# An End to the Toilet Seat   UP/DOWN  Debate

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-end-to-the-toilet-seat-up-down-debate/235502>\
**Category:** In My Humble Opinion\
**Created:** [March 21, 2004, 2:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-end-to-the-toilet-seat-up-down-debate/235502 "2004-03-21T02:54:49Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 2

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**Author:** ![dublos](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/f08c70/32.png) [@dublos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dublos)\
**Post date:** [March 23, 2004, 9:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-end-to-the-toilet-seat-up-down-debate/235502/21 "2004-03-23T21:08:20Z")

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> [@Beeruser](#):
>
> There’s only two reasons to put the lid down, to keep children and **animals** from drowning and to sit on the lid.  
> The “contamination” theory is silly.

_bolding mine_

That’s my reason. Nothing like coming into the bathroom to a cat with it’s butt down in the bowl giving you a disgusted look like “what, you couldn’t put the seat down?” to reinforce the habit.

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**Author:** ![Thaumaturge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/858c86/32.png) [@Thaumaturge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thaumaturge)\
**Post date:** [March 24, 2004, 3:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-end-to-the-toilet-seat-up-down-debate/235502/22 "2004-03-24T03:38:11Z")

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I used to share an apartment with a woman who always left the lid up, while I was trying to get her to leave the lid down. Regardless of whether or not the areosol plume spreads more bacteria around with the lid open, there is the dropping things in toilet hazard. Especially the _her dog dropping things in toilet that I have to fish out because I was usually the first one home and she left the lid up again_ hazard. ( She left later in the morning)

Also the bathroom was small, with the toilet very close to the sink, and I was paranoid about dropping stuff in it, since you practically were standing over it while you were at the sink. And if you’ve ever dropped a roll of TP in the toilet, you know it sucks.

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**Author:** ![HPL](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/3da27b/32.png) [@HPL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HPL)\
**Post date:** [March 24, 2004, 5:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-end-to-the-toilet-seat-up-down-debate/235502/23 "2004-03-24T05:17:33Z")

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So is it alright to leave the toliet seat up if your toliet is not only on the other side of the room, but there is a wall blocking direct line of sight between the sink and the toliet?

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