The things I do for informational purposes. According to a recent article, there are 10 restroom rules people are constantly breaking.
Independently, this is something I’ve noticed in men’s public restrooms for decades. If there are four bathroom stalls, as there are in the men’s room on our floor at work:
If none are occupied – A man will often go to stall #1 or #4.
If #1 occupied – A man will generally go to #4 or #3.
If #2 is occupied – A man will almost always go to #4.
#1 and #3 occupied – A man will generally go to #4.
Those of you of the male persuasion: Is this your observation of public bathroom behavior as well? I’m curious if this is an American phenomenon.
Those of you of the female persuasion: Do women do this as well, avoid being next to the occupied stall? Or is it, as I’ve seen in too many mediocre movies, that women seek out the adjacent stall?
And while I’m on the topic, what is your methodology for minimizing picking up the germs of the public loo? This article recommends Why your public restroom should utilize touchless or automatic dispensers and faucets.
However, the men’s room in my building is not what I would call efficient. Both the toilets and urinals in the men’s room are supposedly designed to flush after being used. Here’s the problem: either 1) they flush too often, or 2) not at all.
I recognize this is a function of a germophobic society, and “efficiency,” but please give me a handle to flush.
A relative of mine posted this on Facebook: “Question? If you’re in a public restroom and a guy answers a conference call, are you not supposed to flush?”
Curious minds want to know.
Incidentally, Dustbury settles the over/under toilet paper debate, at least to my satisfaction.
Toilet paper may have been invented in Albany, NY.
I don’t recall anyone explaining to me that I should always take the urinal farthest from any other urinal in use. I think the notion is part of the programming in my operating system.
The talking in the bathroom (esp. someone on a cell phone) is the one that gets to me the most.
I once turned and walked out of the ladies’ loo here (and waited until after class) because there was someone standing at the sink chatting on a cell phone, and it sounded like she was going to be a while.
The frustrating thing was that it was a fairly nice day and the door to the outdoors was about 10 steps away – she could have taken it outside.
The urinal thing is one of those things that men pick up from observations in the bathroom. There are a lot of behaviors that aren’t specifically taught, they’re just picked up, and men’s bathroom etiquette is one of those. It actually bothers me when I’m at a urinal and someone takes the one next to me if others are free. I imagine the stall thing, even with greater privacy, is just an extension of that … although I tend not to notice in a row of stalls if there’s anyone next to me. However, the other day I went into a bathroom with one urinal and two stalls, and there was a dude at the urinal. I went into the farther stall.