I was reading the Sunday New York Times and the etiquette/advice column by Philip Galanes discussed whether or not to leave the toilet lid closed or down when flushing, and then, should a host tell guests to make sure to flush with the lid closed.
I did not know that you should have the lid closed when flushing!
Did you guys know about this?
Here's the skinny:
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Besides etiquette, another reason to close the toilet lid is for health. Flushing with the lid up lets the bacterial aerosols release into the air. Gerba, Wallis, and Melnick studied bacteria and virus levels in the bathroom after a toilet flush and found that the invisible cloud of bacteria and virus mist traveled up to eight feet up and out settling on surfaces throughout the bathroom including walls, floors, ceilings and other areas around the toilet including toothbrushes. This bacterial mist could stay in the air for about two hours after each flush (Gerba, C.P., Wallis, C., & Melnick, J.L., "Microbiological Hazards of Household Toilets: Droplet Production and the Fate of Residual Organisms," Appl Microbiol, 1975 August; 30(2): 229-237).
So, keep the toilet lid down when flushing!
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So that closed lid, its going to have all that aerosolized bacteria and crud on it, so do you just have handy the antimicrobial wipes and wipe the lid off when each flush is over?
I did not know that you should have the lid closed when flushing!
Did you guys know about this?
Here's the skinny:
***************************************
Besides etiquette, another reason to close the toilet lid is for health. Flushing with the lid up lets the bacterial aerosols release into the air. Gerba, Wallis, and Melnick studied bacteria and virus levels in the bathroom after a toilet flush and found that the invisible cloud of bacteria and virus mist traveled up to eight feet up and out settling on surfaces throughout the bathroom including walls, floors, ceilings and other areas around the toilet including toothbrushes. This bacterial mist could stay in the air for about two hours after each flush (Gerba, C.P., Wallis, C., & Melnick, J.L., "Microbiological Hazards of Household Toilets: Droplet Production and the Fate of Residual Organisms," Appl Microbiol, 1975 August; 30(2): 229-237).
So, keep the toilet lid down when flushing!
****************************************
So that closed lid, its going to have all that aerosolized bacteria and crud on it, so do you just have handy the antimicrobial wipes and wipe the lid off when each flush is over?