mine.
i'm just flummoxed by this degree of germ preoccupation!
quick edit for dana K, in bermuda you see that sign all the time. water is a huge issue there, and it's a real problem for locals when water-rich americans visit and flush all the time, leave water on while they brush their teeth, shower endlessly and so forth. it's a cute and polite way to let people who aren't water-conscious know to pay attention. i assure you, in most countries it's not only okay to let 'number 1' sit, it's rude to waste water flushing it!
:) khairete
S.

I am NOT a germaphobe, but I do think that that is gross, and I always put the lid down first. We actually keep the lids down, but my husband flushes first. He's gross.

I think that it's fine to post a sign, but you should expect some not to honor it.

It doesn't bother you when it's in your own bathroom? You realize that spray travels and lands on things like your toothbrush, contact case...

My hubs works in public health and has taught seminars using this dye. When used on skin, it shows after washing, the filthiest part of the hand is the wrist... b/c most people don't wash there.

yes, weird. Just clean when they leave :)

Huh. I was going to suggest investing in an automatic toilet seat, but they run about $130.00... and it takes 30 seconds for the seat to actually close, which really negates the point of containing flush backsplash...

Personally, I might think the sign a *little* weird, but I wouldn't think too much of it. I would probably forget about it by the time I got back into the main room. lol.

It's not so much that you think you will catch sick and die...but that the idea of toilet water splashing on the towel I use to dry my clean body, or on my toothbrush is just disgusting... My POOP sat in that water for crying out loud! *ICK!*

Being a germaphobe myself I wouldn't think it's weird. But from reading some of the responses below I could see some people flushing with the lid open on purpose then closing it for appearances. You may still not trust that they followed your request and will have to clean up afterwards regardless of the note, so I say don't bother! :(