Experts reveal whether you should close your toilet lid before flushing

Most people might consider themselves well-acquainted with the basics of toilet hygiene, yet, every now and then scientists share revelations about it that leaves us all a little bit stumped. For example, the answers to technical things such as why are some toilet seats U-shaped, or why toilet paper is pink, have left many people surprised, and so has toilet habit-related news such as the dangers of sitting on toilet for too long.

But what about flushing the toilet? While it's an instantaneous and super easy thing we all do, often with the press of a button, we might not be doing it right.

If you are torn between closing your toilet lid or just letting it all be, as reported by Inverse, here are the pros and cons with both to help you judge.

How dangerous is an uncovered flushing toilet ?

When a toilet is flushed, it causes whatever is in the toilet bowl to splatter and spray. These contain droplets with bacteria that land on surfaces nearby the toilet. Every time someone comes in contact with these droplets, there is a risk of picking up the bacteria they contain.

On the other hand, the spray from the toilet bowl is aerosolised water which could be inhaled by people nearby, causing respiratory or gastrointestinal infections.

But as per Evan Floyd, professor at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, the risk of this happening are not high. He says,

There's not really a whole lot of people getting sick from toilet flushing. This is not the end of the world.

Whether someone gets sick from an uncovered flushing toilet 'depends on a lot of factors,' hence it is not possible for scientists to exactly quantify the risks associated with it. That being said, some environments such as cruise ships, have been 'found to be more conductive to ill-ness by toilet.'

Is using a toilet lid before flushing useful?

Here, it must be underlined that not all pathogens from the toilet are harmful. While some might make you sick at even low levels, others might need to be present in very high levels to have any effect on humans.

Closing your toilet lid before flushing is a great way to reduce the risk of contracting bacteria and pathogens, but it still does not eliminate the associated risks.

The professor explains that closing the lid might just alter the way in which the aerosolised water and splatter from the toilet is dispersed,

...the fine particles are really not going to be reduced very much because you still have air that's being formed to a jet..

He continues,

Now you're going to spread it out radially instead of in a kind of big plume that goes up.

It is important to institute regular toilet hygiene practices to combat most of these infection risks. As per the report, regular sanitation can minimise much of these air and surface contamination. Properly ventilated toilets also ensure that contaminated aerosols are dispersed.

Again, the toilet bowl should be regularly cleaned, which ensures that most of these pathogens are eliminated from the toilet.

Read more:

⋙ The terrifying reason why you should never flush spiders down your toilet

⋙ Pica: This woman is addicted to eating toilet paper and it could be a symptom of this disorder

⋙ Study finds keyboard is dirtier than a toilet: Here's how to clean it properly

Sources used:

Inverse: 'Should You Close The Toilet Lid Before Flushing? The Definitive Answer to End All Debates'