So this is not the typical toilet seat up/down debate. We’re not talking leaving the bottom toilet seat up that has potential to have us crashing into cold water on the off chance we take a bathroom trip in the dark of night. That’s the stuff divorces are made of. That toilet seat always stays down. Period.
Today we’re talking about the lid. Which, in my opinion, should also stay down. I have no idea why but when the lid is left up it just gives me the heebeegeebees. It drives me crazy. Not everybody sees it that way though and I feel like I am a crazy person for putting the lid down when I use the loo at other people’s houses. But somehow it makes the {my} world right again.
Now I need to know if this is the norm or if I’m a minority lunatic. Do you leave the lid up or down? Picture on the right or the left? Please weigh in oh wise readers.
~Mavis
Aaltje says
The left! Lid down! Need I mention that we have cats at our house! LOL
Paula Thompson says
The seat stays down as in ‘Feng Shui’ the Chinese way of having things in your house for positive outcomes if you leave it up you flush all the wealth out of your house 🙂
Anna says
Lid down, period. 🙂
Janine J. says
Lid down! I am with you completely. It gives me the creeps when it is left up. I willingly pay extra for self closing lids on my toilet seats so there is no excuse in my house for not closing it, even in the middle of the night. The self closing lids close quietly. It is amazing, just a tiny tap on the lid and it slowly lowers almost completely silently. Joy, no open lids in my house.
sindy says
Most definitely DOWN! Why else would it be there?
Betsy A. says
Lid down. My In-Laws must think I’m batty, because when we are all at the lake cabin, I am constantly putting the lid down on the toilet. Who wants to look in? And it keeps things from falling in if bumped off the counter.
I also believe it is more sanitary. No chance of things escaping while flushing!
Elizabeth says
I think it looks better down…and isn’t that the whole reason for the lid anyway? Although it doesn’t creep me out if it’s up. Unless one of the kids forgets to flush. Ugh!
Sherle says
Most definitely down! The room doesn’t seem clean when the lid is left up. Maybe that comes from my childhood. Every year we would visit my grandmother and she didn’t have an indoor toilet, so we had to use the outhouse. You put the lid down or suffered the consequences on a slightly breezy day. ((shudder))
Camille says
LOL!! I am SO on the same page as you, Mavis!! Happy Monday. Lid down lunatics unite! 🙂
Chris M says
Okay – true confessions! I leave the seat up on our toilet because of my arthritis. In the middle of the night, it hurts to bend over and lift the toilet seat up. I get upset when someone puts it down.
AlysonRR says
Me, too, Chris M. Plus, TMI, I’m usually in a hurry when I get there in the night… Ahh, aging is fun – ha!
Deborah from FL says
Same here, for the reasons Chris and Alyson mentioned. But ONLY in my master bathroom. (And every time I look at it, I want to put it down. But pain wins out.) If able, I put it down to flush, then raise it for the next visit.
The guest bathroom, lid is always left down.
Kathy says
Down, always down before flushing. Do you know the germ content of the water particles that dispense into the atmosphere if lid is up and flushed after use? Yes, I work in the medical field and yes, it is a gross thing to say, let alone think. Put that lid down before flushing please!
Dale says
The germs in the air while the flushing occurs with the lid up are scattered around the room to a much greater degree than if the lid is down. Is your toothbrush on the counter?
Liz says
I agree with Chris M. for the same reason. But, during the day, I prefer it be down and especially when flushing.
Kathy says
Always down. At least one dog was in the family at all times, and if you didn’t keep the lid down, the dog always found it. Need I say more.
Sherri P. says
Up, I don’t want to touch even the lid. When you flush with the lid down, where do all those germs go? On the lid. Yuck.
Lea says
Um, where do you think they go with the lid up? All over your bathroom that way – for 10ft radius!
That’s why my lid is down!
Totally get the ick factor though. I just tell myself the edges are blocked by the seat so they’re pretty clean….
🙂
Lea
Libby says
For real Mavis I’m just grateful if I don’t have to wipe kid pee off the seat. Let’s hear it for Lysol wipes!
Susan says
The lid stays down…it’s not a pet drinking fountain!
Emily B. says
D-O-W-N!!!! Lid up just seems vulgar. Ish!
jeannette says
Lid down! Bathrooms get sprayed with toilet water mist if you flush with the lid up – for the same reason I don’t leave my toothbrush on the counter, I always put it away in the cupboard.
Chris says
Lid down! Our bathrooms are not big enough for the toilets to be separated by walls, much less in water closets. The lid down ensures nothing will accidentally fall in – Seinfeld toothbrush episode, anyone??? Yes, the seat and lid get all kinds of germy, and don’t forget about immediate floor area 🙂 Close the lid, wash hands with soap and water for 20 seconds and all will be well in the world.
Amy says
Up on the toilet my toddler needs access to because the fewer steps for him the fewer accidents we have; and down on the one in my bathroom because the baby likes to play in that one when we’re doing double bath time and I’m scrambling to get every one dry, dressed, and out before she makes her way over there. Before kids I left it up bc I was too lazy.
Diana says
Always down. It isn’t just for aesthetics and sanitary reasons for me. In Feng Shui water represents prosperity. If you leave the seat up, chi energy has more access to the water, then money flushes down the toilet. Same thing for bathrooms in general. Keep the doors shut to bathrooms. Keep the lids down on toilets and washing machines.
Jennifer Jo says
Oh no! From now on, before you arrive, we will race around putting the lids down.
Another Lisa says
Self-closing toilet seat for the win.
Kayla says
I vote lid down. I honestly didn’t care until I had kids. I have considered locks on my lids. I found my toddler waist deep in my toilet a few days ago. After that, he got a bath…a real one. 🙂 Lid down please.
Glenda says
Definitely down!
Eva W says
Up!!! With Crohn’s Disease, I don’t have time for niceties. Although, I read somewhere that up messes with Fung Shei. Something about money down the drain.
Mable says
I also have Crohn’s and am with you 100 percent. I don’t care about nutty theories regarding water and money—if you have the luxury of living your life by those theories, great, but if you live with a chronic illness that has you constantly scoping out the nearest restroom you care more about the realities of having gastrointestinal accidents.
Cheryl says
Agree with both you and Eva W except I have Ulcerative Colitis. I am also at the age where the notice of “I have to go” is getting rather short and putting the lid up wastes precious minutes and cause accidents! I may flush it with the lid down, but it needs to remain UP otherwise.
Pam says
Ulcerative Colitis. I’m with you and Mable. I share the house with 3 men. I have them all well trained on the seat down for just that reason.
Rowena Harris says
Up.
As an Australian…. Never seen them down anywhere.
Rebecca Frederick says
Lid down!!!! I viewed a show about why the lid should be down BEFORE flushing the toilet. The show had applied chemicals to the walls in the location of the toilet. They had about five people use the toilet for a day and then went in and used a black light. NASTY, NASTY, NASTY how far “stuff” travels! Imagine brushing your teeth with a little something extra on your toothbrush and you don’t even know it. Bleech!
Pam says
Like Sherri P commented earlier. When you close the lid, where do all of those nasty germs go? I’m guessing a large chunk of them go right on the lid. The lid that I’m going to touch to raise every time I need to use the toilet? No thank you. My toilet sits in an alcove just off of the main bathroom area. I’ll take my chances on the hearty little suckers that want to travel.
G says
So I guess I’m wondering why anyone is worried about all the germs they touch on the lid when they are *just going to wash their hands* after they use the toilet anyway…right?? Riiiight??
Because I’m not going to be shaking any hands anytime soon, now…
Kim says
Definitely down. Otherwise, it splashes toilet water all over when it flushes.
Kristen says
Definitely down BEFORE flushing!!! When you flush some of the germs are aerosolized with the water. I’d rather have germs on the underside of the lid than on my toothbrush, or contact case, or lotion bottle, etc.
Andrew says
This is from a guy. I always without fail put both the seat and lid down every time. it also bugs me when i go into a bathroom and the lid is up. I look at it this way, women want the seat left down, sure no problem, then they should put the lid down every time. works for both people.
EthelQ says
I have used that logic for years and I love it! Everyone lifts something up, everyone puts something back down. Egalitarianism and tidiness all in one 🙂
debbie in alaska says
Down. So the dogs don’t drink out of it! I guess the Feng Shui thing is an added bonus. I’ll take it!
Cheryl says
Always down! As a kid, we had a cat who would jump in the toilets if the lids were left up, and after one day where I was late to preschool because the kitten jumped in the toilet BEFORE I flushed, and my mom then had to bathe the kitten before we could let her loose in the house again, our house was adamantly in the “lid down” camp!
Even as an adult now, with a cat who has never once tried to jump in a toilet, it does drive me a little crazy when guests leave the lids up. I always try to leave other people’s bathrooms the way I found them, since I figure that’s the way my hosts prefer it.
Tammy says
I honestly don’t care, but my husband does, so it stays down when not in use. I had to develop that habit.
Carol says
Down, definitely.
Ashley says
DOWN. I have this weird thing where I don’t like objects ‘looking’ at me and if a toilet lid is up it drives me crazy. I’m a bit strange when it comes to things like that though…
Rachael says
I totally get this. I can’t handle straws looking at me. It gets weird at restaurants when I move people’s cups/straws!
deb k says
Lid should always, always be down before flushing. It is not sanitary to leave it up and flush.
Tracy L. says
Mavis, as usual, you and I are on the same wavelength. Heebeegeebees ALL. THE. WAY.
DOWN!!!!! And apparently (thank goodness), we are not alone in the lunatic department! We have ALOT of company!
Lisa Millar says
Down – otherwise the cat finds it fun to push things off the bench and into the loo
Not cool.
Jenn in Indiana says
Definitely down. My mom is a real estate agent and hates looking at pics of homes where the other realtor leaves the bathroom lid for house pics to publish on the internet. She actually went to a class on home staging and the teacher of this class went on and on about putting the lid down when showing the house and taking pics that end up on the internet. Because future homeowners don’t want to imagine what you are doing on that toilet.
carrie says
Always down. I’ve heard of rats coming up through toilets.
Mavis says
Stop giving me nightmares! Ha.
Sandra says
Down. I decided this after the first toddler discovered the toilet. I’ve even trained the older kids, so the current toddler can’t get access. Now if I could just get them to keep the bathroom door closed so he will stop flushing the toilet for fun.
Ashleah says
I always leave the lid down. I have cats, and if we leave the lid up, their toys always end up in the toilet. Also, I share in the heeby jeebies of toilets with their lids up.
Jen Y says
I always keep it down. My husband has influenced me on this though because I didn’t care when I was younger.
Reading the other comments, I’ll stop putting it down in other houses when I find it up. I’ve had seriously illness & injuries before & realize when you’re in pain, stuff like this becomes so unimportant.
I keep all lids down now. things just look cleaner when everything is closed. I do leave my washing machine lid up after laundry to give the tub time to air dry out.
One more thought….didn’t the myth busters do a segment on this yrs ago?
Mavis says
I’ll have to check into that Myth Buster thing!
Andrew K says
Yes, Mythbusters did do a segment on this a few years ago, and i believe it came up busted. it is just a myth. regardless seat down every time. bathroom door open when not in use.
auntie M says
Lid down!
I know someone who actually had a r-a-t come up through the toilet. My husband had to herd it out of her house with a broom. At least with the lid down you’ll hear them knocking.
Renee says
Eww! Gross!
Renee says
Lid down…I mean why is there a kid if it’s not meant to go down?!? I find it gross and ugly if the lid is left open and I always flush while putting the lid down so as not to have more germs all over the bathroom…eww!
Renee says
Supposed to say lid not kid! Lol!
MerryMouse says
I can’t believe I’m saying this…but my kids would “forget” to flush so many times. I just got in the habit of leaving it up so I could “check” if the coast was clear, so to speak, before letting company use our bathroom. Does no one else ever have that problem!??
Beth says
We definitely leave it down at our house and when anyone visits and leaves it up it drives my kids crazy
Danielle says
DOWN! Always! No excuses! Let’s get real here. When you flush the toilet, ehem, particals float in the air like a blown danelion. Nope! No thank you! It’s gets everywhere and you can’t tell it’s there. But people…it’s there. Your toothbrush, your hand towels, sink knobs, door knobs….ok, I think you get the picture. Keeping it down prevents a lot of that.
Of course it does *look* better down anyway so really it’s a win – win if you ask me.
Sammie Barstow says
I have thought I was the only one that wanted the top lid DOWN!!!! All my friends come to my house and leave the bathroom with the lid up. And here’s another thing: I wish all realtors would take photos of their houses for sale with the lids down. Almost every one is taken with the lid up, and what could be less attractive. Makes so much difference to see the photo with the lid down.
Reid says
Hi Mavis!!
I Love your site!!
Great info! and your a HOOT!
I’m a 55 yo male and I have to have
both lids down! 1] reason I don’t want to look in that Hole.
2] I watched an episode of Dirty Jobs and they used an
Ultra Violet Light [shows bacteria] While Mike Rowe [Awesome Dude!]
Urinated and showed the splatter [gross] BUT…… The WORST was
When he flushed!!!!! Looked Like a Bacteria Volcano coming from the Bowl!!
I have Never NEVER Flushed with the lid up Since!!
Hope you had an AWESOME weekend!
Reid