# Flush first? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [April 19, 2008, 3:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flush-first/445974 "2008-04-19T03:36:04Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![OpalCat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/8edcca/32.png) [@OpalCat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OpalCat)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2008, 3:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flush-first/445974/1 "2008-04-19T03:36:04Z")
When you go into the bathroom and there is TP floating around in the toilet, do you flush first before using it? It seems like a waste of water, but I do it anyway. The reason is that I learned the hard way that some of the time, the reason the TP didn’t go down is because _the toilet is clogged_ and I want to make sure it’s actually going to flush properly before I add anything. I was raised in Arizona and so wasting water is something I’m sensitive to, but I just can’t take that risk that I’m gonna be ankle-deep in whatever is in there if I don’t check first. :X What do you do? (I also flush if there is pee in there from the last person–I don’t want someone else’s pee splashing on me.) ---
**Author:** ![Harmonious\_Discord](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/74df32/32.png) [@Harmonious\_Discord](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harmonious_Discord)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2008, 3:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flush-first/445974/2 "2008-04-19T03:55:31Z")
Flush. I don’t want to deal with a loaded overflowing toilet ---
**Author:** ![HongKongFooey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/c4cdca/32.png) [@HongKongFooey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HongKongFooey)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2008, 3:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flush-first/445974/3 "2008-04-19T03:55:48Z")
[QUOTE=OpalCat] some of the time, the reason the TP didn’t go down is because _the toilet is clogged_ [/QUOTE] How right you are! As a guy this really hasn’t been an issue for me for most of my life. Now that I have daughters who are constantly needing to go while we’re out I’ve learned this the hard way. I always flush first now. The last time it happened the bowl filled as full as it could without spilling over, bleah. ---
**Author:** ![Don\_t\_fight\_the\_hypothetical](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/59ef9b/32.png) [@Don\_t\_fight\_the\_hypothetical](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Don_t_fight_the_hypothetical)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2008, 4:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flush-first/445974/4 "2008-04-19T04:01:06Z")
As a guy I don’t worry about splash back when peeing. For me the ecological damage by double flushing is just too great. Besides the TP dampens the noise. ---
**Author:** ![hocow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hocow/32/4112_2.png) [@hocow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hocow)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2008, 4:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flush-first/445974/5 "2008-04-19T04:18:18Z")
[QUOTE=OpalCat] (I also flush if there is pee in there from the last person–I don’t want someone else’s pee splashing on me.) [/QUOTE] This is the only reason I flush first when I see TP hanging around. I assume that the last person forgot to flush, regardless of the color of the water. I don’t want to be the subject of a warped version of [Urine on my Pants](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=464154). 😛 ---
**Author:** ![HongKongFooey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/c4cdca/32.png) [@HongKongFooey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HongKongFooey)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2008, 4:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flush-first/445974/6 "2008-04-19T04:21:09Z")
[QUOTE=hocow] This is the only reason I flush first when I see TP hanging around. I assume that the last person forgot to flush, regardless of the color of the water. I don’t want to be the subject of a warped version of [Urine on my Pants](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=464154). 😛 [/QUOTE] Come on, take one for the team! 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Ruby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/13edae/32.png) [@Ruby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ruby)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2008, 4:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flush-first/445974/7 "2008-04-19T04:37:51Z")
Flush. Absolutely flush. Water conservation be temporarily damned. The thought of splashback or overflow of someone else’s pee completely squicks me out. ---
**Author:** ![Cunctator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/43a26b/32.png) [@Cunctator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cunctator)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2008, 5:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flush-first/445974/8 "2008-04-19T05:34:08Z")
No. What a waste of water! ---
**Author:** ![OpalCat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/8edcca/32.png) [@OpalCat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OpalCat)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2008, 5:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flush-first/445974/9 "2008-04-19T05:35:02Z")
If it’s clogged, the overflow is likely to be more than just pee :X ---
**Author:** ![sandra\_nz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/eada6e/32.png) [@sandra\_nz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sandra_nz)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2008, 5:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flush-first/445974/10 "2008-04-19T05:37:34Z")
If it’s our loo at home, I’ll happily pee away and flush after. Our toilet doesn’t have the strongest flush in the world so it’s not uncommon for a bit of TP to stay in the bowl. ---
**Author:** ![OpalCat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/8edcca/32.png) [@OpalCat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OpalCat)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2008, 5:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flush-first/445974/11 "2008-04-19T05:47:18Z")
At my old place in Virginia it was the opposite: the toilet had an obsession with becoming clogged. If a piece of lint fell into the bowl, it overflowed. Gah! That’s probably why I’m so gunshy now. ---
**Author:** ![GameHat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ed655f/32.png) [@GameHat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GameHat)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2008, 6:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flush-first/445974/12 "2008-04-19T06:33:48Z")
You’re not a man until you’ve broken up a light toilet clog with a powerful stream of urine. Believe in yourself! ---
**Author:** ![bbs2k](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e495f1/32.png) [@bbs2k](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bbs2k)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2008, 8:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flush-first/445974/13 "2008-04-19T08:11:52Z")
1. Full of toilet paper: yes, a clog is ew and more work post-pooping. 2. Other people’s urine: I am immune to urine, especially on my bum, having worked with that and many ickier things for years now. There is no number three. ---
**Author:** ![Khadaji](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Khadaji](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khadaji)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2008, 11:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flush-first/445974/14 "2008-04-19T11:54:37Z")
I do and for the same reason as mentioned in the OP. ---
**Author:** ![OpalCat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/8edcca/32.png) [@OpalCat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OpalCat)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2008, 1:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flush-first/445974/15 "2008-04-19T13:21:50Z")
[QUOTE=GameHat] You’re not a man until you’ve broken up a light toilet clog with a powerful stream of urine. Believe in yourself! [/QUOTE] I’m never going to be a man no matter what I believe in. It’s this darn vagina hampering my manliness! ---
**Author:** ![Litoris](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/9f8e36/32.png) [@Litoris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Litoris)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2008, 2:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flush-first/445974/16 "2008-04-19T14:03:10Z")
If there’s not another toilet available (I am assuming we’re in public here?) I will go ahead and pee. Clogged toilet in public is _not my problem_ and I’d rather risk overflow from which I can escape than have those tiny piss and shit particles flying up at me. Everytime you flush, whatever is in the toilet can become airborne as small particles. Oh, and you girls who are afraid of the pee splashing on you? WTF are you doing? I have never had splash back – and can’t imagine having it from _peeing_. ---
**Author:** ![shijinn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/cc9497/32.png) [@shijinn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/shijinn)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2008, 2:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flush-first/445974/17 "2008-04-19T14:44:54Z")
**flush** brandish remote flusher. “I prefer a clean bowl.” ---
**Author:** ![Brown\_Eyed\_Girl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/brown_eyed_girl/32/3574_2.png) [@Brown\_Eyed\_Girl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Brown_Eyed_Girl)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2008, 2:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flush-first/445974/18 "2008-04-19T14:59:36Z")
[QUOTE=shijinn] brandish remote flusher. [/QUOTE] I WANT ONE!!! ---
**Author:** ![Mama\_Tiger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/6de8d8/32.png) [@Mama\_Tiger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mama_Tiger)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2008, 3:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flush-first/445974/19 "2008-04-19T15:05:58Z")
It depends on which toilet. If it’s our front bathroom, it has a tendency to clog at the first sign of anything, and since Papa Tigs, like so many men, apparently, uses massive wads of TP, I either give it a precautionary flush or plunge it just to be safe. If it’s the master bath, no biggie; it’s never clogged \ in the time we’ve lived here, so no need to flush. If anyone’s pee splashes back, it’s either mine or Papa Tigs’, so there’s no nasty germies there I haven’t already been exposed to. ---
**Author:** ![imthjckaz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/imthjckaz/32/3223_2.png) [@imthjckaz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/imthjckaz)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2008, 4:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flush-first/445974/20 "2008-04-19T16:22:52Z")
[QUOTE=OpalCat] It’s this darn vagina hampering my manliness! [/QUOTE] Oh, many a man has expressed this also. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flush-first/445974.md?page=2)