# Toilet seat poll **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [February 2, 2010, 4:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/toilet-seat-poll/527390 "2010-02-02T16:08:31Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![MitzeKatze](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ad7895/32.png) [@MitzeKatze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MitzeKatze)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2010, 12:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/toilet-seat-poll/527390/41 "2010-02-03T00:06:00Z")
I just thought of another reason that I prefer the lid down. All of my toilet seats have pretty, decorative lids, and if the lid is up I wouldn’t be able to enjoy them. It may seem like a small thing, but the dolphins on my toilet seat (and shower curtain) or the flowers embroidered on the downstairs bathroom’s toilet lid make me happy. I guess I am lucky that it doesn’t take much to lift my spirits, huh?😉 ---
**Author:** ![dangermom](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e274bd/32.png) [@dangermom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dangermom)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2010, 12:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/toilet-seat-poll/527390/42 "2010-02-03T00:14:56Z")
Lid down. Husband also prefers it that way. It’s just the right thing to do: cleaner, better-looking, and safer for things that might fall. ---
**Author:** ![eldowan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/848f3c/32.png) [@eldowan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eldowan)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2010, 12:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/toilet-seat-poll/527390/43 "2010-02-03T00:33:20Z")
It’s my preference because… Well I guess it was because I was raised by my mother and older sister. Anyway, it is such a habit now that I don’t even think about it. As soon as I’m done, I reflexively close the lid and reach for the flusher. I hardly notice until after it’s done. ---
**Author:** ![NinjaChick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/71c47a/32.png) [@NinjaChick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NinjaChick)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2010, 12:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/toilet-seat-poll/527390/44 "2010-02-03T00:50:44Z")
Lid down before flushing. Anything else is gross. ---
**Author:** ![MaddyStrut](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/dbc845/32.png) [@MaddyStrut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MaddyStrut)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2010, 12:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/toilet-seat-poll/527390/45 "2010-02-03T00:52:27Z")
Female. Lid is always closed so the cat doesn’t play in it and the dogs don’t drink out of it. ---
**Author:** ![Maiira](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f04885/32.png) [@Maiira](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maiira)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2010, 1:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/toilet-seat-poll/527390/46 "2010-02-03T01:17:50Z")
I voted lid down, if just because I sit on it after my shower and brush my hair/apply lotion. I don’t put the lid down when I’m flushing if just because I have to watch and make sure it actually flushes. If/when I live somewhere with a better toilet, I’ll probably put the lid down, flush, and be on my way. ---
**Author:** ![Hello\_Again](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/85e7bf/32.png) [@Hello\_Again](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hello_Again)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2010, 1:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/toilet-seat-poll/527390/47 "2010-02-03T01:41:31Z")
The main reason we keep the lid down is to keep the cats from drinking from the toilet. And because we have a cramped bathroom where things can very easily be knocked into the toilet. But I don’t care either way if those conditions aren’t present, then lid up, seat down is also fine. ---
**Author:** ![Not\_a\_Platypus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/d26b3c/32.png) [@Not\_a\_Platypus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Not_a_Platypus)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2010, 1:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/toilet-seat-poll/527390/48 "2010-02-03T01:46:45Z")
Female and when I care, I’d prefer the lid closed. I’ve never understood the hysterics about where the **seat** is, as long as there isn’t piss left on the damn thing. Clean up your own pee, and we’re cool. ---
**Author:** ![MovieMogul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f08c70/32.png) [@MovieMogul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MovieMogul)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2010, 2:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/toilet-seat-poll/527390/49 "2010-02-03T02:31:50Z")
I’m a “lid down” male, but my wife has inexplicably gotten into the habit recently of leaving the lid up. She denies doing it, but now that’s she’s working at home, it seems she can’t be bothered to cover the bowl anymore and the evidence is clear. Given that she also works in pajama bottoms all day (she wears a nice blouse for video conferencing but goes ultra-cazh below), maybe she’s gotten used to the idea of Easy Access in all parts of her life. :eek: ---
**Author:** ![LilyoftheField](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/13edae/32.png) [@LilyoftheField](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LilyoftheField)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2010, 2:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/toilet-seat-poll/527390/50 "2010-02-03T02:53:40Z")
> [@chela](#): > > I like to browse real estate online and I am always finding the toilet lids up in the pictures, that is sorta gross imo. This. I see this in real estate pictures all the time and it kinda horrifies me. Why does no one think to lower the lid before taking a picture of the bathroom? :eek: So I’m surprised to see on this poll how many people prefer the lid down. I was beginning to think that I was the only one… ---
**Author:** ![Count\_Blucher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c5a1d2/32.png) [@Count\_Blucher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Count_Blucher)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2010, 3:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/toilet-seat-poll/527390/51 "2010-02-03T03:00:22Z")
Toilet seats should not have poles. Million-to-one shot your a-- … ---
**Author:** ![Dereknocue67](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/6de8d8/32.png) [@Dereknocue67](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dereknocue67)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2010, 9:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/toilet-seat-poll/527390/52 "2010-02-03T09:43:54Z")
The lid goes down only when I stand on it to vacuum the exhaust fan grill. ---
**Author:** ![Chopper9760](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/cdc98d/32.png) [@Chopper9760](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chopper9760)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2010, 10:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/toilet-seat-poll/527390/53 "2010-02-03T22:48:30Z")
Seat down, always down. Lid up, always up - I see no need for a lid. I hate it when I get up in the dark to go pee and accidentally touch my girly bits on the toilet seat because some weirdo put the lid down. _shudder_ ---
**Author:** ![Sine\_Nomine](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sine_nomine/32/513_2.png) [@Sine\_Nomine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sine_Nomine)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2010, 3:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/toilet-seat-poll/527390/54 "2010-02-04T03:03:23Z")
Lid down. I started in college because I read in some etiquette article that you’re “supposed to” and I thought it looked nicer once I started. Now that I live in tiny places with no counter space in the bathroom, I need a) somewhere to set my clothes as I’m getting dressed and b) to avoid dropping anything in. I don’t know anyone else who does, and my guests are always leaving it up out of habit. Even my own mother (She does concede that it looks better. She just can’t remember to do it.). When I’m using someone else’s toilet, I make a note of the configuration and leave it the way it was when I got then. I’m sort of obsessive in general, though. ---
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2010, 12:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/toilet-seat-poll/527390/55 "2010-02-04T12:44:34Z")
I’m a guy and the seat is always down. My bathroom is carpetted. ---
**Author:** ![Swallowed\_My\_Cellphone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9d8465/32.png) [@Swallowed\_My\_Cellphone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Swallowed_My_Cellphone)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2010, 4:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/toilet-seat-poll/527390/56 "2010-02-04T16:06:36Z")
> [@delphica](#): > > I used to be lid down, BUT I read that having the lid up can provide a pet with emergency water if you have some sort of crisis situation where you can’t get home. We live in NYC, and this was right after 9/11 and there was a lot on the local news about pets stuck in apartments and their owners couldn’t get to them. In some cases, having the toilet seats up gave the pets enough water to hold out until pet rescuers arrived. That’s interesting logic and all, but our dog can nose up the lid and I’m pretty sure if our cat was hard-pressed he could too. It’s not like it’s heavy. How much water do people typically leave for their pets? We leave enough water for our pets to last a couple of days. I could probably get by topping up Squiggy’s water only once every week and a half, but we change our pets water regularly because pet hair accumulates in it. If we were gone several days they’d be fine as far as water goes. ---
**Author:** ![Maiira](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f04885/32.png) [@Maiira](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maiira)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2010, 9:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/toilet-seat-poll/527390/57 "2010-02-04T21:19:00Z")
> [@Swallowed\_My\_Cellphone](#): > > That’s interesting logic and all, but our dog can nose up the lid and I’m pretty sure if our cat was hard-pressed he could too. It’s not like it’s heavy. How much water do people typically leave for their pets? We leave enough water for our pets to last a couple of days. I could probably get by topping up Squiggy’s water only once every week and a half, but we change our pets water regularly because pet hair accumulates in it. If we were gone several days they’d be fine as far as water goes. My mother keeps a sink full of water in her bathroom because our black cat likes to get up on the counter and drink from it. (Though he can’t so much anymore because he’s getting old.) Then again, I’m not so sure that means much, as we’ve just never had a problem with either of our cats drinking from or throwing things in the toilet. YMMV. ---
**Author:** ![Perciful](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/b38774/32.png) [@Perciful](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Perciful)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2010, 2:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/toilet-seat-poll/527390/58 "2010-02-05T14:41:00Z")
> [@ArchiveGuy](#): > > I’m a “lid down” male, but my wife has inexplicably gotten into the habit recently of leaving the lid up. She denies doing it, but now that’s she’s working at home, it seems she can’t be bothered to cover the bowl anymore and the evidence is clear. Given that she also works in pajama bottoms all day (she wears a nice blouse for video conferencing but goes ultra-cazh below), maybe she’s gotten used to the idea of Easy Access in all parts of her life. :eek: 😉 Yes, easy access is important as we age. ---
**Author:** ![maisoui](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/85f322/32.png) [@maisoui](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/maisoui)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2010, 2:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/toilet-seat-poll/527390/59 "2010-02-05T14:50:58Z")
I prefer the lid down for many reasons already mentioned, but if someone forgets it’s not a big enough deal for me to make a stink about it. ---
**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:** [February 6, 2010, 2:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/toilet-seat-poll/527390/60 "2010-02-06T14:58:25Z")
Male. No pref. My vote would have been for “Change it to however you want it to use it, then leave it that way for the next person to deal with.” I suppose that amounts to a pref for lid up, since I never use it with the lid down. And statistically I’d prefer seat up since that seems to be about 75% of my uses. But I sure can’t get worked up about it. If anybody ever complained about my leave-it-as-is-when-done habit, I’d suggest they needed to get a life. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/toilet-seat-poll/527390.md?page=2)