# Toilet bowl Plume **URL:** \ **Category:** Cecil's Columns/Staff Reports\ **Created:** [November 10, 2014, 5:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/toilet-bowl-plume/704254 "2014-11-10T17:58:30Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![westie\_lover](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/a9a28c/32.png) [@westie\_lover](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/westie_lover)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2014, 5:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/toilet-bowl-plume/704254/1 "2014-11-10T17:58:30Z")
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? ---
**Author:** ![Blue\_Blistering\_Barnacle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blue_blistering_barnacle/32/3386_2.png) [@Blue\_Blistering\_Barnacle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blue_Blistering_Barnacle)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2014, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/toilet-bowl-plume/704254/2 "2014-11-10T18:13:35Z")
> [@westie\_lover](#): > > 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?) ---
**Author:** ![Amateur\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/59ef9b/32.png) [@Amateur\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amateur_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2014, 7:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/toilet-bowl-plume/704254/3 "2014-11-10T19:13:37Z")
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.” ---
**Author:** ![GaryM](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/garym/32/241_2.png) [@GaryM](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GaryM)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2014, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/toilet-bowl-plume/704254/4 "2014-11-10T19:20:34Z")
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. ---
**Author:** ![yoyodyne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/a9a28c/32.png) [@yoyodyne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yoyodyne)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2014, 7:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/toilet-bowl-plume/704254/5 "2014-11-10T19:27:08Z")
> [@GaryM](#): > > 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. ---
**Author:** ![GrumpyBunny](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bc8723/32.png) [@GrumpyBunny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GrumpyBunny)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2014, 7:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/toilet-bowl-plume/704254/6 "2014-11-10T19:37:45Z")
> [@westie\_lover](#): > > 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? “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”.](http://www.ce.utexas.edu/prof/Siegel/papers/conference/jackson_2010_toilet_iaqvec2010.pdf) (See figures 2A and B for likelihood of infection.) tl:dr – put the lid down. ---
**Author:** ![GaryM](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/garym/32/241_2.png) [@GaryM](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GaryM)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2014, 11:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/toilet-bowl-plume/704254/7 "2014-11-10T23:02:52Z")
> [@yoyodyne](#): > > Maybe you need less fiber. It does seem to pile up nicely though. ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2014, 12:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/toilet-bowl-plume/704254/8 "2014-11-11T00:07:00Z")
What, 7 posts and no [link to the column?](http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/1317/does-flushing-the-toilet-cause-dirty-water-to-be-spewed-around-the-bathroom) ---
**Author:** ![TubaDiva](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tubadiva/32/507_2.png) [@TubaDiva](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TubaDiva)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2014, 1:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/toilet-bowl-plume/704254/9 "2014-11-11T01:55:44Z")
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.