Up or down? That is the question (Chris McGinnis)
At the risk of offending half the population of the world, and embarrassing my mother for my bad manners, allow me to ask a question:
When finished using the lavatory on planes, should men leave the toilet seat up or down?
I know and abide by the rules around terrestrial toilets used by both sexes: leave the seat and lid down when done. It’s the right and polite thing to do.
But are rules in the air different? I’ve often thought so but when I posed this “up or down” question in conversations or on social media, the answer was a resounding “down” (many in ALL CAPS with several exclamation points) from women.
From men, the response was mostly “down,” but mixed. And when I followed up on the question verbally with many of my frequent flying counterparts, I found what I suspected. Many men leave the seat up. (“If it’s up when I get there, I leave it up when I leave, but I was afraid to answer that way on social media. Worried that my house might get rolled,” said one friend.)
DOWN! Right?
So why in the world do polite men leave the seat up when finished in the airplane lav? It’s likely not that they are being inconsiderate boobs. There are reasons…
For me, it’s a signal to the next passenger using it. To men it says, “I did not urinate on the seat; nor should you. I’m also leaving it up for you so you don’t have to touch it.” To women it says, “The last person in here did not urinate on the seat. You are protected from possible nastiness.”
There’s also the flap or suction issue. I’m more likely to leave the seat up when the toilet has one of those flaps that hangs there in the breeze. Suction-style toilets are more violent, and are known to splash up when flushed– with those, it’s always lid down.
Here’s a sampling of responses from social media. Where do you fall on the spectrum? Please leave your comments below.
Downers:
KD: Come on! Is this even a real question? Down! Always down! For everyone, EVERYWHERE!
JR: Down. Who wants to look in a toilet, even if you have to eventually use it?
HDT: Down and then flush- for everyone. But people are so gross. I hate to use the airplane toilets at all! Yuck
VD: If it isn’t down and the woman doesn’t note that, she falls into the john–not fun! Trust me – I have been there.
EG: So down – and thanks for asking!!!
Sent by reader PC.
Questioners:
GL: Men and women should leave the toilet as-is, there’s a chance the next person will be of the same gender. This limits the number of times that the toilet must be touched.
JD: Don’t touch it if you don’t have to.
MS: Here’s the thing with this one. Someone has to touch the toilet seat. If women leave the seat down, men have to lift it. If men leave it up women have to put it down. I’d say, do your business and leave it as you used it.
AW: If I leave it up then the ladies will have a clean toilet seat that some kid might have peed on. It doesn’t make sense to put it down so it gets splattered.
MZ: I prefer to see it up in hopes no one peed on the seat. To which KR replied: Great point everyone is overlooking!
Confused:
KG: I’m a bit of an anomaly – I’m female and in college, most guys in all-male apartments naturally left their toilet seats up. If I used their toilet, I would put the seat back up afterwards. It’s courtesy, right? =)
BF: Up. Well. The top part I mean. Leave the seat part down
CB: This has always perplexed me.
So maybe there’s not an easy answer to the question. I know that I’ll be thinking about this the next time I lumber into a lav!
Please sound off below. And if you are too embarrassed to go public with your lavatory habits, you can email me.
–Chris McGinnis
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David v.R. Bowles says
April 10, 2017 at 8:41 pmI pee as usual seat up, and flush seat/lid down. If there is turbulence, I prop myself against the wall with my free hand. BTW, there ARE females who squat and leave a mess on the seat…just as bad as men who stand and pee with the seat down!
Scuba Bubbles says
April 9, 2017 at 7:14 pmGentlemen should use the sink if solely a number 1 is required. This minimizes the aiming problem caused by turbulence or inebriation since the sink is so much closer to our spigot. It also avoids liquid accumulating on the lav floor, as Chris’s photograph clearly shows. Additionally, the sink is much easier to clean.
If a number 2 is required, use the potty, clean yourself, and then press the Call button to request assistance from cabin crew. They know the specific aircraft, the passenger load, the gender balance, and lav utilization ratios, so they will make the best decision on how to proceed.
The cabin crew are trained professionals, and will instruct you on the correct seat position. As Wikipedia states, “Flight attendants or cabin crew are members of an aircrew employed
by airlines primarily to ensure the safety and comfort of passengers
aboard commercial flights”; and ultimately, this is a safety and comfort issue as all the feedback seems to indicate.
The Fussy Flyer says
April 9, 2017 at 9:00 amLid and seat should always be DOWN on the final flush. And that is how it should be left for the next person. The sight of an open toilet is offensive to many people, myself included. And gentlemen should never stand pee into an aircraft toilet. A man’s aim is never as true as they may think it is.
30309guy says
April 4, 2017 at 6:33 amThe whole “leave it up so people know no one has peed on it” is about as idiotic statement as I’ve ever heard. You are just lazy. Even if the seat is up how do you know someone hasn’t peed on it before the person who used it before you?
Kate says
April 3, 2017 at 7:21 pmDown, down, down. The risk of contaminated hands from touching the seat to lower it is negated by the fact that you then wash your hands after putting the seat down. With soap. I mean only a complete slob would NOT wash his or her hands prior to exiting the washroom, either land bound or airborne. And no one reading this would be so gross, right? Moreover, I can’t help but imagine the aerosolized droplets lingering in the air from that flush, and I want something solid in the way. So put the seat and lid down!
Bjay864 says
April 3, 2017 at 7:11 pmHonestly, everyone should sit down in an airplane lavatory. If you stand up… one good bump of turbulence & it goes all over the place!! So you need to take Clorox wipes with you.
jeff says
April 3, 2017 at 6:04 pmHere is the deal. Some clowns won’t touch a toilet seat and will take a leak with it down so they don’t touch it. I’ve had employees like this and it would bug the crap out of the others. Ladies should really count the blessings if the seat is up (men also for sit down business). It’s hard to pee on a seatbin the up position.
RichLL says
April 3, 2017 at 3:11 pmOften in a premium cabin there are more men than women, so I’d be more inclined to leave the seat up in that case. Statistically it is more likely to involve less touching of the seat.
On the other hand, men are increasingly peeing sitting down, as a Scandinavian study showed that to be healthier in the long run. If that catches on the entire issue would be moot.