# Do Most Women Hover Over Public Toilets? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cecil's Columns/Staff Reports\ **Created:** [January 3, 2013, 6:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-most-women-hover-over-public-toilets/645984 "2013-01-03T18:37:21Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 17\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Powers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/edb3f5/32.png) [@Powers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Powers)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2013, 2:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-most-women-hover-over-public-toilets/645984/21 "2013-01-06T02:11:00Z")
> [@rockwell\_lancer](#): > > A old lady I know thought it was more important for men to wash their hands before using public restroom, than after using. She had a point. Are you sure? > **[Why are men supposed to wash their hands after urination? Plus: urine therapy!](https://www.straightdope.com/21342195/why-are-men-supposed-to-wash-their-hands-after-urination-plus-urine-therapy)** Powers &8^] ---
**Author:** ![Ruby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/13edae/32.png) [@Ruby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ruby)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2013, 4:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-most-women-hover-over-public-toilets/645984/22 "2013-01-06T04:04:24Z")
I wish those hoverers would at least put the freakin seat UP first. There’s no reason to piss all over the seat, ladies. Grrrrrrrrrrrrrr. ---
**Author:** ![LadyJean](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/0ea827/32.png) [@LadyJean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LadyJean)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2013, 10:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-most-women-hover-over-public-toilets/645984/23 "2013-01-06T22:10:14Z")
I have no statistics to add to the ones cited, but I do have a series of observations. I live in San Francisco, which has a diverse population, many of whom are from countries where women squat or “hover” over the toilet facilities. They continue to do so here, and since women have notorious problems with aim (plumbing problems, don’tcha know?), they wet the toilet seat. I’ve noticed this at movie theatres, at college campuses, and everywhere. I would say that at least 20% of the time I have to wipe down the seat. ---
**Author:** ![emathias](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ee7513/32.png) [@emathias](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/emathias)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2013, 4:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-most-women-hover-over-public-toilets/645984/24 "2013-01-07T04:17:57Z")
> [@LadyJean](#): > > … > I would say that at least 20% of the time I have to wipe down the seat. It ain’t just women with that problem. Sadly. Honestly makes me think Dexter’s “code” might apply to male seat pissers every time. ---
**Author:** ![zhoen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/c4cdca/32.png) [@zhoen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zhoen)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2013, 10:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-most-women-hover-over-public-toilets/645984/25 "2013-01-07T22:47:37Z")
I suspect most women just sit, because hoverers leave a few drips. I occasionally have to wipe the seat for that, mostly not. And I hardly ever see evidence of the toilet covers being used. I’m sure there is local variation, and the more public the toilet - parks and rest areas - provoke more anxiety. I figure on average, most people’s butt cheek skin is cleaner than their hands. And I have no way of knowing where their hands touched, that I’ve touched, then most likely touched my own face. I certainly don’t handle my butt that much. No, really, I don’t. Stop looking at me like that. ---
**Author:** ![EmilyG](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/emilyg/32/364_2.png) [@EmilyG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EmilyG)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2013, 12:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-most-women-hover-over-public-toilets/645984/26 "2013-01-08T00:51:08Z")
There sure are a hell of a lot of “hoverers” at my school, judging from the number of times I’ve seen piss droplets on the seats of the school toilets. :mad: And yes, they are automatic flush toilets, but I do know the difference between ordinary toilet water and piss. _barf_ ---
**Author:** ![Seanette](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/seanette/32/9139_2.png) [@Seanette](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Seanette)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2013, 4:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-most-women-hover-over-public-toilets/645984/27 "2013-01-08T04:28:42Z")
> [@zhoen](#): > > I suspect most women just sit, because hoverers leave a few drips. I occasionally have to wipe the seat for that, mostly not. And I hardly ever see evidence of the toilet covers being used. I’m sure there is local variation, and the more public the toilet - parks and rest areas - provoke more anxiety. > > I figure on average, most people’s butt cheek skin is cleaner than their hands. And I have no way of knowing where their hands touched, that I’ve touched, then most likely touched my own face. I certainly don’t handle my butt that much. No, really, I don’t. Stop looking at me like that. You may not handle your own much, but if you handle someone else’s… 😉 ---
**Author:** ![born1973](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/f4b2a3/32.png) [@born1973](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/born1973)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2013, 10:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-most-women-hover-over-public-toilets/645984/28 "2013-01-08T22:25:09Z")
yes women do. If they don’t hover over public tiolets then they are too drunk to hover or care. Just saying. ---
**Author:** ![Karen57](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ebca7d/32.png) [@Karen57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Karen57)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2013, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-most-women-hover-over-public-toilets/645984/29 "2013-01-13T18:26:34Z")
“If you sprinkle when you tinkle, please be neat and wipe the seat.” Found on the restroom stall door at a restaurant in Mountainaire, New Mexico 😉 ---
**Author:** ![YourAdHere](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/65b543/32.png) [@YourAdHere](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/YourAdHere)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2013, 9:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-most-women-hover-over-public-toilets/645984/30 "2013-01-13T21:26:57Z")
> [@Karen57](#): > > “If you sprinkle when you tinkle, > please be neat > and wipe the seat.” > Found on the restroom stall door at a restaurant in Mountainaire, New Mexico > 😉 Heh. I had always heard it as “be a sweetie and wipe the seat-y” ---
**Author:** ![EarlGrayHot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e480ec/32.png) [@EarlGrayHot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EarlGrayHot)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2019, 3:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-most-women-hover-over-public-toilets/645984/31 "2019-08-16T15:28:08Z")
I really hate it when idiot women get urine all over the toilet seat. What a jerk thing to do. ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2019, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-most-women-hover-over-public-toilets/645984/32 "2019-08-16T16:04:08Z")
Arrrgghh! Zombie pee thread. I hate, hate, hate public restrooms. Especially at Wal-Mart. Some weird folks roaming that store. ---
**Author:** ![Slow\_Moving\_Vehicle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slow_moving_vehicle/32/291_2.png) [@Slow\_Moving\_Vehicle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slow_Moving_Vehicle)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2019, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-most-women-hover-over-public-toilets/645984/33 "2019-08-16T18:24:37Z")
Do zombies pee? Wouldn’t think brains had that much water. ---
**Author:** ![WildaBeast](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wildabeast/32/6_2.png) [@WildaBeast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WildaBeast)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2019, 10:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-most-women-hover-over-public-toilets/645984/34 "2019-08-16T22:14:44Z")
I worked as a bagger at a grocery store for a while in college. Besides bagging groceries, one of the other tasks baggers at this store performed was cleaning the bathrooms. In my experience the women’s restroom was almost always nastier than the men’s. And I was very confused as to how women were managing to regularly pee all over the seat, as I hadn’t learned about “hovering” at the time. ---
**Author:** ![DPRK](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4491bb/32.png) [@DPRK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DPRK)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2019, 10:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-most-women-hover-over-public-toilets/645984/35 "2019-08-16T22:50:16Z")
I wonder why not install, especially in public toilets, more of those old-school Turkish/Japanese toilets, basically a hole at floor level. Then everybody can enjoy hovering over the toilet without touching anything. ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2019, 11:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-most-women-hover-over-public-toilets/645984/36 "2019-08-16T23:03:24Z")
I don’t, unless the seat is visibly dirty. And when I do, I wipe up after myself afterwards. ---
**Author:** ![Yllaria](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yllaria/32/3452_2.png) [@Yllaria](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yllaria)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2019, 1:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-most-women-hover-over-public-toilets/645984/37 "2019-08-17T01:38:23Z")
> [@Slow\_Moving\_Vehicle](#): > > Do zombies pee? Wouldn’t think brains had that much water. Oh, honey, brains are mostly water. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-most-women-hover-over-public-toilets/645984.md?page=1)