So, I’m doing my business this morning and for some unknown reason, the expression courtesy flush comes to mind. Now I’m sure we all know what it means, but if you don’t, it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure it out. Call me a crappy person but I have never - nor will I ever - partake in this event. Here are my reasons why:
Ecological factor: Toilets use a certain amount of water to flush: whether it be pre-early 1980’s toilets that used 5-6 gallons per flush, the post-early 1980’s but pre-Energy Policy Act of 1992 toilets that used about 3.5 gallons, or the post-Energy Policy Act of 1992 toilets that use 1.6 gallons. Each extra flush is water and money wasted down the…um…drain. Think globally - act locally, right?
Backsplash factor: The toilets in my office are of the pressurized variety. Some of these toilets flush with such gusto that water droplets fly up and land on the seat. If a person were to be sitting while this mega-flush were to occur, a butt-wetting would surely result. Call me a fecal-phobe but I do NOT want that to happen to me.
Clog factor: At one time or another, we have all clogged a toilet (or two). Don’t be ashamed. Be proud and hold your plunger…um…head high. Clogging the toilet is bad enough but what if you are still sitting there. Water could start flowing out of the bowl and onto the floor - splashing your shoes, pants, skirt, etc. - and you are stuck there unable to flee the impending doom. Think of the horrors all because you were trying to be “courteous”.
In summary, IMHO, use the handle once (well, twice if you have a floater or stains). To those wanting others to courtesy flush, if you can’t stand the stink, get out of the bathroom (for about 10-15 minutes).
So, what is your stand (or sit) on courtesy flushes and why?
On preview, I realize this is a pretty shitty thread but I’m going to post in anyway.
Actually I find a little back splash a precoursor to wiping. It helps knock off the big chunks.
Guilty as charged. I’ve clogged many a toilet so I know what it’s like to see my life flash before my eyes. But generally you know when you’ve developed a “bowl buster” so in those cases you should hold your flush to the end.
I courtesy flush if the odor is particularly gag-inducing.
As far as point #2 goes, I met a toilet at a store somewhere of the pressurized variety that flushed with so much violence that not droplets, not mist, but what can only be described as splashes, flew past my shoulder and splattered on the door of the stall. It was quite impressive.
When you drop a load with an odor that is extremely offensive (to others than the dropper), a courtesy flush is a flush before you a finished as to remove the odor-causing item in an attempt to reduce the odor.
Courtesy Flushes are just a touchy-feely response in a PC world.
Shit stinks…get used to it.
Flushing half way through a shit may make you feel like you are doing something to combat the offensive odor, but face it: The odor is already in the air. Unless the toilet flushes with sufficient gusto to produce a vortex that will also remove the odorous air, you ain’t doing shit to remove the smell of shit.
My advice? Take small breaths so there is enough to go around. If I’m gonna have to set in a cloud of shit perfumed air, I want to be able to share it with you.
This is a disgusting thread outside the bounds normal acceptable human conversation.
In other words, I love it.
But here’s my question… Just how effective is the courtesy flush in the first place? It seems to me that the odiferously offensive material is only in an olfactorily sensitive zone between one’s hinder and the surface of the water. Once said material is safely below the surface, surely the impact it has on the air quality is radically diminished, right?
I mean in my estimation it is the other natural byproducts that such an interaction produces that have the greatest effect on sensory impact in a shared bathroom setting. Thusly, the courtesy flush is largely ineffective.
Unless pro-flushers theorize that the vacuum effect of the flush will also suck down surrounding air and odors, which I think is ridiculous on its face.
Of course- I am one of those “eco-nuts” that doesn’t like to flush after urinating, so I’d hardly flush twice for a bowel movement. But- occ I still do, if it is a “big un”, as if the toilet backs up, and there is feces in it- bad news. So, if it is very large, and I know I have to use a lot of paper, I will occ flush twice.
I agree. The encapsulation of the odor emitting item in the water spot will prevent additional odor emissions. Depending on the size of the water spot in a particular toilet and the placement of the pre-evacuated bowels, the offensive material might fall short of the water spot and be left high and dry. During these times, a courtesy flush will rectify in the missed encapsulation.
ok… honestly…
If you are sitting in a stall next to another stall and you drop a “heavy load”… it is not too much to ask to just flush it down…
that’s why it is called a “courtesy flush”…
as far as fear of backsplash???
come on now… are you really afraid of the clean water coming out of the pipes and hitting your dirty butt? seriously… do you ever walk away from dropping a duece, and think that your ass is clean?
You don’t want to get hit with backsplash… yet you take pride in clogging the toilet, and cleaning it?
I don’t get it…
a courtesy flush is just a way to say to the person next to you…
“yes… I am sorry that my crap smells so bad, let me get rid of that for you”
What about those people who give courtesy flushes while peeing??? that I judt don’t get…
I was in the mens room the other day… and I am not kidding that the guy next to me flushed 4 TIMES!!!
1 before he started (in a clean urinal)
2 during the act
and 1 to finish it off???
See, I think the more ecologically sound approach is to cultivate a sadisitc streak that not only is prideful at the toxicity level of one’s emissions, but also enjoys the suffering that the stallmate next door must be enduring.
I think you’d agree developing this sense of schadenfreude is far preferrable to water wastage and a wet ass.
Why does the size of the load change the need for the CF?
This isn’t clean water. This is water mixed with fecal mater and urine. I don’t know about your butt, but I believe that a majority of my butt is not “dirty”. Sure, the area around the anal sphincter is not clean (since the fecal mater passes right on by) but why would the remained of the butt be dirtied? How DO you wipe?
As for the backsplash, see above. I don’t know how you unclog a toilet but I use this thing called a plunger. It has a handle (about 2 feet long) and I press the rubber part into the toilet. I few quick thrusts and presto - bye bye clog. I don’t get messy or dirty by doing this. And as far as taking pride in clogging it, it surely isn’t something I get embarrassed about.
And why should I be sorry that my crap smells bad. Crap isn’t supposed to smell sweet. If it were, we would say we are going to the bathroom to take a “rose”. This is a bathroom. Odors are expected. It’s part of life.
You are not removing the stink from the air when you CF, but you are preventing more stink from getting in the air.
Lighting a match – there’s nothing specifically about fire that helps, but the smell of a match once you blow it out is a great odor-masker.
the “clog-factor” as mentioned in the OP is all the more reason TO flush in mid-shit. If I can tell I am getting ready to drop bombs, I’ll flush 1/2 or 1/3 of the way through as not to clog the pipes with the full monty.
This thread makes me curiously happy. I think I’ll go negotiate the release of some brown hostages right now.
I usually only courtesy flush to cover a loud fart. I’ve heard people in the next stall start gagging when I’ve ripped one before so I tend towards being considerate in that regard. My sympathy is more for their ears that their nose.
And can someone really clog a bowl with their butt rope alone, sans buttwipe? Dude, that’s a serious paste factor. I usually don’t have to worry until after a generous amount of TP’s been added.
well it depends… if there is only a small amount of water in the toilet, then if it is a big load it will stay above water level… and the smell won’t be covered by the water…
floaters would cause this same problem…
well I would think most of if not all of the water that is sprayed up is from the water pipes coming in the toilet… true I woudl not take a drink from it… but I would think that is cleaner than when you drop a log, and it creates a slpash…
I would like to think that fecal matter passes right by, but it is some nasty stuff… paper is not enough to clean that… it may seem clean… but I still think it is nasty…
the thing about plungers is that they are never clean…especially in an office. they are disgusting, bacteria infested tools…
obviously you would wash your hands after using one… but why touch one if you have to?
Odors are expected… very true… but come on… some people just really let out some funky smelling crap that could kill a small child…
to those people… I say… please… give a courtesy flush, your ass is funky…