Buzz
Are Flushing Practices Polite or Harmful to Health? PeopleImages/Getty ImagesMain Points
- Courtesy flushes (flushing mid-use to minimize odor) might not significantly improve cleanliness and can spread bacteria if the toilet lid is left open.
- Although they may slightly reduce odor by limiting the time fecal matter is exposed to air, courtesy flushes don’t completely mask the smell, as gases can still carry odors through liquids.
- Though considered a courteous gesture and somewhat effective against odor, performing courtesy flushes is viewed as a considerable waste of water.
In general, beginning an article (or essay or doodle) with a dictionary definition is considered tacky. It's uninspired, awkward, and offers no context.
But then again.
There are times at Mytour.com when we face a contentious, hot-topic issue that forces us to prioritize substance over style. We need readers to dive into the subject with a shared understanding, and to do that, we begin with a definition to level the playing field. But we don’t dig out the magnifying glass to pore over the esteemed Oxford English Dictionary. We don’t reach for the ever-reliable Merriam-Webster. We don’t even settle for the definition Microsoft Word offers with a quick right-click. Those sources can’t tell us:
What exactly is a courtesy flush?
So, turning to Urban Dictionary, a courtesy flush is: "A flush in the middle of the toilet-sitting process to reduce the smell... typically done on a 'foreign throne' as a courtesy to the owner... essentially, it's about being polite and not overloading the host’s bathroom with too much stench" [source: Urban Dictionary]. Kudos to message board legend (and, I assume, social historian) "peafarter" for this succinct and well-researched explanation, which earned 1,164 enthusiastic "thumbs up" as of June 2013.
It turns out that people have varying interpretations of what constitutes a courtesy flush. For example, 'peafarter' (yes, even 'peafarter') received 216 thumbs down. Some claim the difference lies in intent—whether it's to prevent an unpleasant smell or to ensure the toilet doesn’t clog. There are even deeper disagreements on the fundamentals. Some users on Urban Dictionary, and even a few at a BBQ this past weekend, argued that a courtesy flush is simply a second flush to remove any leftover debris from the bowl.
As the appointed Author of this piece, I declare that any other interpretation of a courtesy flush is absolute nonsense. To answer the question, 'Is a courtesy flush useful or healthy?', we will adopt the definition provided by 'peafarter.'
Let's move forward.
Conspiratoiletry Theories
You may be surprised, but here's the thing: There has never been a comprehensive study on the hygiene or necessity of the courtesy flush. Before we jump to conclusions about Big Toilet covering the truth, it’s worth noting that we do have some additional information that could offer insight into the science behind the courtesy flush.
In 2012, a study showed that flushing a toilet with the lid up can send Clostridium difficile bacteria (the nasty germs responsible for severe diarrhea and colon inflammation) flying through the bathroom air [source: Moisse]. So, unless you're standing, closing the lid, flushing, and then sitting back down—you're likely getting a mist of bacteria on your backside. But this doesn't necessarily mean you're unclean. If you’re practicing good hygiene and your immune system is up to snuff, you're unlikely to be affected by C. difficile.
Flushing the fecal matter in the bowl while you're sitting on it doesn’t really do you any favors, though it likely won’t harm you either. But the real question is, does it even address the odor problem you’re trying to fix?
This one's a bit trickier. If you time the flush correctly, you’re minimizing the time the feces sits in the bowl, which helps reduce odor. It makes sense: the less exposure to air, the less time sulfur compounds (from bacteria in the poop) have to create their stink. And just a heads up—water doesn’t mask the smell of feces. Anyone who has encountered an unflushed toilet or a portable toilet can tell you: liquids only help spread the stench, as gases escape.
While courtesy flushes might be polite and somewhat effective, they waste a lot of water (unless you’re preventing a toilet overflow). A modern, high-efficiency toilet uses 1.3 to 1.6 gallons (4.9 to 6.1 liters) per flush, whereas older models can use up to 6 gallons (22.7 liters) [source: EPA].
If you have a habit of flushing more than once, you might earn a grateful nod from your neighbor at the sink. But unfortunately, you’re not doing the environment any favors.
