Doctor warns of grim reason you should never leave the lid open when flushing the toilet
You might have always been told to put the toilet lid down for one reason or another, but this explanation might finally force you to actually do it.
A doctor has revealed why you should always make sure the toilet lid is closed when flushing and we should all listen up because it's pretty gross.
A lot of what you can't see can't hurt you - that's the attitude we tend to have with situations like this, but the explanation behind shutting the lid makes perfect sense.
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TikTok user and medical professional Dr Jen Caudle (@drjencaudle) has been in the news recently for revealing the actual average penis size among men, and she's back again.
This time it's for something completely different, but the information is perhaps even more useful.
She has explained in great detail why we should aim to put the toilet lid down in one of her recent videos.
She begins to explain: "As we flush the toilet, everything is supposed to go down, but actually, there is some stuff that goes up. That's right."
Dr Caudle goes on to say that the force of the flush cycle actually sprays small invisible particles into the air, with engineers from the University of Colorado Boulder conducting tests on commercial toilets to find out just how far they go.
The researchers found that these toilets generate a strong upward jet of air, reaching velocities of 6.6 feet (2 metres) per second.
It's almost like it's impossible to miss if you leave the seat up... that makes me feel gross.
"It can carry particles up to five feet above your toilet bowl within eight seconds of flushing," Dr Caudle continued.
"Particles means germs right? Bacteria, viruses, other stuff you want to stay in the toilet, is now being spewed upwards."
You may get the gist now, if it goes up, it comes down... onto you.
Users let their thoughts be known in the comments, with one saying: "Close the lid before flushing. Then the seat is always down."
Another humorously commented: "So .. has this been the 'secret' silent killer of the human race???"
A third put: "I HATE THE AUTOMATIC ONES."
That is completely fair though, automatic public toilets do feel like a trap as it is almost impossible to escape the flush.
Dr Caudle did provide advice on what to do if you encounter this problem, signing off her video by saying: "Well I say, flush that toilet, and run."
Joshua Nair