# Odd Public Restroom Habits You've Observed **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [March 15, 2013, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/odd-public-restroom-habits-youve-observed/653033 "2013-03-15T19:33:38Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Peremensoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ce7236/32.png) [@Peremensoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peremensoe)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2013, 10:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/odd-public-restroom-habits-youve-observed/653033/21 "2013-03-15T22:28:12Z")
> [@Meltdown](#): > > In the bathroom at my office, we have two urinals and three toilets. Needing to urinate, I walked in and noticed there were people at both urinals and another guy was standing at the side. None of the toilets were in use, so I walked past him and used one. > > As I’m leaving, I noticed that the guy who was standing to the side earlier is now using the urinal. Apparently, he was waiting for one of the urinals to be free instead of using the toilet. > > I thought that was weird. But maybe I’m weird for not waiting. Is it more poilite to leave toilets available for those whose needs can’t be met by urinals? No, he’s weird. Taking a leak in a toilet isn’t going to block anybody very long, and in your case there were two more spare toilets anyway. Along those lines, I have seen men using a toilet stall to pee, as you did… and closing the door behind them. Why? ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2013, 10:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/odd-public-restroom-habits-youve-observed/653033/22 "2013-03-15T22:31:17Z")
> [@tdn](#): > > 1. “I don’t like remnants.” I tested this with a squirt gun, some food dye, and a broken urinal. Fluid already in the urinal will not splash back on you. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2013, 10:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/odd-public-restroom-habits-youve-observed/653033/23 "2013-03-15T22:33:38Z")
> [@Meltdown](#): > > In the bathroom at my office, we have two urinals and three toilets. Needing to urinate, I walked in and noticed there were people at both urinals and another guy was standing at the side. None of the toilets were in use, so I walked past him and used one. > > As I’m leaving, I noticed that the guy who was standing to the side earlier is now using the urinal. Apparently, he was waiting for one of the urinals to be free instead of using the toilet. A urinal uses a lot less water. Maybe he’s just environmentally conscious. I will do the same unless I REALLY gotta go. ---
**Author:** ![Peremensoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ce7236/32.png) [@Peremensoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peremensoe)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2013, 10:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/odd-public-restroom-habits-youve-observed/653033/24 "2013-03-15T22:36:00Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > A urinal uses a lot less water. Maybe he’s just environmentally conscious. I will do the same unless I REALLY gotta go. Not-flushing uses the least water. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2013, 10:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/odd-public-restroom-habits-youve-observed/653033/25 "2013-03-15T22:51:12Z")
> [@Peremensoe](#): > > Not-flushing uses the least water. True, and I often don’t flush at a urinal, depending. ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2013, 11:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/odd-public-restroom-habits-youve-observed/653033/26 "2013-03-15T23:33:01Z")
> [@purplehorseshoe](#): > > I used to try to mask or reduce my noises. Now I let 'er rip! 😃 I’m sure that eventually I’m going to shart pretty badly one of these days, while trying to maximize my fart volume while some dumbass is chatting away while taking a crap in our work bathroom. And we have one of the paper-towel-penis holder types in our office- I always want to ask him what he’s doing that his dong is so unsanitary that he won’t touch it, but haven’t had the balls to ask yet, seeing as he’s a cranky, awkward old-ish guy. I suppose maybe the logical answer may be that he takes the paper towel, pees, and uses the towel to hit the flush lever because he thinks it’s germy. (which it’s likely not; metal surfaces are typically toxic to bacteria) ---
**Author:** ![Meltdown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Meltdown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Meltdown)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2013, 11:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/odd-public-restroom-habits-youve-observed/653033/27 "2013-03-15T23:49:32Z")
> [@purplehorseshoe](#): > > Half the time the’d flush before sitting down, because their pee-pee is so snowflakey speshul that it can only be released into clean drinking water. I’m a guy, but I’ll cop to doing this. I’m not sure exactly why. Maybe I just like wasting water. 😉 Actually, **DrDeth** , thanks for your theory. That actually makes sense, and it would never have occurred to me. ---
**Author:** ![steviep24](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/5f9b8f/32.png) [@steviep24](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/steviep24)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2013, 11:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/odd-public-restroom-habits-youve-observed/653033/28 "2013-03-15T23:54:38Z")
Another weird behavior are those who record videos of a toilet flushing and post them on YouTube. ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2013, 12:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/odd-public-restroom-habits-youve-observed/653033/29 "2013-03-16T00:12:11Z")
> [@Peremensoe](#): > > I have seen men using a toilet stall to pee, as you did… and closing the door behind them. Why? In most public restrooms, the stall doors hang open just a few inches when the door’s not shut. So if someone’s in there but hasn’t shut the door, you don’t notice until you push the stall door the rest of the way open to go in, and it bumps off of the person inside. So that’s why one should close the stall door, regardless of whether one is peeing or pooping inside. ---
**Author:** ![eschereal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eschereal/32/18939_2.png) [@eschereal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschereal)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2013, 12:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/odd-public-restroom-habits-youve-observed/653033/30 "2013-03-16T00:18:38Z")
> [@bump](#): > > And we have one of the paper-towel-penis holder types in our office… I would just ignore that, unless you notice him holding it in a paper towel _tube_. ---
**Author:** ![Chilliwack](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e79b87/32.png) [@Chilliwack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chilliwack)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2013, 12:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/odd-public-restroom-habits-youve-observed/653033/31 "2013-03-16T00:30:21Z")
> [@Jackknifed\_Juggernaut](#): > > 1. Grabbing a small piece of paper towel before using the urinal. This is not very common, but I have observed it a few times. While I don’t look, it does seem that man holds his penis with the paper towel. Does he think his hand is dirty (to keep his penis clean), his penis is dirty (to keep his hand clean), or something else? I always wash my hands before urinating if I’ve shaken hands with or handled something from a person with a visible cold sore. It’s just not a chance I’m prepared to take. This would also make sense if you’ve been eating extremely hot chicken wings. ---
**Author:** ![Bootis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e8c25b/32.png) [@Bootis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bootis)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2013, 1:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/odd-public-restroom-habits-youve-observed/653033/32 "2013-03-16T01:27:55Z")
At my work there are 3 stalls in the bathroom. As far as i can tell, they are identical stalls. If I have to crap, I’ll go to the one farthest away. Almost invariably, if someone else comes in while I’m in there, and goes to a stall, it will be middle stall, next to me. What. the. hell. ---
**Author:** ![GoodOmens](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/d26b3c/32.png) [@GoodOmens](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GoodOmens)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2013, 1:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/odd-public-restroom-habits-youve-observed/653033/33 "2013-03-16T01:58:40Z")
> [@Peremensoe](#): > > Along those lines, I have seen men using a toilet stall to pee, as you did… and closing the door behind them. Why? Because I don’t like standing there with my wang out. I’m an introverted, overly modest person and I hate public bathrooms. I get nervous. If I think there are enough open stalls that someone with a shit emergency will be alright, I’ll use one. If there’s a door, I might as well use that too. If there is a shortage of toilets, I’ll use the urinal, but pissing against a wall just isn’t my idea of a good time. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2013, 2:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/odd-public-restroom-habits-youve-observed/653033/34 "2013-03-16T02:05:52Z")
The ice in the urinals thing is because the cold will tend to suppress smells. ---
**Author:** ![Maserschmidt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/maserschmidt/32/18829_2.png) [@Maserschmidt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maserschmidt)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2013, 2:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/odd-public-restroom-habits-youve-observed/653033/35 "2013-03-16T02:14:52Z")
A couple of buildings back in my current career, there was a handicapped stall in the bathroom that I liked to use. Weirdly, every couple of days there would be a big, wadded paper towel in the middle of the floor, soaking wet…and as best I could tell without inspecting it, it was perfectly clean. I still have no idea what was up with that. ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2013, 2:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/odd-public-restroom-habits-youve-observed/653033/36 "2013-03-16T02:24:06Z")
> [@Maserschmidt](#): > > A couple of buildings back in my current career, there was a handicapped stall in the bathroom that I liked to use. Probably the weirdest public bathroom habits I can think of is that the handicapped toilet in the men’s room on my floor is by far the most popular place to take a crap versus the normal stall adjacent to it. I don’t get it- our handicapped stall is like a jail crapper- it feels like it’s out in the middle of a huge stall, and I don’t like it. ---
**Author:** ![Ambivalid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a5b964/32.png) [@Ambivalid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ambivalid)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2013, 2:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/odd-public-restroom-habits-youve-observed/653033/37 "2013-03-16T02:38:07Z")
> [@Maserschmidt](#): > > A couple of buildings back in my current career, there was a handicapped stall in the bathroom that I liked to use. Weirdly, every couple of days there would be a big, wadded paper towel in the middle of the floor, soaking wet…and as best I could tell without inspecting it, it was perfectly clean. I still have no idea what was up with that. Probably a legitimately disabled individual driven to desperation and attempting to make the stall a bit less attractive to all those who don’t need it. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Peremensoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ce7236/32.png) [@Peremensoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peremensoe)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2013, 2:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/odd-public-restroom-habits-youve-observed/653033/38 "2013-03-16T02:47:00Z")
> [@RTFirefly](#): > > In most public restrooms, the stall doors hang open just a few inches when the door’s not shut. So if someone’s in there but hasn’t shut the door, you don’t notice until you push the stall door the rest of the way open to go in, and it bumps off of the person inside. > > So that’s why one should close the stall door, regardless of whether one is peeing or pooping inside. Or, you could just leave the door wide open, leaving your back exposed the way it is at a urinal. You don’t have problems with people trying to get in to your urinal stall, do you? ---
**Author:** ![Maserschmidt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/maserschmidt/32/18829_2.png) [@Maserschmidt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maserschmidt)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2013, 2:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/odd-public-restroom-habits-youve-observed/653033/39 "2013-03-16T02:48:31Z")
> [@Ambivalid](#): > > Probably a legitimately disabled individual driven to desperation and attempting to make the stall a bit less attractive to all those who don’t need it. 😉 That does it! Now I’m going to go and park in a handicapped spot! 😉 Actually, I’m sure we could start a whole new thread on this, but I spent 10 years in that building and never saw a handicapped male! Ah, the classics… https://www.youtube.com/embed/LgedBRXw7fY?feature=oembed&wmode=opaque ---
**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:** [March 16, 2013, 3:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/odd-public-restroom-habits-youve-observed/653033/40 "2013-03-16T03:12:21Z")
> [@Chilliwack](#): > > I always wash my hands before urinating if I’ve shaken hands with or handled something from a person with a visible cold sore. It’s just not a chance I’m prepared to take. > > This would also make sense if you’ve been eating extremely hot chicken wings. Or just handling [jalapenos](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=563468). [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/odd-public-restroom-habits-youve-observed/653033.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/odd-public-restroom-habits-youve-observed/653033.md?page=3)