# Bathrooms and Reading Material **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [August 16, 2006, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bathrooms-and-reading-material/368974 "2006-08-16T17:26:25Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![norinew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/eb9ed0/32.png) [@norinew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/norinew)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2006, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bathrooms-and-reading-material/368974/21 "2006-08-17T16:28:38Z")
Sure. Hubby and I are both bathroom readers. In fact, when our oldest was about 3, and had been in the bathroom for an inordinately long time, I went in to check on her. There she sat, on the toilet, with an open financial advice book in her lap. At 3, she couldn’t read. But she by golly already knew that when you’re on the toilet, there should be an open book in you lap! 😃 When I’m at someone else’s house, and there’s no reading material in there, I always wonder how they manage to do their business. Yep, I’m twisted. ---
**Author:** ![matt\_mcl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7ab992/32.png) [@matt\_mcl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/matt_mcl)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2006, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bathrooms-and-reading-material/368974/22 "2006-08-17T17:25:55Z")
I have a truly compulsive reaction to bring a book or other reading material in with me when I need to go _numéro deux_. I’ve been known to actually hold it in while hunting for reading material. Fortunately I have a taste for dictionaries and the like. ---
**Author:** ![Kevbo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e47774/32.png) [@Kevbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kevbo)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2006, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bathrooms-and-reading-material/368974/23 "2006-08-17T17:49:19Z")
In our house the bathroom was often referred to as “The Library”. ---
**Author:** ![rainwalker78](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/eb9ed0/32.png) [@rainwalker78](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rainwalker78)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2006, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bathrooms-and-reading-material/368974/24 "2006-08-17T19:02:31Z")
[QUOTE=Anaamika] Plus, what else am I supposed to do? Sit there and stare at the walls? [/QUOTE] That’s what my wife does. Freaks me out!! :eek: I don’t think I could take a crap without a book, magazine or cereal box to read. ---
**Author:** ![Zog\_10](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/c57346/32.png) [@Zog\_10](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zog_10)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2006, 7:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bathrooms-and-reading-material/368974/25 "2006-08-17T19:07:29Z")
I bought shelves to put up in my bathroom to keep books on. I need to take a pillow or something with me so my legs will stop falling asleep. ---
**Author:** ![BarnOwl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e95f7d/32.png) [@BarnOwl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BarnOwl)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2006, 7:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bathrooms-and-reading-material/368974/26 "2006-08-17T19:08:20Z")
I used to read whatever was handy, but now, I reach for a crossword puzzle en route to the john. Nobody else? ---
**Author:** ![phall0106](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/phall0106/32/5934_2.png) [@phall0106](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/phall0106)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2006, 7:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bathrooms-and-reading-material/368974/27 "2006-08-17T19:31:59Z")
I have a nifty little rack that hangs on the side of the toilet to hold magazines. I’ve had it forever, and it was a gift from my mom who has one just like it in her bathroom. ---
**Author:** ![Podkayne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/edb3f5/32.png) [@Podkayne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Podkayne)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2006, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bathrooms-and-reading-material/368974/28 "2006-08-17T20:00:25Z")
Bathrooms were made for reading alumni newsletters. They have lots of short articles, and, despite the fact that between us the hubby and I have only attended two institutions of higher learning, we still somehow get about 16 of them a month. ---
**Author:** ![FilmGeek](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/b19c9b/32.png) [@FilmGeek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FilmGeek)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2006, 8:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bathrooms-and-reading-material/368974/29 "2006-08-17T20:35:00Z")
I used to sit for a long time in the bathroom and read. Then I read this. [Kevin Smith’s story of his anal fissure](http://silentbobspeaks.com/?m=20060101). Read both parts (jan. 2nd is the second part). I still read in the bathroom (it’s a compulsion), but I don’t stay in there longer than I have to. ---
**Author:** ![UKCatGirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/a88e57/32.png) [@UKCatGirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UKCatGirl)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2006, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bathrooms-and-reading-material/368974/30 "2006-08-17T20:51:15Z")
[QUOTE=rainwalker78] I don’t think I could take a crap without a book, magazine or **cereal box** to read. [/QUOTE] (Bolding mine.) I enjoy something to read in the bathroom as much as the next person, but I don’t think I’ve ever been desperate enough to bring in a cereal box. I don’t think I’d be able to eat it after it had been [Seinfeld]red-flagged.[/Seinfeld] Different strokes for different folks though! My personal favorite to occupy my mind on the can is a “Where’s Waldo?” book. I’ve found that if I bring in a book I sometimes spend longer than I intended in there. Finding Waldo usually takes about just the right amount of time. ---
**Author:** ![Antinor01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecae2f/32.png) [@Antinor01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Antinor01)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2006, 9:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bathrooms-and-reading-material/368974/31 "2006-08-17T21:28:08Z")
[QUOTE=matt\_mcl] I have a truly compulsive reaction to bring a book or other reading material in with me when I need to go _numéro deux_. I’ve been known to actually hold it in while hunting for reading material. Fortunately I have a taste for dictionaries and the like. [/QUOTE] I do the same thing. I finally learned to keep a stack of things to read in there, to eliminate (hehe) the search for material. ---
**Author:** ![Rebo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rebo/32/13005_2.png) [@Rebo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rebo)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2006, 9:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bathrooms-and-reading-material/368974/32 "2006-08-17T21:36:38Z")
We have stuff to read stored in the bathroom, too. But who almost craps themselves trying to locate a pair of reading glasses before heading to the john? ---
**Author:** ![nonacetone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nonacetone/32/2819_2.png) [@nonacetone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nonacetone)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2006, 8:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bathrooms-and-reading-material/368974/33 "2006-08-18T08:09:28Z")
Oh yeah. Reading in the bathroom is ‘normal’ at our house! I keep a fresh supply of crossword puzzles, pens, the complete set of The Bathroom Book, and assorted ‘Sit & Solve’ puzzle books, of which the books are shaped like the lid of a toilet. ---
**Author:** ![Dijon\_Warlock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a9a28c/32.png) [@Dijon\_Warlock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dijon_Warlock)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2006, 8:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bathrooms-and-reading-material/368974/34 "2006-08-18T08:47:54Z")
Okay, you people are all gross. Personally, I don’t want to spend any more time in the loo than is necessary (not fond of the aromas floating around, and the attendant conciousness of the myriad of microscopic pathogens that allow me to olfactorially perceive said aromas is even worse). Reading in the bog is disgusting. _Keeping_ reading material in there is hygienically irresponsible. Cecil writes: [[http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a990416.html](http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a990416.html)](Does flushing the toilet cause dirty water to be spewed around the bathroom?) Youse peoples is yucky-nuts. Don’t get me started on the lunatic who thought keeping _toothbrushes_ in the bathroom was a good idea. Hint: Kitchen sink, where things you prep go into your mouth, anyway. Bathroom is for getting rid of stuff, not ingesting it. I is evidently a jeanyouse. ---
**Author:** ![Dijon\_Warlock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a9a28c/32.png) [@Dijon\_Warlock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dijon_Warlock)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2006, 8:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bathrooms-and-reading-material/368974/35 "2006-08-18T08:59:44Z")
Okay, you people are all gross. Personally, I don’t want to spend any more time in the loo than is necessary (not fond of the aromas floating around, and the attendant conciousness of the myriad of microscopic pathogens that allow me to olfactorially perceive said aromas is even worse). Reading in the bog is disgusting. _Keeping_ reading material in there is hygienically irresponsible. Cecil writes: [[http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a990416.html](http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a990416.html)](Does flushing the toilet cause dirty water to be spewed around the bathroom?) Youse peoples is yucky-nuts. Don’t get me started on the lunatic who thought keeping _toothbrushes_ in the bathroom was a good idea. Hint: Kitchen sink, where things you prep go into your mouth, anyway. Bathroom is for getting rid of stuff, not ingesting it. ---
**Author:** ![Dijon\_Warlock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a9a28c/32.png) [@Dijon\_Warlock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dijon_Warlock)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2006, 9:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bathrooms-and-reading-material/368974/36 "2006-08-18T09:01:45Z")
Okay… That’s kind of weird…an earlier draft of the post gets posted after the later draft… It’s like Bizzaro Straight Dope! ---
**Author:** ![ralph124c](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/8797f3/32.png) [@ralph124c](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ralph124c)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2006, 11:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bathrooms-and-reading-material/368974/37 "2006-08-18T11:18:02Z")
I keep my bathroom stocked with Time and LIFE magazines from the 1940’s-I always enjoy it when somebody gets confused about current events. ---
**Author:** ![Sierra\_Indigo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f0a364/32.png) [@Sierra\_Indigo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sierra_Indigo)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2006, 12:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bathrooms-and-reading-material/368974/38 "2006-08-18T12:10:58Z")
[QUOTE=Dijon Warlock] Don’t get me started on the lunatic who thought keeping _toothbrushes_ in the bathroom was a good idea. Hint: Kitchen sink, where things you prep go into your mouth, anyway. [/QUOTE] From the [Mythbusters](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MythBusters_(season_1)#Episode_12_.E2.80.94_.22Break_Step_Bridge.2C_Toothbrush_Surprise.2C_Rowing_Water_Skier.22) wiki page about their season one experiments… > [@](#): > > Fecal coliforms was indeed found on all the test brushes, including the control ones. However, none were of a level high enough to be dangerous, and experts confirm that such coliforms were impossible to completely avoid. IIRC - they had the control toothbrushes in the Mythbusters HQ kitchen. So nyaaaaah. Even if you don’t take your books into the loo, you’ll still get poop on 'em anyway! ---
**Author:** ![rainwalker78](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/eb9ed0/32.png) [@rainwalker78](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rainwalker78)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2006, 1:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bathrooms-and-reading-material/368974/39 "2006-08-18T13:44:29Z")
[QUOTE=UKCatGirl] (Bolding mine.) I enjoy something to read in the bathroom as much as the next person, but I don’t think I’ve ever been desperate enough to bring in a cereal box. I don’t think I’d be able to eat it after it had been [Seinfeld]red-flagged.[/Seinfeld] Different strokes for different folks though! [/QUOTE] How do you know I don’t keep my old cereal boxes in the bathroom to read? 😃 Sometimes thay have great information. For instance: Did you know that milk is a valuable part of a balanced diet? :dubious: ---
**Author:** ![Max\_Torque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Max\_Torque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_Torque)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2006, 1:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bathrooms-and-reading-material/368974/40 "2006-08-18T13:46:01Z")
[QUOTE=Dijon Warlock] Okay, you people are all gross. Personally, I don’t want to spend any more time in the loo than is necessary (not fond of the aromas floating around, and the attendant conciousness of the myriad of microscopic pathogens that allow me to olfactorially perceive said aromas is even worse). Reading in the bog is disgusting. _Keeping_ reading material in there is hygienically irresponsible. Cecil writes: [Does flushing the toilet cause dirty water to be spewed around the bathroom?](http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a990416.html) [/QUOTE] Fixed your link. Speaking for myself: my reading material is either in the closed cabinet above the toilet, where the fresh towels are kept, or in a nearby wooden hamper with a lid. I’m not worried about “aerosolization”. Also, I think you’ll find in most homes that the kitchen sink has more bacteria than the toilet. From the very article you cite: > [@](#): > > As Professor Gerba’s research would later determine, however, the bathroom was hardly the most dangerous part of the house, microbe-wise. The real pesthole: the kitchen sponge or dishcloth, where fecal coliform bacteria from raw meat and such could fester in a damp, nurturing (for a germ) environment. Next came the kitchen sink, the bathroom sink, and the kitchen faucet handle. The toilet seat was the least contaminated of 15 household locales studied. “If an alien came from space and studied the bacterial counts,” the professor says, “he probably would conclude he should wash his hands in your toilet and crap in your sink.” [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bathrooms-and-reading-material/368974.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bathrooms-and-reading-material/368974.md?page=3)