# Do you bring reading material into the bathroom when using the toilet? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [April 24, 2010, 1:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-bring-reading-material-into-the-bathroom-when-using-the-toilet/537197 "2010-04-24T13:16:44Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Teacake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Teacake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Teacake)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2010, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-bring-reading-material-into-the-bathroom-when-using-the-toilet/537197/21 "2010-04-24T15:57:12Z")
Yes, **Broomstick** , it was _completely_ necessary there to insult people’s intelligence, maturity, personal hygiene and housekeeping, all in the one post, just because you feel differently to how they feel. Good job, as you Americans would say. However, my bathroom is always very clean, and I do - as you do - tend to manage to excrete in the appropriate place. No matter how intellectually I know that there are more germs on my hands at all times than on the toilet seat, or that faecal aerosols containing only my own faeces or those of a fluid-bonded partner are unlikely to harm me anyway, the “gross” reaction isn’t an intellectual one. It seldom is; if something is disgusting, it’s visceral, you react with your gut, you don’t have to think it through and work out that it’s disgusting TO YOU. I find it nasty to take a real book which I’m then going to read in other places and put back in the shelf with other books to the toilet with me. You do not. I feel no need to insult you because of it. ---
**Author:** ![Rushgeekgirl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rushgeekgirl/32/3715_2.png) [@Rushgeekgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rushgeekgirl)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2010, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-bring-reading-material-into-the-bathroom-when-using-the-toilet/537197/22 "2010-04-24T16:33:49Z")
I keep magazines in the cabinet for those times. Oddly the other day I noticed a cookbook sitting on the table next to the toilet paper. I don’t know what Mig was thinking but I won’t be using that cookbook in the kitchen any time soon! ---
**Author:** ![ralph124c](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/8797f3/32.png) [@ralph124c](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ralph124c)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2010, 4:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-bring-reading-material-into-the-bathroom-when-using-the-toilet/537197/23 "2010-04-24T16:57:20Z")
This thread made me think of the Seinfeld episode (where george tries to return a book). He was told: “theis book cannot be returned-it was read in the toilet” How did they know?? ---
**Author:** ![Freudian\_Slit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/5daacb/32.png) [@Freudian\_Slit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freudian_Slit)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2010, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-bring-reading-material-into-the-bathroom-when-using-the-toilet/537197/24 "2010-04-24T16:58:40Z")
I was thinking that, too, **ralph**. It’s been…flagged. It would be kind of awesome if there were a system for that in real life. My fave part of the episode though was the shoplifting Uncle Leo subplot. ---
**Author:** ![Acid\_Lamp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@Acid\_Lamp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acid_Lamp)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2010, 5:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-bring-reading-material-into-the-bathroom-when-using-the-toilet/537197/25 "2010-04-24T17:31:58Z")
> [@Teacake](#): > > Yes, **Broomstick** , it was _completely_ necessary there to insult people’s intelligence, maturity, personal hygiene and housekeeping, all in the one post, just because you feel differently to how they feel. Good job, as you Americans would say. > > However, my bathroom is always very clean, and I do - as you do - tend to manage to excrete in the appropriate place. No matter how intellectually I know that there are more germs on my hands at all times than on the toilet seat, or that faecal aerosols containing only my own faeces or those of a fluid-bonded partner are unlikely to harm me anyway, the “gross” reaction isn’t an intellectual one. It seldom is; if something is disgusting, it’s visceral, you react with your gut, you don’t have to think it through and work out that it’s disgusting TO YOU. I find it nasty to take a real book which I’m then going to read in other places and put back in the shelf with other books to the toilet with me. You do not. I feel no need to insult you because of it. Being an illogical germaphobe is not a protected class. By your own admission your reaction is not based on anything logical. I see no need to respect your position at all. ---
**Author:** ![chorpler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chorpler/32/2888_2.png) [@chorpler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chorpler)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2010, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-bring-reading-material-into-the-bathroom-when-using-the-toilet/537197/26 "2010-04-24T18:04:24Z")
> [@Freudian\_Slit](#): > > My fave part of the episode though was the shoplifting Uncle Leo subplot. “SWARM! SWARM!” > [@lezlers](#): > > Okay _this_ I gotta hear… Heh heh … you’re not alone! Once, I mentioned this on Orson Scott Card’s brand-new (at the time) message board, and he himself responded and said, in essence, “How on earth does THAT work?” Basically I just keep my right arm out of the shower and hold the book up with that arm. Then I use my left hand to do all the washing and whatnot. The only real downside is that I have terrible vision, and the book has to be within six inches or so of my eyes for me to read it. That’s close enough that focusing both my eyes on it at the same time is a real strain. So I used to close one eye while reading, but that was also a strain, so now … well, now I have a shower eyepatch. ---
**Author:** ![Blut\_Aus\_Nord](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Blut\_Aus\_Nord](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blut_Aus_Nord)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2010, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-bring-reading-material-into-the-bathroom-when-using-the-toilet/537197/27 "2010-04-24T18:20:29Z")
> [@chorpler](#): > > Basically I just keep my right arm out of the shower and hold the book up with that arm. Then I use my left hand to do all the washing and whatnot. The only real downside is that I have terrible vision, and the book has to be within six inches or so of my eyes for me to read it. That’s close enough that focusing both my eyes on it at the same time is a real strain. So I used to close one eye while reading, but that was also a strain, so now … well, now I have a shower eyepatch. That’s a bit excessive. You can’t put down a book for ten minutes? ---
**Author:** ![chorpler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chorpler/32/2888_2.png) [@chorpler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chorpler)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2010, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-bring-reading-material-into-the-bathroom-when-using-the-toilet/537197/28 "2010-04-24T20:12:50Z")
> [@Chakra Nadmara](#): > > That’s a bit excessive. You can’t put down a book for ten minutes? Dude, that’s what my wife says! “No … then showers would be boring.” Or sometimes I paraphrase from a (curiously relevant to this thread) recent (relatively recent, anyway) episode of **How I Met Your Mother** : “You have to read a magazine while you’re ‘reading a magazine.’ Otherwise, it’s just … time you’re not getting back.” ---
**Author:** ![Freudian\_Slit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/5daacb/32.png) [@Freudian\_Slit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freudian_Slit)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2010, 8:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-bring-reading-material-into-the-bathroom-when-using-the-toilet/537197/29 "2010-04-24T20:18:34Z")
Damn, **chorpler** , and I thought I was a reader. Reading in the shower would be fun, except I really love showering and so I don’t get too bored in there. ---
**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:** [April 24, 2010, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-bring-reading-material-into-the-bathroom-when-using-the-toilet/537197/30 "2010-04-24T20:25:10Z")
> [@](#): > > Do you bring readong material into the bathroom when using the toilet? In case your penis detaches? ---
**Author:** ![chorpler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chorpler/32/2888_2.png) [@chorpler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chorpler)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2010, 8:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-bring-reading-material-into-the-bathroom-when-using-the-toilet/537197/31 "2010-04-24T20:38:05Z")
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > In case your penis detaches? Dammit, _I_ was about to post a comment about the typo in the title of this thread. My wife and I both cracked up over that. Back on topic, though, **Chakra Nadmara** ’s comment brought up something I meant to mention earlier. Perhaps the divide between those of us who read in the bathroom (and in the shower, in my case) and those who don’t is that those who read take a lot longer. Inspired by **Freudian Slit** ’s comment about how it only takes her a minute to poop (although she’s also a reader, so these obviously aren’t hard and fast guidelines) – it takes me at least 20 minutes. Also, I take a really long time in the shower. 20 minutes is a minimum. I actually cranked up the temperature on the water heater just so I could use less hot water and make the shower last longer. Anyway, with all that time, I’d get super bored if I didn’t have something to read… ---
**Author:** ![ralph124c](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/8797f3/32.png) [@ralph124c](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ralph124c)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2010, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-bring-reading-material-into-the-bathroom-when-using-the-toilet/537197/32 "2010-04-24T21:02:07Z")
I stock the bathroom with old copies of TIME, LOOK, and LIFE (from the 1950’s). It’s fun to catch up on the news…from 50 years ago!🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Teacake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Teacake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Teacake)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2010, 9:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-bring-reading-material-into-the-bathroom-when-using-the-toilet/537197/33 "2010-04-24T21:12:00Z")
> [@Acid\_Lamp](#): > > Being an illogical germaphobe is not a protected class. By your own admission your reaction is not based on anything logical. I see no need to respect your position at all. Hm. I don’t think I said I was a germophobe. I illustrated, in fact, that I have a fairly healthy attitude towards germs, and that fear of becoming ill was not what motivated the ick. I pointed out that thinking something was gross may not have anything to do with that, and yes, I did point out that it’s not a “brain” reaction. We all have gut reactions to things, some of which may be illogical; I didn’t realise that on that basis, by your reckoning, there isn’t a living being who deserves respect. Being illogical is not the same as being dirty or an idiot, which is what **Broomstick** said, or indeed the same as not being able to read. If you’ll excuse me, I’ll just go and weep over having lost your respect. It was so clearly worth having. ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2010, 9:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-bring-reading-material-into-the-bathroom-when-using-the-toilet/537197/34 "2010-04-24T21:16:25Z")
> [@Teacake](#): > > Yes, **Broomstick** , it was _completely_ necessary there to insult people’s intelligence, maturity, personal hygiene and housekeeping, all in the one post, just because you feel differently to how they feel. Good job, as you Americans would say. > [@Acid\_Lamp](#): > > Being an illogical germaphobe is not a protected class. By your own admission your reaction is not based on anything logical. I see no need to respect your position at all. ^ What he said. You said your reaction wasn’t rational… well, why should I accommodate something I see as neurotic at best? We all piss and shit, some of us have diapered babies that piss and shit, it all washes off with ordinary soap and water. Now, if someone was _ill_ and got mess on a book or magazine I could see tossing it, but treating everything in a regularly cleaned bathroom used by healthy people as toxic just strikes me as bizarre. _Particularly_ since multiple studies have shown that the average toilet seat is more sanitary than the average kitchen sink. THAT’s based on fact. If your germophobia was based on anything factual you’d never read in the kitchen. ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2010, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-bring-reading-material-into-the-bathroom-when-using-the-toilet/537197/35 "2010-04-24T21:23:34Z")
> [@Teacake](#): > > Hm. I don’t think I said I was a germophobe. I illustrated, in fact, that I have a fairly healthy attitude towards germs, and that fear of becoming ill was not what motivated the ick. Well, maybe where YOU come from your attitude is considered healthy… to me it’s utterly bizarre to regard the bathroom with such horror. Everyone in my family keeps reading material in the bathroom. Most of my friends do. I’ve been a guest in houses where the host/ess offers to update the bathroom reading material if there is none presently there to my liking… But thank you for informing me that if I should ever visit you that this is not your culture and I will refrain from mentioning “reading” and “toilet” in the same sentence. I’ll file it under Middle Eastern loathing of shoes/soles of feet, Asian dislike of knives at the dinner table, celibacy of clergy in the Roman church, and other customs I don’t share but need to respect in other locations.’ Just for future reference - is this a common European custom, or limited to the UK or just London? ---
**Author:** ![OpalCat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/8edcca/32.png) [@OpalCat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OpalCat)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2010, 9:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-bring-reading-material-into-the-bathroom-when-using-the-toilet/537197/36 "2010-04-24T21:43:39Z")
I do read in the bathroom, but I also wash my hands and am careful about things. I’ve been in enough public restrooms to realize that there are great hordes of people out there who do not wash their hands after using the bathroom… This is one of the primary reasons why I don’t like library books. ---
**Author:** ![Ann\_Onimous](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ea5d25/32.png) [@Ann\_Onimous](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ann_Onimous)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2010, 9:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-bring-reading-material-into-the-bathroom-when-using-the-toilet/537197/37 "2010-04-24T21:44:52Z")
Absolutely! That’s where we keep the Motor Trend. Makes going potty enjoyable! ---
**Author:** ![Darryl\_Lict](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/7cd45c/32.png) [@Darryl\_Lict](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darryl_Lict)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2010, 9:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-bring-reading-material-into-the-bathroom-when-using-the-toilet/537197/38 "2010-04-24T21:52:11Z")
> [@chorpler](#): > > Also, I take a really long time in the shower. 20 minutes is a minimum. I actually cranked up the temperature on the water heater just so I could use less hot water and make the shower last longer. > > Anyway, with all that time, I’d get super bored if I didn’t have something to read… How the hell do you read in the shower? Waterproof Kindle? I’m a superfast shiiter, and I just cancelled my subscription to the L.A. Times, so no, I don’t read on the can. ---
**Author:** ![gwendee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/35a633/32.png) [@gwendee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gwendee)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2010, 10:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-bring-reading-material-into-the-bathroom-when-using-the-toilet/537197/39 "2010-04-24T22:01:33Z")
Most of the time I don’t, but after this many trips around the sun I can tell if a visit to the WC is going to take a few extra minutes. Those times I do take something to read. More often than not it’s a catalog or magazine. When my son was older than toddler age but much younger than he is now there were occasions when I just took a book in there to read a chapter relatively uninterupted. That wasn’t necessarily on the can, sometimes I’d just sit in the bathtub in my clothes. Just for a small break. ---
**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:** [April 24, 2010, 10:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-bring-reading-material-into-the-bathroom-when-using-the-toilet/537197/40 "2010-04-24T22:07:44Z")
I was tempted to be overly literal and answer No, both because (1) as posters like **don’t ask** said, there’s already plenty there, and (2) it’s the reading, not the bringing, that happens at the actual time of the toilet-using. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-bring-reading-material-into-the-bathroom-when-using-the-toilet/537197.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-bring-reading-material-into-the-bathroom-when-using-the-toilet/537197.md?page=3)