20 Fascinating Facts About The Toilet

When you try and think of a place that is the source of a lot fear as well as satisfaction, not to mention as great source of a lot of the world’s best jokes, what you think of? For those of you with your mind in the gutter, you’e right! The toilet goes by so many names and nicknames its hard to keep track of all of them – potty, commode, latrine, john, porcelain throne. But as much time as you spend sitting on it or standing over it, there are a lot of things you probably didn’t now about the humble toilet.

A Long Time Coming

At some time or another, we’ve all spent our fair share of time sitting on the toilet. In fact, the average person spends three whole months of their life sitting on the commode; in a year a person uses the toilet 2,500 times, about 6-8 times a day.

Calling for Back-up

Toilets might seem like a necessity, but they aren’t as common around the world as one would think. In fact, more people have their own cell phones than their own toilet.

Watch Yourself

Lots of people might be scared to go into public restrooms and a lot of the time they are perfectly justified to do so. The flushing handle on a public toilet can harbor up to 40,000 germs per square inch.

The Great Flood

It may not seem like a lot of water is used in flushing a toilet, but you might be surprised. The average flush uses 6 liters, or a gallon and a half, of water.

Big Screen Debut

Alfred Hitchcock’s seminal film Psycho was the first film to ever show a flushing toilet. Until that point it was guarded against because watching where human waste was deposed of was considered indecent.

Oh! To Be Worshiped!

Other than the obvious reasons, the toilet doesn’t seem like the kind of thing someone would exalt… but you’d be wrong. The ancient Romans had a Goddess of the Sewer called Cloacina, A God of the Toilet called Crepitus, and a God of Excrement called Stercutius.

Death of a King

King George II of England had a great deal experience sitting on thrones, but it was a porcelain one that finally did him in. The monarch died on October 24th, 1760 after he fell off of his toilet.

There’s An App for That

We all know that cell phones are addictive, but can you guess how distracting they really are? The more apps a person has on their smart phone, the more time they will take to do their business.

Good Advice

When you have to go in a public restroom, always opt for the very first cubicle in the row. It has been studied that, for whatever reason, people tend to avoid the the first stall in a restroom and it is consequently the cleanest.

Real ‘Game of Thrones’

Actor Kit Harington of “Game of Thrones” popularity is famous for his good-looks, but there is another reason he is famous. His ancestor John Harington, godson of Queen Elizabeth I, invented one of the worlds first flushing toilets.

Give Thanks!

There are about 7 billion people on this great big planet of ours, but not all are fortunate enough to have a toilet to use when they need to go. About 2.6 billion have no access to such facilities.

Watch Your Wiping

Although its a great common comfort, toilet paper is only a recent nicety. Some of the materials used for wiping throughout history include sheep’s wool, frayed rope, grass, newspaper, lace, sponges, and of course the old human hand.

False Credit

A lot of people think to credit Thomas Crapper as the inventor of the toilet. While he wasn’t the first to build a flusher, he did happen to perfect the siphon flush system that we still use today.

Washing Optional

Though they are not all that common, Bidet can always be found accompanying a toilet. As an alternative to toilet paper, you use the stream of water that springs up from it rinse out your nether parts instead of wiping.

Music To My Ears

There is a lot more in the flush of your toilet than you might think. For instance, did you know that most potties when flushed make a sound in an E flat.

Still Rolling Along

If you are first does it mean you are the best? When it comes to toilet paper, it depends on your preference. Scott Paper company was the first to put the paper on a roll – they are still making TP today.

Waste Not, Want Not

Singer Sheryl Crow once famously said that she thought people should only use one square of toilet paper on themselves not matter what your “business” was – she might have had a less crazy suggestion than you think. The average person uses about 57 squares a day.

Shrinking in Fear

Yes, sitting on a urine covered toilet seat might seem like a nasty concept but it isn’t unsanitary. Pee is sterile so getting it on you won’t hurt you. In fact, under dire circumstances drinking urine can help stave off dying of dehydration.

Say It Don’t Spray It

Though you probably don’t feel it, toilets spray microscopic bits of water and whatever else is in it out into your bathroom. This is why all dentists recommend that you keep your toothbrush at least six feet away from your toilet.

Over or Under?

Who cares which way you put your roll on the holder? Someone does – a $100,000 dollar study was conducted about toilet paper orientation preferences. Three out of four prefer over rather than under.