# Bathroom signs **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [February 6, 2017, 2:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bathroom-signs/779140 "2017-02-06T02:21:34Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Amateur\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/59ef9b/32.png) [@Amateur\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amateur_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2017, 2:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bathroom-signs/779140/1 "2017-02-06T02:21:34Z")
I saw a bizarre bathroom sign this week that I wanted to share, and it reminded me of others. A couple of years ago, we visited a relative in his (organizational) retirement home. I used the visitor’s restroom, and there above the urinal was a neatly printed and framed sign: **PLEASE FLUSH TWICE.** Of course, all I could think of was “…it’s a long way to the kitchen.” This week, though, I was in a public library in a nice little town near me and there was a carefully printed and laminated sign glued to the wall in the men’s room: **Please do not urinate or defacate on the floor or in the waste receptacles. Use the proper fixtures. Please help keep our library clean.** (from memory, spelling errors included) I can’t imagine the need for such a sign, especially a basically permanent one, and (as I said) in a nice, slightly upscale town in New England. But they clearly have a persistent problem with… some class of users. Kids? Maybe, but a sign wouldn’t stop them and it wouldn’t be a permanent situation, I think. Anyway, share your bizarre bathroom signs, particularly those that aren’t temporary or emergency ones scribbled on a paper towel. The “permanent” ones. ---
**Author:** ![Ambivalid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a5b964/32.png) [@Ambivalid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ambivalid)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2017, 2:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bathroom-signs/779140/2 "2017-02-06T02:37:11Z")
“Please don’t detonate shit grenades inside stall.” This _should_ be a sign. ---
**Author:** ![Cub\_Mistress](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ea666f/32.png) [@Cub\_Mistress](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cub_Mistress)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2017, 2:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bathroom-signs/779140/3 "2017-02-06T02:45:45Z")
Virtually every ladies’ room I have ever been in has a handwritten or printed sign on paper asking the users not to flush feminine hygiene products. Since this is such a widespread problem, I am confused as to why this is not a more permanent sign such as the ones stating employees must wash hands before returning to work. ---
**Author:** ![burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/burpo_the_wonder_mutt/32/365_2.png) [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burpo_the_wonder_mutt)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2017, 2:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bathroom-signs/779140/4 "2017-02-06T02:55:43Z")
In the men’s room at my favorite restaurant, someone scratched the capital ‘C’ off the first word of the Changing Station. ---
**Author:** ![Defensive\_Indifference](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/defensive_indifference/32/6502_2.png) [@Defensive\_Indifference](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Defensive_Indifference)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2017, 3:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bathroom-signs/779140/5 "2017-02-06T03:01:22Z")
Under the category of misused quotation marks, I saw this in a restaurant bathroom a while back: EMPLOYEES MUST WASH HANDS WITH “SOAP AND WATER” BEFORE RETURNING TO WORK. Uh…OK. It was a pretty good restaurant though. ---
**Author:** ![burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/burpo_the_wonder_mutt/32/365_2.png) [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burpo_the_wonder_mutt)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2017, 3:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bathroom-signs/779140/6 "2017-02-06T03:04:24Z")
Of course, someone will always deface the hand dryers: Rub hands under [del]w[/del]arm [del]air[/del]. ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2017, 3:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bathroom-signs/779140/7 "2017-02-06T03:10:20Z")
Above the sink in an employee restroom: THINK! Above the soap dispenser: THOAP! ---
**Author:** ![digs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/digs/32/14889_2.png) [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2017, 4:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bathroom-signs/779140/8 "2017-02-06T04:21:08Z")
I thought [the “Get Bacon” sign](http://www.thesneeze.com/art/loose_art/getbacon.jpg) was clever. Apparently, everyone did, and it’s now “Push button, Receive bacon” is a meme. ---
**Author:** ![buddha\_david](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ee7513/32.png) [@buddha\_david](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/buddha_david)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2017, 5:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bathroom-signs/779140/9 "2017-02-06T05:03:43Z")
Not a bathroom sign, but too good not to share: [Please Die Slowly.](http://www.alamy.com/stock-photo/please-die-slowly.html) > [@Bayard](#): > > Under the category of misused quotation marks, I saw this in a restaurant bathroom a while back: > > EMPLOYEES MUST WASH HANDS WITH “SOAP AND WATER” BEFORE RETURNING TO WORK. Reminds me of the joke about the man who visits a restaurant and complains that the plates and silverware are too filthy. The waitress tells him: “They’re just as clean as soap and water can get them, sir.” The man grudgingly finishes his meal anyway, after which the waitress picks up the dishes and calls out to her two dogs: “Here, Soap! Here, Water!” ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2017, 5:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bathroom-signs/779140/10 "2017-02-06T05:16:22Z")
> [@Amateur\_Barbarian](#): > > I saw a bizarre bathroom sign this week that I wanted to share, and it reminded me of others. > A couple of years ago, we visited a relative in his (organizational) retirement home. I used the visitor’s restroom, and there above the urinal was a neatly printed and framed sign: > **PLEASE FLUSH TWICE.** > > Of course, all I could think of was “…it’s a long way to the kitchen.” > > This week, though, I was in a public library in a nice little town near me and there was a carefully printed and laminated sign glued to the wall in the men’s room: > > **Please do not urinate or defacate on the floor > or in the waste receptacles. Use the proper > fixtures. Please help keep our library clean.** > > (from memory, spelling errors included) I can’t imagine the need for such a sign, especially a basically permanent one, and (as I said) in a nice, slightly upscale town in New England. But they clearly have a persistent problem with… some class of users. Kids? Maybe, but a sign wouldn’t stop them and it wouldn’t be a permanent situation, I think. > > Anyway, share your bizarre bathroom signs, particularly those that aren’t temporary or emergency ones scribbled on a paper towel. The “permanent” ones. People who are on some radioactive drugs, which people of retirement-home age not infrequently use as either diagnostics or treatments, are instructed to flush the toilet twice after they use it, because it will make their body wastes slightly radioactive for a certain period of time after it’s administered. :eek: Does this town have a large refugee population? I’ve not heard of this happening where I live, but a Facebook friend who lives in the Twin Cities, which has a large number of Somali immigrants said that at her kids’ high school, it’s very common for the kids to use the sinks because they’re afraid of the flushing toilet. Apparently some of them do this at home too. ewwwww I saw a meme a few days ago of a hand dryer with an arrow pointing to the buttom, and someone scrawled on the top, “Push to hear Donald Trump’s latest speech.” 😛 I also saw a picture of one of those Dyson hand dryers that must have been in a men’s room (I would hope, anyway!) because it had a drawing of a penis with a no parking sign over it. :smack: ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2017, 5:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bathroom-signs/779140/11 "2017-02-06T05:23:57Z")
Some signs can be [misunderstood.](https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/originals/65/04/60/650460cce5d545426e05d38cc5cf5516.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![buddha\_david](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ee7513/32.png) [@buddha\_david](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/buddha_david)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2017, 6:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bathroom-signs/779140/12 "2017-02-06T06:11:31Z")
> [@nearwildheaven](#): > > Does this town have a large refugee population? I’ve not heard of this happening where I live, but a Facebook friend who lives in the Twin Cities, which has a large number of Somali immigrants said that at her kids’ high school, it’s very common for the kids to use the sinks because they’re afraid of the flushing toilet. Apparently some of them do this at home too. ewwwww And yet, the sign doesn’t prohibit pooping in the sink… ---
**Author:** ![jtur88](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e9c0ed/32.png) [@jtur88](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jtur88)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2017, 6:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bathroom-signs/779140/13 "2017-02-06T06:56:15Z")
These signs appeared in Switzerland, to explain to Asian travelers and immigrants how to use those insane European toilets that are so high off the floor: [![](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2015/07/03/21/2A36AA6D00000578-3148808-image-m-3_1435955913114.jpg) ](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2015/07/03/21/2A36AA6D00000578-3148808-image-m-3_1435955913114.jpg) A number of people had fallen off, and they were concerned about lawsuits. And check out this sign in a Japanese restroom. The middle sign is for a bidet. [![](https://c1.staticflickr.com/3/2070/2455837434_985f56fd86_b.jpg) ](https://c1.staticflickr.com/3/2070/2455837434_985f56fd86_b.jpg) I actually saw some of those bidet signs last year. ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2017, 8:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bathroom-signs/779140/14 "2017-02-06T08:33:52Z")
Seen mostly in German-speaking countries, although the last time I saw one was in France, signs explaining how to use the toilet brush. Not the sign itself, but the consequences: a source of bad usage of certain words appears to be the difference in meaning between what gender-segregated toilets are called in different languages. I’ve run into several cases of Spanish or English-speaking writers who evidently thought that _dona_ means “lady” in Catalan: it means “woman” and would never be used as a form of address. ---
**Author:** ![Grrr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grrr/32/146_2.png) [@Grrr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grrr)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2017, 9:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bathroom-signs/779140/15 "2017-02-06T09:06:35Z")
We actually had to have a SPL (single point lesson) at work, which basically said: “If you shit your pants at work, do NOT try to flush your underwear down the toilet.” I do NOT want to know what prompted that SPL. ---
**Author:** ![Terry\_Kennedy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c57346/32.png) [@Terry\_Kennedy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Terry_Kennedy)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2017, 11:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bathroom-signs/779140/16 "2017-02-06T11:20:54Z")
> [@Amateur\_Barbarian](#): > > Anyway, share your bizarre bathroom signs, particularly those that aren’t temporary or emergency ones scribbled on a paper towel. The “permanent” ones. _No chew in urinal – use bucket_ – Buffalo Restaurant and Lounge in Murdo, SD Presumably they meant chewing tobacco. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2017, 1:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bathroom-signs/779140/17 "2017-02-06T13:44:45Z")
> [@nearwildheaven](#): > > I saw a meme a few days ago of a hand dryer with an arrow pointing to the buttom, and someone scrawled on the top, “Push to hear Donald Trump’s latest speech.” 😛 I love it! ---
**Author:** ![burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/burpo_the_wonder_mutt/32/365_2.png) [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burpo_the_wonder_mutt)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2017, 2:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bathroom-signs/779140/18 "2017-02-06T14:34:48Z")
> [@running\_coach](#): > > Some signs can be [misunderstood.](https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/originals/65/04/60/650460cce5d545426e05d38cc5cf5516.jpg) Dawk of approval! ---
**Author:** ![Machine\_Elf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/82dd89/32.png) [@Machine\_Elf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Machine_Elf)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2017, 2:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bathroom-signs/779140/19 "2017-02-06T14:43:50Z")
> [@Bayard](#): > > Under the category of misused quotation marks…, I saw this in a restaurant bathroom a while back: > > EMPLOYEES MUST WASH HANDS WITH “SOAP AND WATER” BEFORE RETURNING TO WORK. Take a picture of it and submit it to [these guys.](http://www.unnecessaryquotes.com/) Edit: never mind, it looks like he’s not updating his blog anymore. A shame, since instances of unnecessary quotes continue to proliferate. ---
**Author:** ![racer72](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/racer72/32/3075_2.png) [@racer72](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/racer72)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2017, 4:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bathroom-signs/779140/20 "2017-02-06T16:08:36Z")
> [@Amateur\_Barbarian](#): > > ( I can’t imagine the need for such a sign, especially a basically permanent one, and (as I said) in a nice, slightly upscale town in New England. The Seattle area has issues with homeless camping all day at public libraries and blowing up the rest rooms rather than using them as intended. This is a problem even in the nicer areas. A local library started requiring library cards for restroom access in hopes of keeping others out. A homeless advocate sued and the policy was rescinded. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bathroom-signs/779140.md?page=2)