# Why do toilet seats turn colors? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [April 16, 2017, 12:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-toilet-seats-turn-colors/784536 "2017-04-16T00:56:36Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Corrineo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ed655f/32.png) [@Corrineo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Corrineo)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2017, 12:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-toilet-seats-turn-colors/784536/1 "2017-04-16T00:56:36Z")
The two toilet seats that I use in my house have recently turned blue. The one that I don’t has not. I searched on it and it doesn’t seem like anyone knows why this can happen. There are many anecdotes about this happening to other people. Mostly women who are pregnant or have recently changed medication but there are also men who have had it happen. There’s a discussion here: [Kayla & Steve: The Blue Toilet Seat Mystery](http://kaylasteve.blogspot.com/2011/02/blue-toilet-seat-mystery.html?m=1) They have many theories. Any definitive answers though? Thanks! ---
**Author:** ![engineer\_comp\_geek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/engineer_comp_geek/32/504_2.png) [@engineer\_comp\_geek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/engineer_comp_geek)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2017, 1:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-toilet-seats-turn-colors/784536/2 "2017-04-16T01:52:22Z")
You’re not unique. One of our board members experienced the same thing a few years ago. Here’s the previous thread: > **[Why did my toilet seat turn blue?](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=742291)** > > I’ll bet that of all the zillions of topics and questions that have been covered on the SDMB, this is a first. One day a couple of weeks ago, I noticed that my toilet seat had turned blue. The blue IRL is a little darker than it appears in the... And also a much older thread: > **[Blue Stained Toilet Seat](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=15576)** > > I have a toilet, with a padded seat. It was white, but has since developed a blue tinge. What’s more, it’s in the shape of my bum! I figured out that it became worse everytime I wear a certain pair of bluejeans. My skin is not turning blue, and I... Reading through those threads, it looks like it can be caused by several different things. It’s hard to say which is the specific cause in your case, but different cleaners and cleaning products, new clothes (the dye from the clothes gets transferred to your skin and then to the seat), certain medications, as well as vitamins and supplements can all cause blue seats. You can read through the older threads for more details. ---
**Author:** ![igor\_frankensteen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/839c29/32.png) [@igor\_frankensteen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/igor_frankensteen)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2017, 3:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-toilet-seats-turn-colors/784536/3 "2017-04-16T03:10:23Z")
I can’t see the blue in the picture, but if the blue area is the shape of your tukas, then it has to be a chemical interaction. It probably depends on exactly what the seat is made from. I’ve dealt with a LOT of materials that change color under certain conditions like that. Some get darker, some lighter, some really look sickening. Some, the effect would fade when the temperature changed, some when they dried out, and some remained changed. I can’t remember the exact details, but I had a partial color change on something after I interacted with it, and I tried to do enough to it that the whole thing would change to the same color, but it didn’t work, even though only a short time had gone by since the first “staining.” I had to replace the thing. But it has to be chemical, since your husband sees the same thing (i.e. it’s not an illusion due to your pregnancy). ---
**Author:** ![HeXen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/c89c15/32.png) [@HeXen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeXen)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2017, 3:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-toilet-seats-turn-colors/784536/4 "2017-04-16T03:26:27Z")
Could be the cleaner that’s used. Some people tend to choose some pretty harsh cleaners for places like bathrooms. ---
**Author:** ![saturncomet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecd19e/32.png) [@saturncomet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/saturncomet)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2017, 3:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-toilet-seats-turn-colors/784536/5 "2017-04-16T03:47:06Z")
> [@igor\_frankensteen](#): > > i can’t see the blue in the picture, but if the blue area is the shape of your tukas, then it has to be a chemical interaction. It probably depends on exactly what the seat is made from. > > I’ve dealt with a lot of materials that change color under certain conditions like that. Some get darker, some lighter, some really look sickening. Some, the effect would fade when the temperature changed, some when they dried out, and some remained changed. I can’t remember the exact details, but i had a partial color change on something after i interacted with it, and i tried to do enough to it that the whole thing would change to the same color, but it didn’t work, even though only a short time had gone by since the first “staining.” i had to replace the thing. > > But it has to be chemical, since your husband sees the same thing (i.e. It’s not an illusion due to your pregnancy). what pray tell is a tuka ---
**Author:** ![D18](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/c57346/32.png) [@D18](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/D18)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2017, 4:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-toilet-seats-turn-colors/784536/6 "2017-04-16T04:04:42Z")
Buttocks in Yiddish. ---
**Author:** ![Roderick\_Femm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/roderick_femm/32/14875_2.png) [@Roderick\_Femm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Roderick_Femm)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2017, 4:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-toilet-seats-turn-colors/784536/7 "2017-04-16T04:17:18Z")
AKA “tuchus.” ---
**Author:** ![Senegoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senegoid/32/6606_2.png) [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2017, 4:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-toilet-seats-turn-colors/784536/8 "2017-04-16T04:55:12Z")
> [@Roderick\_Femm](#): > > AKA “tuchus.” Which in turn derives from the Hebrew “taḥat” ( תַּחַת ) meaning “under” (the preposition). They use it as a noun to mean “butt” in the same way we use the preposition “behind” to mean butt. (e.g. I’ll kick you in the behind.) ---
**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 16, 2017, 3:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-toilet-seats-turn-colors/784536/9 "2017-04-16T15:10:29Z")
> [@Roderick\_Femm](#): > > AKA “tuchus.” I wonder if the English “tush” derives from that word? ---
**Author:** ![engineer\_comp\_geek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/engineer_comp_geek/32/504_2.png) [@engineer\_comp\_geek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/engineer_comp_geek)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2017, 3:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-toilet-seats-turn-colors/784536/10 "2017-04-16T15:33:22Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > I wonder if the English “tush” derives from that word? According to Marriam-Webster, it has possible origins from the Yiddish tokhes, from Hebrew taḥath under, beneath. So I’d say most likely, yes. ---
**Author:** ![markn\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f9ae1b/32.png) [@markn\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/markn_1)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2017, 3:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-toilet-seats-turn-colors/784536/11 "2017-04-16T15:51:28Z")
[Etymology Online](http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=tush&allowed_in_frame=0) say unequivocally that “tush” is “an abbreviation of tochus (1914), from Yiddish tokhes, from Hebrew tahat ‘beneath.’” ---
**Author:** ![Isilder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/cc9497/32.png) [@Isilder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Isilder)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2017, 3:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-toilet-seats-turn-colors/784536/12 "2017-04-18T03:57:16Z")
Given this occurs with all sorts of people, its not a specific medicine, its something everyone has. Its increased iron the blood stream and hence in sweat. It would have to be that the blue stained toilet seat is made from polyacrilnitrile for strength and resistance to any chemical attack from any of the cleaners and solvents. UV is producing cyanide type compounds, as the nitrile degrades. It seems that iron + nitrile + UV is producing prussian blue. I wonder if the connection is to people on anaemia treatments… ---
**Author:** ![SamuelA](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c77e96/32.png) [@SamuelA](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SamuelA)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2017, 4:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-toilet-seats-turn-colors/784536/13 "2017-04-18T16:32:43Z")
The _actual_ reason it is turning colors is that it’s probably a $12 special from Home Depot. You cannot make a toilet seat that cheap without taking some shortcuts in the grade of plastic used or the grade of paint used. See those 2 big plastic screws at the back? Unscrew the seat and replace it. Maybe don’t get the $12 model next time. ---
**Author:** ![Omar\_Little](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omar_little/32/269_2.png) [@Omar\_Little](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omar_Little)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2017, 9:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-toilet-seats-turn-colors/784536/14 "2017-04-18T21:00:20Z")
> [@SamuelA](#): > > See those 2 big plastic screws at the back? Unscrew the seat and replace it. Maybe don’t get the $12 model next time. You’d be surprised how many people don’t realize you can change out your toilet seat without changing the entire toilet. Right after my wife and I started dating, she moved into a different condo. I suggested that we change out the toilet seat in the bathroom, cause she’s a little OCD about cleanliness. She thought I was Bob Villa, cause I knew how to change out a toilet seat.