do you flush the toilet (urinal) before using?

[h linamen]

Of course I'll flush before using if the water is yellow. I don't want someone else's disease germs splashing on my pants.

[Mike Sellers]

apocketfulofwry wrote:
The behavior I don't understand is when someone will flush multiple times while sitting on the toilet.

So when did you lose your sense of smell?

[lost in space]

One of the urinals at work flushes only after you walk up to it, not when you walk away, so the next user is guaranteed a fresh batch of yellow water. The maintenance people say it works fine. There's something not right here.

[freeradical]

If it's yellow, let it mellow. If it's brown, flush it down.

Timeless advice!

[Kiva]

h linamen wrote:
Of course I'll flush before using if the water is yellow. I don't want someone else's disease germs splashing on my pants.

ya, 'cause after you flush the pee out of urinal that gets used 100 times a day, it's germ free for sure.

[DCrunch]

apocketfulofwry wrote:
The behavior I don't understand is when someone will flush multiple times while sitting on the toilet.

Perhaps the collective wisdom of the forum can elucidate.




Not that it's a burning issue.



Well, hopefully, it's not a burning issue.

Those are called courtesy-flushes.

[DCrunch]

Sometimes running water coaxes when you know you have to go, but it just won't.

[davester]

Urine is sterile, so there are no "germs" to splash on you. It used to be common practice to use urine to wash wounds because it was more sterile than most water. It makes absolutely no sense to pre-flush the urinal, and given the water issues in the western US can be quite a significant resource waster.

[NewtonMP2100]

.....urine is sterile....so sterile that some people drink it (yup...)....

[davester]

Actually, it is a tradition today in parts of the world to drink urine in order to promote health, and there were many cultures in the past that followed this practice. Drinking small amounts of urine is completely harmless and is definitely safer in a survival situation than drinking water of questionable quality. The biggest problem with it becomes the ingestion of dissolved salts that your body was trying to eliminate, which can eventually lead to the same problems that shipwreck victims contract when drinking seawater.