# Do you close the lid on your toilet when it is not in use? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [November 19, 2011, 4:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-close-the-lid-on-your-toilet-when-it-is-not-in-use/603418 "2011-11-19T04:07:54Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![Lust4Life](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ecc23a/32.png) [@Lust4Life](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lust4Life)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2011, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-close-the-lid-on-your-toilet-when-it-is-not-in-use/603418/81 "2011-11-20T17:54:55Z")
> [@Freudian\_Slit](#): > > Don’t most people flush when they’re still on the toilet anyway? Seems like it would be pretty hard for stuff to get up. If I’m taking a dump, I like to flush before I wipe anyway so getting up and putting the lid down would be a pretty big inconvenience… Good point I never thought about that. ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2011, 6:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-close-the-lid-on-your-toilet-when-it-is-not-in-use/603418/82 "2011-11-20T18:16:11Z")
When I worked in real estate, I would flatly refuse to put a photo of a bathroom that showed an open toilet on-line with our listings. I just thought it looked nasty. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2011, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-close-the-lid-on-your-toilet-when-it-is-not-in-use/603418/83 "2011-11-20T19:24:21Z")
Yes, though a big part of the reason we got into the habit of closing the lid was a cat who liked to play in the toilet (and make a wet mess). ---
**Author:** ![phantom\_lamb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/5f9b8f/32.png) [@phantom\_lamb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/phantom_lamb)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2011, 11:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-close-the-lid-on-your-toilet-when-it-is-not-in-use/603418/84 "2011-11-21T11:49:51Z")
Nope, never close the lid. In fact, for many years I wondered what the hell it was for anyway. Guess it’s a cultural thing. No one here closes the lid, my family also never did, that’s how I grew up. When I visited Germany and noticed everyone closes the lid, I found it a bit silly and unnecessarily pedantic, to be honest. ---
**Author:** ![6ImpossibleThingsB4Breakfast](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/6/e19adc/32.png) [@6ImpossibleThingsB4Breakfast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/6ImpossibleThingsB4Breakfast)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2011, 12:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-close-the-lid-on-your-toilet-when-it-is-not-in-use/603418/85 "2011-11-21T12:04:03Z")
> [@Freudian\_Slit](#): > > Don’t most people flush when they’re still on the toilet anyway? Seems like it would be pretty hard for stuff to get up. If I’m taking a dump, I like to flush before I wipe anyway so getting up and putting the lid down would be a pretty big inconvenience… \*Whaaaat? \* I’ve never heard of such a gross thing. What is the advantage of flushing while you’re still on it and _before_ you’ve wiped? Actually, sorry **Freudian Slit** , forget I asked. I don’t think I want to 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:** [November 21, 2011, 12:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-close-the-lid-on-your-toilet-when-it-is-not-in-use/603418/86 "2011-11-21T12:12:19Z")
I know you said you didn’t want to know but where I used to live, the toilets would sometimes get backed up easily so it was better to poop and flush and then wipe. 🙂 I don’t understand why it’s gross, though. It’s never occurred to me that some toilets are so powerful that people get wet just from sitting on them. ---
**Author:** ![VunderBob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/839c29/32.png) [@VunderBob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VunderBob)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2011, 12:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-close-the-lid-on-your-toilet-when-it-is-not-in-use/603418/87 "2011-11-21T12:14:01Z")
Sometimes, to keep the dog out. ---
**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:** [November 21, 2011, 12:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-close-the-lid-on-your-toilet-when-it-is-not-in-use/603418/88 "2011-11-21T12:44:06Z")
It’s so hard to believe that this is the same Dope where peeing in pools and in the shower is no big deal. When did you guys become such delicate flowers? 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Lightnin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lightnin/32/180_2.png) [@Lightnin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lightnin)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2011, 2:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-close-the-lid-on-your-toilet-when-it-is-not-in-use/603418/89 "2011-11-21T14:15:58Z")
I’ve got dogs, so yes, I close it. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2011, 2:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-close-the-lid-on-your-toilet-when-it-is-not-in-use/603418/90 "2011-11-21T14:27:54Z")
> [@6ImpossibleThingsB4Breakfast](#): > > \*Whaaaat? \* > > I’ve never heard of such a gross thing. > > What is the advantage of flushing while you’re still on it and _before_ you’ve wiped? > > Actually, sorry **Freudian Slit** , forget I asked. I don’t think I want to know. Just make sure you don’t out of habit flush while you’re sitting on one of those toilets in an airliner. ---
**Author:** ![Snickers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/5daacb/32.png) [@Snickers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snickers)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2011, 6:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-close-the-lid-on-your-toilet-when-it-is-not-in-use/603418/91 "2011-11-21T18:10:26Z")
SpouseO has trained me to always close the lid - he prefers it that way, mostly because of the spray thing, I guess. Growing up, we never closed the lid and we had cats - apparently they learned how to navigate it all, because I never remember one falling in. And bonus water for them to drink, should we forget. It’s funny - he swears up and down that his parents taught him to close the lid, but they never do. At least, never at our house. And when our cats were little, one of them did jump in when the lid was left up. (In their defense, the lid had never been up before, or in recent memory. The idea that it might be up simply didn’t enter into their tiny little minds. I don’t know whether they check first now or not.) I think that I did keep my toilet cleaner when I lived with my sister (where we left the lid up), though. It’s that whole “out of sight, out of mind” thing. ---
**Author:** ![Infovore](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/infovore/32/420_2.png) [@Infovore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Infovore)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2011, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-close-the-lid-on-your-toilet-when-it-is-not-in-use/603418/92 "2011-11-21T18:25:42Z")
I always close the lid before flushing to avoid droplets. I keep it closed because my cats _love_ toilets (one of them likes to flush them, but sadly keeping the lid shut has nothing to do with deterring him from this.) ---
**Author:** ![Anne\_Neville](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Anne\_Neville](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anne_Neville)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2011, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-close-the-lid-on-your-toilet-when-it-is-not-in-use/603418/93 "2011-11-21T18:35:49Z")
> [@rinni](#): > > Closed! I’m clumsy, our bathroom is small, and there have been many occasions where I’ve thought, “Gee, I’m glad the toilet lid was closed, or else I’d be fishing that makeup brush/toothbrush/entire roll of toilet paper/severed head out of the bowl right now!” This. Fishing severed heads out of the toilet is just all kinds of ick. Remember, hair and flesh go in the trash. > [@twickster](#): > > For the pet-owners who keep it down so their pets won’t drink out of it – why do you care if your pets drink out of it? Because I’m the cat mom and I said so, that’s why! I can’t control anything _else_ my cats do, so I need _something_ I can control. ---
**Author:** ![Lynn\_Bodoni](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e47c2d/32.png) [@Lynn\_Bodoni](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lynn_Bodoni)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2011, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-close-the-lid-on-your-toilet-when-it-is-not-in-use/603418/94 "2011-11-21T18:43:17Z")
> [@](#): > > Because I’m the cat mom and I said so, that’s why! I can’t control anything _else_ my cats do, so I need _something_ I can control. Oh, that’s easy. Just put a can of cat food on the floor, and then put the can opener beside it. Watch the cats go crazy as they try to convince you that they are starving. Then remind them that YOU are the one with opposable thumbs. ---
**Author:** ![Anne\_Neville](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Anne\_Neville](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anne_Neville)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2011, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-close-the-lid-on-your-toilet-when-it-is-not-in-use/603418/95 "2011-11-21T18:46:14Z")
> [@Lynn\_Bodoni](#): > > Oh, that’s easy. Just put a can of cat food on the floor, and then put the can opener beside it. Watch the cats go crazy as they try to convince you that they are starving. Then remind them that YOU are the one with opposable thumbs. Warning: this may cause headaches and hearing loss if one of your cats is a Siamese mix, like Luna. She doesn’t yowl about not being allowed to drink out of the toilet- she can’t miss what she never had. ---
**Author:** ![perfectparanoia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a5b964/32.png) [@perfectparanoia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/perfectparanoia)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2011, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-close-the-lid-on-your-toilet-when-it-is-not-in-use/603418/96 "2011-11-21T19:02:39Z")
I leave the seat up for my convenience. In the middle of the night, I don’t want to be bothered putting it up. An added advantage for the next few weeks is that I am on crutches. It is not easy to lift the toilet seat and then do a 180 to go to the bathroom (as discovered since my son puts the lid down because that’s how grandpa does it. Thanks Dad!). ---
**Author:** ![Zebra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/c0e974/32.png) [@Zebra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zebra)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2011, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-close-the-lid-on-your-toilet-when-it-is-not-in-use/603418/97 "2011-11-21T19:48:58Z")
Well being on crutches is a good excuse. I’m glad to see that civilization is outnumbering the barbarian horde by 2 to 1. ---
**Author:** ![Madame\_Joy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a698b9/32.png) [@Madame\_Joy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Madame_Joy)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2011, 8:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-close-the-lid-on-your-toilet-when-it-is-not-in-use/603418/98 "2011-11-21T20:17:22Z")
Yes, for a few reasons. First on the list is the dreaded toilet plume. Next is the unsightliness of our rust-stained porcelain (CLR & the like are only a temporary, partial fix). Then there is the fact that the toilet gets more usage as a seat/table than for its main intended purpose. But, what it mostly comes down to is habit: that’s the way I’ve always done it, and ditto for my SO. ---
**Author:** ![OpalCat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/8edcca/32.png) [@OpalCat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OpalCat)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2011, 8:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-close-the-lid-on-your-toilet-when-it-is-not-in-use/603418/99 "2011-11-21T20:50:58Z")
Yes, for three reasons. First, the cats will get into it. Yucky. Second, I don’t want to look at the inside of the toilet (yes, even when it’s clean), and third, if it’s closed, nothing can fall into it. ---
**Author:** ![Procrustus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/procrustus/32/2994_2.png) [@Procrustus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Procrustus)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2011, 8:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-close-the-lid-on-your-toilet-when-it-is-not-in-use/603418/100 "2011-11-21T20:56:05Z")
> [@perfectparanoia](#): > > I leave the seat up for my convenience. In the middle of the night, I don’t want to be bothered putting it up. > > . Slight hijack, how many people actually have to go in the middle of the night? I would estimate that I have to do that less than once per year. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-close-the-lid-on-your-toilet-when-it-is-not-in-use/603418.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-close-the-lid-on-your-toilet-when-it-is-not-in-use/603418.md?page=6)