Cecil, I’ve heard for years about the spread of germs through toilets with lids up. However, I’ve never heard any hard science about the spread of germs with the lids down. How do the two compare? Do the ladies have a point?
I second this! How much does it help, if at all? (In defense of the ladies, I say that if there is a lid, why NOT put it down?)
I worked with a guy who was positively pathological about this, to the point where he had seals (made from foam weatherstrip) for his home toilet. Most germophobic person I’ve ever met; prone to making comments like, “You know, a fart is like smelling the inside of someone’s rectum.”
That’s why I never flush. If you put enough stuff in there it will eventually go away. It’s been 6 months so far and it seems that “eventually” is longer than that.
Maybe you need less fiber.
“Aerosolized bacteria”. Blurg.
I found a nifty PubMed abstract, but no comparison with lid up/lid down. There are probably studies with this, should you feel the urge to Google. This one contains the entertaining phrase “surrogate fecal matter”. (See figures 2A and B for likelihood of infection.)
tl:dr – put the lid down.
It does seem to pile up nicely though.
What, 7 posts and no link to the column?
Yes, thank you very much for referencing the column in question here, Cochrane.
We’re always happy to see new people and we hope you enjoy your time at the Straight Dope … we’ll love you more if you link to the relevant column. It’s a nice habit to get into.