Why Can't Men Put the Toliet Seat Down
@sunnypub (2128)
United States
February 9, 2007 12:20am CST
I know this is an age old gripe but I thought I would get your opinion on it. Okay so men leave the toilet seat up. Is is conscious, or not. Is it purposeful to show some sort of dominance?
Here is my thought. My husbnad is like most other men, and he leaves the set up. He does flush everytime though. So what is the reasoning for not putting the seat down. I mean, the flush lever on my toilet is about 1 inch away from the edge of the toilet seat when it is up. SO it is a breeze to hit the seat with one side of your hand while you are hitting the flush lever.
It takes no extra effort or time, in fact in can be done in one fluid movement, so why is it not done. I thin with my husband, atleast, that it totally could be about dominance, since for the most part I run the household.
So what are your thoughts?
2 people like this
15 responses
@Denmarkguy (1845)
• United States
16 Feb 07
Now, JUST a minute! As a guy, I just want to kick in a footnote here and say that I DO always put the toilet seat down. And I have frankly never understood why this debate even EXISTS... this is something I was taught as a kid, as being as basic a part of life as brushing your teeth, and washing your hands after going to the bathroom. Who ARE these men women are always grousing about?
2 people like this
@sunnypub (2128)
• United States
16 Feb 07
I would have to say that you are in the minority when it comes to men. Maybe we can trace the problem back to the parents not teaching the boys this. Maybe you can start holding seminars to teach other men how to accomplish that which you are a master of. LOL. Thanks for responding.
@sunnypub (2128)
• United States
16 Feb 07
You are either lucky, or a great teacher. Either way maybe you come to my house and get my husband to start putting the seat down. thanks for responding.
@lauriefnp (5109)
• United States
20 Feb 07
Good question? I never really thought about this much, because growing up our seat was always up. My mom didn't seem to care about it and I never heard any complaining about it. Since I moved on my own, I quickly learned to keep the seat down at all times because I got a cat and found him drinking from the toilet once. Ever since then, and 3 cats later, I have been neurotic about putting the seat down. It's a habit for me; in fact I put the seat down whenever I'm at anyone else's house, also. It took me quite a while to "train" my boyfriend to put the seat down, but he's real good about it now. I made it clear that it was not safe for my cat to drink from the toilet, and he knows what would happen to him if anything happened to my cat!!
1 person likes this
@Bev1986 (1425)
• United States
19 Feb 07
This is definitely one of my pet peeves as well... I hate it when hubby doesn't put the seat down! He's the only male in our house, so we KNOW it's him that doesn't put it down. He's always harping on one of our daughter's for not flushing every time she goes... and when he says that to her, I always respond "Maybe she'll start flushing when you start putting the seat down." Didn't work... he still doesn't put it down!
1 person likes this
@sunnypub (2128)
• United States
19 Feb 07
yea my husband harps too, but that is all it is, just harping. They just can't see how simple it is to put the seat down. My hubby is also the only man in the house. He says we need more testosterone running through this house. Oh well, I don't need another man I have to harp at to put the seat down. LOL Thanks for responding.
@jumpinjack00 (3054)
• United States
14 Feb 07
I, personally, always put the seat back down.
I believe it was my upbringing that instilled
respect for women. It doesn't matter whether
it's a toilet seat, opening a door, pulling
out a chair, a simple hug, etc.
I don't believe your husband is asserting his
dominance at all. Most of my friends are just
thoughtless, that's it. Really, there is no big
mystery about most of us. Part of it is that it
takes extra effort to bend down with the seat in
hand. If he wasn't afraid to break the toilet he'd
probably drop the seat every time.
The only problem with that is, it would break the
toilet, giving more to do. So instead of bending a
bit, the seat simply stays up. ‹(°¿°)›
1 person likes this
@sunnypub (2128)
• United States
16 Feb 07
How wonderful of you to put the seat down. I think it is just more sanitary to put it down. I guess I am spoiled because we have cushioned seats so just dropping the seat isn't a big deal. How sad, but I think you might be right about it just taking that little extra effort so instead of bending they just walk away. LAZY!! Thanks for responding.
@bgerig (1258)
• United States
20 Feb 07
I don't understand it either. As a young boy, I was taught at home and at school to always put the seat down. And I now just do it automatically. I think sometimes, others will not do it because some people make such a big deal out of not doing it!
1 person likes this
@sunnypub (2128)
• United States
20 Feb 07
Yea, I guess my husband just wasn't taught as a kid or maybe he is one of those that is just lazy. Thanks for responding.
@Jshean20 (14348)
• Canada
19 Feb 07
I don't know why a lot of men can't be bothered to put the toilet seat down, maybe they don't even realize they've left it up, maybe they don't even think about it. Once after my boyfriend was done in the bathroom I stepped in and told him to put the seat down because I don't want to risk having the animals walk in for a drink from the toilet (ew). Anyways, he looked at me funny when I asked him this (as if he was grossed out). As if he was grossed out to put the toilet seat down..how "manly" of him.
1 person likes this
@sunnypub (2128)
• United States
19 Feb 07
I guess many men just don't get the sanitary aspect of it. I know my husband doesn't. I think you are right about them just not thinking about it, it isn't a big deal to them so it is not on their minds. Thanks for responding.
@cherhost (1072)
• United States
11 Feb 07
Hey Sunnypub, I asked my husband this same question not that long ago and he told me... "I need it up and you need it down, so I put it up and you put it down. It is the smae amout of work... so if I have to put it up the you have to put it down." I call it pure laziness! His firends are even bad at it. But We just decided to have his bathroom and then my bathroom. He uses the one in the hall and I use the one off our room. Doesn't always work that way. But I told him that I need to clean them both so technically they are both mine! HA Good luck!
1 person likes this
@sunnypub (2128)
• United States
11 Feb 07
HAHAHAHAHA....that is pretty funny. You have to give him credit for a creative answer. I just prefer to have the seat and lid down because it just looks better. I mean I don't really care to be in the bathroom staring at the inside of the toilet. Maybe that is why it is no big deal to men, I mean they stare at it everytime they go, but to me it just looks better and is more sanitary if the seat and lid are down. Thanks for responding.
@elisata (568)
• Netherlands
10 Feb 07
Just put it the other way around... why do we women want the toilet seat down? Why don't we leave it up for our men?
I don't think it has anything to do with dominance, just with negligence. Men don't think when they take a leak, they just do their business, and that's it. The women are too much concerned about everybody else in the household! I live together with only my husband. One time the seat is up, the other time it isn't. I don't care at all. It is not an issue for me, nor for my husband....
As for flushing: whan we use the toilet right after one another, the last one flushes. That way we save water, which is good for the environment!
@sunnypub (2128)
• United States
11 Feb 07
I personally want the seat down because I have cats and I don't want them drinking out of the toilet. I also don't want to have to be looking at the inside of the toilet.
I am not one who wants it down so I don't fall in, because I always check before I sit down, but I do think it is just more sanitary to keep the seat down and I ma including the lid in this.
My husband and I do the same thing as you when we use it one right after the other.
I started this discussion just ot see what other people would say. Thanks for responding.
@freak369 (5113)
• United States
14 Feb 07
They lack a certain gene that forces them to think that others may use the loo in the immediate future. This is also connected to another gene that makes them laugh hysterically when they hear someone scream after sitting down on what they thought was the toilet seat but in reality it was the freezing cold rim of the toilet.
That is the only explanation I can come up with outside of them being extremely lazy. Most men say that they 'just forgot' ... I wonder how they would feel if we took the batteries out of the remote control and 'forgot' to replace them.
1 person likes this
@sunnypub (2128)
• United States
14 Feb 07
Oh I love a good late night laugh and you just gave me one now. thanks for that. I was totally visualizing it as I was reading it. Too funny! I think you may have something there also. I think I may have to try that remote control thing. Thanks for responding.
@ukchriss (2097)
•
14 Feb 07
I think we have to train them lol
My other half is very good I have trained him well,
he does put the seat down for me -
I have IBS so if he hadnt put it down and i had to go in a hurry as i do sometimes, i just wouldnt have time to put it down myself and We could end up in quite a mess!
@sunnypub (2128)
• United States
16 Feb 07
Maybe we should all get togehter and form a proper toilet seat ettiquette training seminar. Then all us women could send our men and we wouldn't have this issue ever again. LOL Thanks for responding.
@mzbubblie (3839)
• United States
9 Feb 07
Very good topic, I'm going to follow...Whyyyy? I'm trying to break my son out of that now..He's gotten ALOT better. He has his own bathroom, but sometimes when I go in his bathroom since it's closer to the living room,
If it's up, I call him no matter what he doing, if he outside playing, or have friends over playing that X-Box, I make him put it down...
Hopefully, this sticks with him long term...
I'm going to come back to this topic, I'm curious to know why myself...hehehe
1 person likes this
@sunnypub (2128)
• United States
9 Feb 07
Yes, teaching the boys when they are young is a great idea. maybe you could show him how easy it is to put the seat down in the same motion as flushing. I mean all it requires is a simple flick of the hand as you are flushing and the seat falls down. To me it is just common sense. Thanks for responding.
@cjthedog64 (1552)
• United States
11 Feb 07
DH usually puts the seat down, but not always. Enough though that I don't make a big deal out of it. Our son is getting to the age where we need to put a lock on the toilet, so it'll be getting shut all the time! I'm hoping that it'll become a habit over the next couple of years!
1 person likes this
@sunnypub (2128)
• United States
13 Feb 07
Oh my hsband hated the time when we had to lock the toilet seats because of our daughter. He complained the whole time, and he would still leave it up. It is truly just a man thing, I think. Thanks for responding.
@sunnypub (2128)
• United States
13 Feb 07
HAHAHAHAHA thanks for the giggle. I totally know what you are talking about. My husband is really sweet though or maybe he is just lazy but either way he usually sits in the middle of the night so I don't have to worry about his aim. I tell you what, if I don't clean the toilet it doesn't get cleaned. Thanks for responding.
@kittensmommy (386)
• United States
9 Feb 07
Men are just like that , call it what you call it , but whatever you ask them to do , the do the reverse ,Try that Reverse Psychology.Mine started putting the seat down after watching an Oprah episode about how clean is your house , and they said something about flushing the toilet is more poisinous than the toilet rim itself.He was cured forever , he lifts the seat up , finishes his biz,put the seat down , flushes , and washes his hands
1 person likes this
@sunnypub (2128)
• United States
9 Feb 07
That type of thinking doesn't work on my husband. We have a couple of Mythbusters books and one of the things they did was to test how much filth was spread by flushing your toilet. Suffice it say, it was disgusting to find out. The Mythbusters proved that putting the seat down before flushing kept the filth at a minimum. But my husband still doesn't do it. Thanks for responding.
