Forcing guests to close toilet lid before flushing

[MerryBlimminXmas]

In our house, we close the toilet lid before flushing. Reason being is that the poo/wee water spray will go absolutely everywhere if the lid is left open (lots of videos available online if anyone is interested).

The issue we have is that pretty much ALL guests don’t do this. Now, I don’t mind what people choose to do in their own homes and appreciate that the majority of the population are happy for everything in the vicinity of their loo to be covered in urine and faeces don’t bother to close the lid. However, I would much prefer it if they closed the lid before flushing in our house.

How can we make it happen? In a previous home, the flush button was literally behind the toilet lid, so it should have been easy to close the lid just to get to the button and people STILL left the lid up every time.

Don’t really want to put a sign up (would be annoying the majority of the time when we don’t have guests), nor to speak to people about it (cringe). Any ingenious ideas that could work? Surely we’re not the only people who prefer the lid closed - how have others made it work with guests?

My best suggestion would be to get a really interesting toilet seat lid, where people want to put it down to look at it, and it looks nicer down. Relative had one of those seats that’s clear acrylic with lots of shells and pebbles etc in it, and we’d always close it because it looked nice that way.

Obv an engineering solution would be a better idea but light googling suggests a few “prototypes” have been discussed in articles and people are saying how it would be a good idea, but not sure it’s something one can just buy. Interested by the person who said they have them like that at their work - maybe it’s positioned so that the flush is very low down on a wall mounting behind the seat, or something?

are you as OTT about the hygiene levels in the rest of your house?
i understand that it is more hygienic to put the lid down but I’ve never heard of illnesses associated with leaving the lid up.

Now you lost me no brush use toilet paper , thats the wildest thing iv read so far, glad I dont have to use your toilet haha

Take a chill pill …or you won’t have any guests 😳 🚽

My best suggestion would be to get a really interesting toilet seat lid, where people want to put it down to look at it, and it looks nicer down. Relative had one of those seats that’s clear acrylic with lots of shells and pebbles etc in it, and we’d always close it because it looked nice that way.

Sounds great. I love beach themes. But I would still flush first, then put the lid down after the toilet has flushed.

Just put up a sign. It's not very welcoming , because strict rules in a house never are. Much more polite than asking people though. I'm a nightmarish slob, who you'd probably never invite over, but I'd roll my eyes and do it. It won't work 100%. Nothing will, short of accosting people as they leave the room, so you'll have to unclench a little.

Also if you're a Type A house proud person, noone you know will be surprised. There's a person like this in my friendship group, so we just avoid going over her house.

Would always want to check the contents has flushed properly and doesn't need a second flush etc. When I see a lid left down I anticipate seeing a toilet pan that needs cleaning because someone's put the lid down, flushed and walked away without checking.

I think writing your own sign is the way to go - that way you avoid cringy.

Exactly! Flushing with the lid down is fucking filthy and shows someone with very low hygiene standards.

Absolutely this, this is why I dont like lids on public toilets because I dont know if any of my clothing is touching the inside of the lid and what is on it, bleugh

Sit too far forward however and I risk making a puddle on the floor.

Its a minefield.

I get you. I had a friend he was highly ocd. He told that he found it unacceptable that my loo lid was generally up. It had never occurred to me so I started putting it down. Then I liked people to leave it down. I told a very old male friend that he had left the lid up and he went ballistic, he thought I had meant that he had left the seat up. ( yes some men still do that). And I realised the lid thing was a whole new issue. Some people like it down as they believe evil spirits can enter to house via the loo … whatever. Luckily I don’t have many visitors but none of them would put the lid down. So you are in the nursery slopes on explaining and expect some loathing.🤷🏽‍♀️

😂😂😂

Japanese loos’ self-closing lids just mean you don’t have to hold the seat as it drops. But they don’t actually close themselves, you have to push them to start the process. I personally always leave the lid closed because who on earth wants to look at a toilet bowl. It’s just basic bathroom etiquette, door should be open and the lid down. On the other hand I don’t put the lid down until after I flush for the simple reason that you want to make sure any contents are flushed in their entirety. Anything else would be pretty mortifying.

Think it's easier to just not put anything like towels or toothbrushes or flannels out by the loo (or out at all). Then you can just mop the floor and wipe the surfaces and all good surely?

Just tell them...lf you need the loo would you make sure you put down the lid before flushing...l have never come across this problem, this is weird to me...

Guests get to use the guest loo. Not our en-suite or the main bathroom. That way it’s a smaller room to clean after the men have pissed everywhere!

Search for 'customised metal signs' on Ebay and get a little sign for the wall saying 'Please put the toilet lid down before flushing, thank you'. I've just ordered myself one for the guest loo as fed up of guests doing this. I'm not particularly fussy, but have seen the ultra violet experiments that show surrounding items covered in microscopic urine and faeces spray. Even if guests haven't pooed, bacteria from loo will be thrown about with the lid left open. Not a nice thought! MIL with IBS is the worst offender, but funnily enough keeps the lids down at her house! It feels weaponised 😆

This is reminding me now of Uncle Harvey and Auntie Val in the League of Gentlemen. Anyone? I’ve just been rewatching…

I beat you to it 🤣
https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/_chat/5355755-forcing-guests-to-close-toilet-lid-before-flushing?reply=145033830&utm_campaign=reply&utm_medium=share

This is a tricky one because....I prefer to make sure that everything has been flushed away when I use the loo. Maybe a clear perspective lid is the way forward. That would be a novelty so people would actually use it.

Put a lock on all your bathroom doors and send them outside with a bucket.

This thread has reminded me that Kenneth Williams didnt let people use his toilet did he? Im sure I saw that in a documentary. He used to send them to the tube station down the road.

OP, are you listening, do you live near public amenities?

I like your perspective on this.

Oops😆

Aaargh! I should have known someone would have!

You do realise that your dishcloth has more germs than the toilet?