# Leave toilet cover up or down when traveling? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [March 16, 2023, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/leave-toilet-cover-up-or-down-when-traveling/981263 "2023-03-16T18:07:01Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2023, 10:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/leave-toilet-cover-up-or-down-when-traveling/981263/21 "2023-04-22T22:48:47Z")
The net effect for practical human health of having a few bacteria on surfaces that are the same bacteria that already populate your gut is zero. If someone you live with catches a disease you want to avoid, sure, worry about toilet aerosols. In fact, use separate bathrooms if at all possible. But normally, you and the people you live with already share the same microbes. And there’s no reason to worry about a few gut bacteria in the bathroom. If your tiles are clean, they aren’t going to reproduce or anything. Just wash your hands carefully before handling food, especially food you might feed to guests, or food that might sit out for looking enough for the buggies to grow. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2023, 11:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/leave-toilet-cover-up-or-down-when-traveling/981263/22 "2023-04-22T23:05:36Z")
Yeah. 'Zactly. Lots of people are waaay too scared of toilet cooties from strangers. And even from housemates. Earlier today I was up to my elbows in a poop+water filled toilet trying unsuccessfully to unclog it with makeshift tools. This being Saturday the building won’t call an emergency plumber out unless both of our bathrooms are inop. Can’t say I blame them. And we don’t really have a good place to store a plunger or closet auger. Both of which I owned in my prior condo but which were trashed in the move here. Got done with the poopy water, washed my arms and hands and went back to eating some snacks out of a bowl by hand. BFD. I’m reminded of a scene from the Billy Crystal movie _City Slickers_. I tried to find the relevant clip on YouTube but failed. Anyhow, Crystal’s neurotic city-boy character staying at the dude ranch is agonizing to some other dude guests over some intricate personal problem when the crusty cowboy ranch hand character overhears him and contemptuously responds something close to: > Boy, you city people sure worry about a lot of shit! and goes back to whatever cowboy task he was doing while shaking his head. ---
**Author:** ![Steven\_Maven](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steven_maven/32/3272_2.png) [@Steven\_Maven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steven_Maven)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2023, 11:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/leave-toilet-cover-up-or-down-when-traveling/981263/23 "2023-04-22T23:10:43Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > There is a tremendous difference between macroscopic water drops you can easily see and microscopic aerosols you cannot possibly see even in large numbers. I searched and found multiple independent articles saying “Research has found that flushing the toilet with the lid down could reduce airborne particles by as much as 50%.” I stand corrected. ---
**Author:** ![chela](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chela/32/21582_2.png) [@chela](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chela)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2023, 11:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/leave-toilet-cover-up-or-down-when-traveling/981263/24 "2023-04-22T23:37:12Z")
Certainly it’s also more aesthetic to flush your dump after the lid is closed. Porta potties nws AND. Always close the lid after use in a Porta potty ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2023, 12:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/leave-toilet-cover-up-or-down-when-traveling/981263/25 "2023-04-23T00:14:02Z")
> [@Steven\_Maven](#): > > I stand corrected. All good. We aim to inform around here. But as others have said, the “50% reduction” in particles may be a provable fact of plumbing physics, but at the very same time biologically speaking it’s utterly immaterial and useless. It’s a difference that Does. Not. Matter. Despite the germophobes wailing & gnashing of teeth. Oh yeah, almost forgot … I _totally_ salute your decision to conduct your newsprint experiment and share the results. That is the mark of a smart curious dude. Would that we had more of them in this world. A tip o’ me cap in your general direction Good Sir. Seriously, not leg-pullingly. ---
**Author:** ![Dallas\_Jones](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dallas_jones/32/3277_2.png) [@Dallas\_Jones](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dallas_Jones)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2023, 12:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/leave-toilet-cover-up-or-down-when-traveling/981263/26 "2023-04-23T00:23:55Z")
If I am going to be getting my money’s worth out of this hotel room, the possibility of germs on the toilet seat should be the least of your worries. ---
**Author:** ![Galactus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/galactus/32/3581_2.png) [@Galactus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Galactus)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2023, 2:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/leave-toilet-cover-up-or-down-when-traveling/981263/27 "2023-04-23T02:11:40Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > I’m reminded of a scene from the Billy Crystal movie _City Slickers_ That line is at about the 1:30 mark. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/PunAKEccqyU/maxresdefault.jpg "City Slickers (8/11) Movie CLIP - The Secret of Life (1991) HD") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PunAKEccqyU) ---
**Author:** ![Steven\_Maven](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steven_maven/32/3272_2.png) [@Steven\_Maven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steven_Maven)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2023, 3:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/leave-toilet-cover-up-or-down-when-traveling/981263/28 "2023-04-23T15:50:13Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > we don’t really have a good place to store a plunger or closet auger. I can’t imagine a bathroom so small that you can’t put a plunger next to the toilet at the back. Not judging. BTW, I strongly recommend plungers with accordion folds over the hemisphere style. Tip it so it fills with water, seat it over the hole, then push. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2023, 4:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/leave-toilet-cover-up-or-down-when-traveling/981263/29 "2023-04-23T16:14:31Z")
It’s not a lack of space; the obstacle is the utter incompatibility of such a _gauche_ device with one’s spouse’s sense of appropraite _lavatoir_ décor. Certain things are simply Not. Done. Quite. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Orville\_mogul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/aeb1de/32.png) [@Orville\_mogul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Orville_mogul)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2023, 4:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/leave-toilet-cover-up-or-down-when-traveling/981263/30 "2023-04-23T16:30:49Z")
One of my all time favorite films. ---
**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:** [April 23, 2023, 4:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/leave-toilet-cover-up-or-down-when-traveling/981263/31 "2023-04-23T16:36:20Z")
> [@chela](#): > > You doubt the existence of toilet plume aerosols? After watching the Mythbusters episode on the subject, my toilet seat is always down, especially when flushing. ---
**Author:** ![Orville\_mogul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/aeb1de/32.png) [@Orville\_mogul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Orville_mogul)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2023, 4:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/leave-toilet-cover-up-or-down-when-traveling/981263/32 "2023-04-23T16:47:48Z")
I think I may have mentioned this before here, but over 90% of the people I know leave the toilet seat up, either in their home or when they visit mine. I truly cannot fathom why. If lids were meant to be left up, why do the toilet manufacturers make them in the first place? Sorry for the hijack… ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2023, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/leave-toilet-cover-up-or-down-when-traveling/981263/33 "2023-04-23T20:12:39Z")
They’re hoping to drown your pets? Just kidding? I find the idea of toilet seat lids to be the same as Kleenex box covers: mere decorative claptrap that impedes functionality and encourages excessive prissiness, fussy clean-freakery, and the increased sales of stupid branded cleaning products. My first wife and I lived happily for decades with the lids always up. Always. Why expend effort to lower it then effort again to raise it? It only interferes with toilet use; it does not enhance toilet use. I readily grant there are people with other POVs. But since you wanted an example of why someone might prefer not to bother, well now you have one. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2023, 9:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/leave-toilet-cover-up-or-down-when-traveling/981263/34 "2023-04-23T21:49:45Z")
> [@Orville\_mogul](#): > > I truly cannot fathom why. If lids were meant to be left up, why do the toilet manufacturers make them in the first place? Because you really really want the outhouse seat lid to exist, and to be left closed. And toilet seats are modeled after outhouse seats. Commercial toilets don’t have lids, because they aren’t needed, unless you’re afraid your kittens will fall into the toilet and drown. The only time i close the lid is when I’m fostering kittens, or I’m doing a project in the bathroom (like grouting) and want a little extra shelf space. (I vacation every summer at a place with out houses. Trust me, the lid is important.) ---
**Author:** ![Toxylon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f05b48/32.png) [@Toxylon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Toxylon)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2023, 10:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/leave-toilet-cover-up-or-down-when-traveling/981263/35 "2023-04-23T22:09:30Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > Why expend effort to lower it then effort again to raise it? Well, after watching the Mythbusters episode on this: because I don’t want to brush my teeth with feces. Also, ‘effort’ is a mighty big word for lifting / lowering a toilet lid weighing, what, 100 grams? ---
**Author:** ![Jackknifed\_Juggernaut](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/9de053/32.png) [@Jackknifed\_Juggernaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackknifed_Juggernaut)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2023, 2:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/leave-toilet-cover-up-or-down-when-traveling/981263/36 "2023-04-24T02:51:24Z")
But then don’t you have to open it to make sure everything is fully flushed? Flushes are not always perfect. I like to make sure the toilet is pristine for the next use. ---
**Author:** ![Jackknifed\_Juggernaut](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/9de053/32.png) [@Jackknifed\_Juggernaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackknifed_Juggernaut)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2023, 2:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/leave-toilet-cover-up-or-down-when-traveling/981263/37 "2023-04-24T02:59:51Z")
> [@Orville\_mogul](#): > > If lids were meant to be left up, why do the toilet manufacturers make them in the first place? I’ve used them as a regular seat in the bathroom. Usually when a significant other was in the same bathroom and we were having an “important” conversation of some sort. ---
**Author:** ![Spiderman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spiderman/32/230_2.png) [@Spiderman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spiderman)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2023, 3:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/leave-toilet-cover-up-or-down-when-traveling/981263/38 "2023-04-24T03:18:08Z")
> [@chela](#): > > Always close the lid after use in a Porta potty Do Porta pottys have lids? I’m not talking about pit bathrooms & outhouses, I mean the temporary plastic structures that they install at events which is what I assume you mean by porta potty. ---
**Author:** ![chela](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chela/32/21582_2.png) [@chela](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chela)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2023, 10:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/leave-toilet-cover-up-or-down-when-traveling/981263/39 "2023-04-24T10:33:33Z")
They absolutely have lids to help contain odors, keep out flies not too mention no one likes the view of an open well used Porta potty. Seriously it’s considered rude to leave those lids up at events. ---
**Author:** ![pullin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c57346/32.png) [@pullin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pullin)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2023, 3:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/leave-toilet-cover-up-or-down-when-traveling/981263/40 "2023-04-24T15:14:44Z")
I came into the thread dismayed, thinking that a lot more dopers had started RV-ing than I realized. I couldn’t think of any other relationship between toilet cover and travel. Before reading this, the house toilet covers were like closet doors – I never even thought about their positioning while I’m gone. > [@LSLGuy](#): > > Any vermin that enter the house via any other route will be happier if they can access that water. Lids down is better. Once a squirrel got in while we were gone for a few weeks. I think I would’ve preferred the live version over what I had to clean up. > [@its\_the\_daddy](#): > > In a mobile home, campervan or trailer caravan I **strongly** recommend down. Re-reading, I see I’ve been ninja-ed, yet again. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/leave-toilet-cover-up-or-down-when-traveling/981263.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/leave-toilet-cover-up-or-down-when-traveling/981263.md?page=3)