# Do feces actually steam? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [May 7, 2005, 3:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-feces-actually-steam/302782 "2005-05-07T03:21:15Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![I\_can\_t\_believe\_that\_s\_butter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/8edcca/32.png) [@I\_can\_t\_believe\_that\_s\_butter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/I_can_t_believe_that_s_butter)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2005, 3:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-feces-actually-steam/302782/1 "2005-05-07T03:21:15Z")
…or is that just a UL reference? You know, “steaming turd” and the like. I can’t say I have the opportunity to find out for myself, so I request the help of Those Who Would Know. ---
**Author:** ![Tentacle\_Monster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ba9def/32.png) [@Tentacle\_Monster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tentacle_Monster)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2005, 3:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-feces-actually-steam/302782/2 "2005-05-07T03:23:29Z")
A fresh one does steam; provided it’s cold enough and it’s deposited outside. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2005, 3:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-feces-actually-steam/302782/3 "2005-05-07T03:23:51Z")
Using long-handled shovel to dump this over the fence into General Questions. ---
**Author:** ![porcupine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ac91a4/32.png) [@porcupine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/porcupine)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2005, 3:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-feces-actually-steam/302782/4 "2005-05-07T03:26:51Z")
Does dog poop count? If so, yes. ---
**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:** [May 7, 2005, 3:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-feces-actually-steam/302782/5 "2005-05-07T03:28:31Z")
Ever hear of a Cleveland Steamer? The name came from somewhere. ---
**Author:** ![I\_can\_t\_believe\_that\_s\_butter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/8edcca/32.png) [@I\_can\_t\_believe\_that\_s\_butter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/I_can_t_believe_that_s_butter)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2005, 3:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-feces-actually-steam/302782/6 "2005-05-07T03:46:34Z")
> [@racer72](#): > > Ever hear of a Cleveland Steamer? The name came from somewhere. Now, I’ve heard some horrid things about Lake Erie, but… :eek: 😉 ---
**Author:** ![inkleberry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/f17d59/32.png) [@inkleberry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/inkleberry)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2005, 4:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-feces-actually-steam/302782/7 "2005-05-07T04:28:33Z")
> [@Joe K](#): > > …or is that just a UL reference? You know, “steaming turd” and the like. > > I can’t say I have the opportunity to find out for myself, so I request the help of Those Who Would Know. I, personally, have witnessed many poos of various types steam on winter mornings. All you need is a dog and a new england winter and you too can experience a nice steaming poo. ---
**Author:** ![Electronic\_Chaos](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Electronic\_Chaos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Electronic_Chaos)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2005, 4:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-feces-actually-steam/302782/8 "2005-05-07T04:29:52Z")
Why would baby mice steam?? ---
**Author:** ![Amp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Amp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amp)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2005, 4:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-feces-actually-steam/302782/9 "2005-05-07T04:43:37Z")
Former Infantry soldier here, and as such I have had many opportunities to defecate outside in the woods. Freshly deposited feces will steam if it is cold enough. I remember the first time I witnessed it, I stared at until it became cold enough to stop steaming. It was fascinating. Yes, I was extremely bored during those times. ---
**Author:** ![pasunejen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/58956e/32.png) [@pasunejen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pasunejen)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2005, 5:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-feces-actually-steam/302782/10 "2005-05-07T05:43:10Z")
> [@Electronic Chaos](#): > > Why would baby mice steam?? _snerk_ And, just to make my post somewhat worthwhile, poop does steam, and it’s particularly noticeable when the defecating is being done by a large animal like, say, a cow. Steam galore. Not that you really want to be around to see/smell it. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2005, 5:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-feces-actually-steam/302782/11 "2005-05-07T05:48:55Z")
When I was a kid I saw my sister’s dog make a deposit on the lawn one cold morning in Eureka. Not only did the pile of feces steam, but the dog’s anus was steaming as well. ---
**Author:** ![Richard\_Pearse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/richard_pearse/32/13144_2.png) [@Richard\_Pearse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Richard_Pearse)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2005, 6:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-feces-actually-steam/302782/12 "2005-05-07T06:52:26Z")
Like a smoking gun? ---
**Author:** ![Richard\_Pearse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/richard_pearse/32/13144_2.png) [@Richard\_Pearse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Richard_Pearse)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2005, 6:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-feces-actually-steam/302782/13 "2005-05-07T06:53:32Z")
did he turn around and blow it afterwards? ---
**Author:** ![matt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a6a055/32.png) [@matt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/matt)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2005, 7:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-feces-actually-steam/302782/14 "2005-05-07T07:48:58Z")
Warm, wet things “steam” if you take them into the cold air. This includes cups of coffee, fresh turds, streams of piss, your breath, joggers who have been caught in the rain, and presumably just-born baby mice. Strictly speaking it isn’t steam but fog. The water vapour coming off the warm wet thing cools down when it hits the cold air and forms a plume of tiny water droplets. ---
**Author:** ![Larry\_Mudd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f14d63/32.png) [@Larry\_Mudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Mudd)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2005, 9:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-feces-actually-steam/302782/15 "2005-05-07T09:41:20Z")
> [@racer72](#): > > Ever hear of a Cleveland Steamer? The name came from somewhere. Yeah, it did. The main manufacturer of steam hot dog carts, steam tables, etc, is the Cleveland manufactering company. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2005, 2:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-feces-actually-steam/302782/16 "2005-05-07T14:59:04Z")
> [@matt](#): > > Strictly speaking it isn’t steam but fog. Yeah, but ‘foggy pile of shit’ doesn’t have the same impact as ‘steaming pile of shit’. ---
**Author:** ![brassballs](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/3d9bf3/32.png) [@brassballs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brassballs)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2005, 3:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-feces-actually-steam/302782/17 "2005-05-07T15:15:55Z")
Nothing warms the heart and tickles the funny-bone like some of the greatest minds on the internet using words like “Cleveland Steamer”. This is definately the best site on the WWW. ---
**Author:** ![Baker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bb73d2/32.png) [@Baker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baker)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2005, 3:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-feces-actually-steam/302782/18 "2005-05-07T15:25:15Z")
Agreed. I love this board, sniff! ---
**Author:** ![rfgdxm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c0e974/32.png) [@rfgdxm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rfgdxm)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2005, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-feces-actually-steam/302782/19 "2005-05-07T15:39:49Z")
It just occured to me. Travel to Antartica. Take a shit. Report back here with your scientific observations. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2005, 4:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-feces-actually-steam/302782/20 "2005-05-07T16:01:46Z")
Other warm moist things that “steam”: sweaty horses, football players’ heads when they take off their helmets in the cold. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-feces-actually-steam/302782.md?page=2)