Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with restroom

What is the name of this short film?

flod logic — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 19:48:09 -0800

What was the name of this short art film about a guy getting trapped in a bathroom? In the early 90s I remember seeing a short art film (5-10 minutes long) that involved a man getting stuck in a bathroom and eventually locked in a stall as it flooded. There was no dialogue. When I saw it, it was used in part of a sales training video and I'm sure it wasn't something made by the company themselves - it was an art film just used for the humor value. My dad is pretty sure it was French and that the title was shown briefly at the end.
Any ideas?

An answer to the TP question?

Rash — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 06:50:06 -0800

Is the metal flap on Japanese and European TP dispensers (photo) an indication that they've resolved the seemingly endless debate one hears in America about which orientation of the toilet paper roll (over or under) is better, or correct?

Why do some men hang out to talk in office restrooms?

kittyprecious — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 08:06:46 -0800

Men: Do you socialize in the restroom at work? WHY? I work in an office building where various companies on each floor share a single, fairly-big men's room (four urinals, five stalls). I drink a lot of water at my desk, so I'm in there fairly frequently and I've noticed a number of times that random groups of two or three guys (who I assume work together) will be in there at the same time, chatting, doing their business, and then stand by the sinks and talk for a good few minutes after they've finished washing up.

Granted, it's not a dirty place, but why would anyone stay in the restroom longer than necessary when there's a nice wide hallway right outside that doesn't have a vague odor of human waste and ring with the sounds of waste elimination? Clearly, this perception isn't universal, and these guys are mostly government contractors and assorted ex-military types.

Who keeps clogging the toilet, and why?

dubold — Fri, 14 Mar 2008 12:57:59 -0800

[ToiletMysteryFilter]Why would someone clog a public toilet with paper every day? I work in an older building in NYC. The offices do not have individual bathrooms; there is a restroom for each gender, and each office has keys.

After I arrive at work, I go to use the facilities. For the last several months, every day, sometime between 9:30 and 10:00, the left-most stall has a great deal of toilet paper in the bowl. It is usually in a distinctive layout - it looks like it was being used to prevent contact with the seat, as well as wadded up and tossed in the bowl. I am estimating 1/5th to 1/3 of a roll is used per visit. It also looks as if there is urine in the bowl. If there is feces in the bowl, it is completely covered and not visible. Attempts to flush the toilet usually result in blockage and overflow.

I suspect it is the same person every time for two reasons. One: it's the same approx quantity and dispersal of paper every time. Two: It's about the same time every day. If I'm there before 9:30 or so, the toilet is empty. Between 9:30 and 10:00 it is plugged.

So why do I care? It's mildly inconvenient for me - only one other stall and the urinal is usable - but I would imagine terribly frustrating for the cleaning staff. For a couple weeks a plunger was left in the restroom, but that's disappeared.

I had thought about just leaving a note - something along the lines of "Hi, please stop putting so much toilet paper in the bowl".

The only thing that prevented me from leaving a note right away: there are a lot of different folks from various countries in the building. From previous Metafilter threads, I have ascertained that not everyone has the same toilet practices - is there some cultural/regional thing that I should be aware of here?

A couple years ago, we were finding water all over the floor of the bathroom, and it turned out that a couple men in the building were observant Muslims who used the sinks to wash before prayer. Obviously this is a slightly different condition, but if there's some cultural practice at work, I'll just bite my tongue and deal with it.

Before this started, I was talking to another tenant in the building, and he told me that someone was clogging a toilet on his floor daily. He described a similar condition. About 2 months later, it started on this floor.

Anyone have any clue as to what's going on here?

What's Taking So Long in There?

Gucky — Fri, 01 Feb 2008 09:03:25 -0800

What do people do in public bathrooms (besides the obvious) that takes so long? Why am I quicker at it? I've had a number of people comment to me -- coworkers, friends, my husband -- that I take an inordinately short time to use the bathroom. Particularly in a not-at-home context.

If I go into the girls room at the same time as a male coworker goes into the guys room, I'm waiting for him outside (much to his apparent surprise). If I go into the bathroom at the same time as a girl, I'm done *long* before.

I'm a girl. Yes, I wash my hands. And use soap. Every single time (if there's soap to be had). I dry my hands, but quickly. I don't use a paper towel to open the bathroom door. I don't use those froofy seat covers, but those can't take an extra full minute, right?

I wear either jeans or a skirt with tights, so it's not a fast access thing. I don't touch up makeup, but since I'm beating boys as well as girls, that's not an issue, right?

Am I just less bladder shy than the rest of the universe? Is there some magical bathroom hokey pokey I'm supposed to do once I get into a stall that I'm missing out on?

Why aren't public restrooms cleaned better?

Anonymous — Wed, 05 Dec 2007 13:30:35 -0800

Why aren't public restrooms cleaned better? I'm talking about the walls, visible plumbing on urinals, toilet seats, etc.

I'm generally speaking about bathrooms in fairly large big-box type places (Wal-mart, etc) or in what you would refer to as a "public building" such as a library or a school.
A few things I notice often in these restrooms is:

- a drain in the floor
- tiled walls up to maybe 5-6 feet high
- materials such as steel, plastic, tile

Why not just spray everything down with a hose, grab a long-handled brush with soap and scrub everything down, then rinse it all into the floor drain?

This seems like a more efficient option assuming the cost of water and soap isn't going overboard and that anything that gets wet won't rust or become ruined. Wouldn't an employee/janitor/custodian prefer this method than to put on gloves and liberally wipe everything down?

Piss or move down the trough?

carsonb — Fri, 27 Apr 2007 02:16:27 -0800

A question of men's restroom trough etiquette: Do I shuffle down or stay put? The 3-man trough is perpendicular to the door, and the far end is occupied. It's a very small restroom, and quarters are tight—we're talking shoulder to shoulder and squeezing behind. I sidle up to the end nearest to the door (furthest from the occupied end), prepare to evacuate, and start concentrating to get over the stage fright. As I'm waiting to begin the guy at the far end finishes and leaves, and I'm alone. Do I move to the far end of the trough in anticipation of the next guy or stay where I am and finish?

Flush, flush, flush...

wondercow — Fri, 17 Nov 2006 12:27:28 -0800

Why do toilets in private homes generally have a tank, whereas in most commercial/public/dormitory/stadium/etc. restrooms they do not have a tank? Google searches, Wikipedia, and a previous AskMe question provide lots of information on HOW the two types work, but this doesn't answer my question. I want to know WHY tanks are so ubiquitous in private homes and nearly unseen in public estabilshments with multiple stalls in a single restroom.

Lavatories: Laboratories of Human Behavior

Falconetti — Sun, 04 Dec 2005 01:16:27 -0800

Inspired by this thread, I am interested in learning about idiosyncratic public restroom behavior. If you can point be to a book or article on this sort of topic that would be great, but feel free to share your own stories.

To break the ice: I sometimes make sympathetic grunts if another bathroom user is eliminating unusually loud so that they think I am having a tough time too and they don't feel bad.

Washing on the Job

Secret Life of Gravy — Tue, 08 Nov 2005 07:44:49 -0800

Do you wash up in the bathroom at work before going home? Recently my husband and I watched Alfred Hitchcock's movie, Blackmail (1929). I was particularily struck by a scene where two plain clothes detectives at Scotland Yard go into the washroom at the end of their working day and meet several others and everyone engages in a good washing up: coats off, face lathering, using towels, hair combing, etc. When I mentioned how odd I thought it was, my husband said it wasn't odd at all-- he always washs in the restroom before coming home-- in fact his contract specifies this; he has a five minute period before lunch and a five minute period before going home set aside to wach his hands. Not only that, but in looking back over his series of jobs, he has always washed up before going home. He says it has become a ritual marking the end of the working day.

This is the first I've heard of such a thing. I've worked in a lot of jobs, but I have never gone into the bathroom before going home so that I can wash my hands. Is this a cultural thing? A gender difference? A habit? Should I be washing up before going home?

Restroom Keys

hendrixson — Fri, 03 Dec 2004 14:16:31 -0800

Why do all the local medical clinics require a key to use the restroom? Is this practice widespread? [MI] Both multi-use medical facilities I've visited in Columbia, MD, require a key to be checked out to use the restroom. These buildings are located in an upscale suburb with minimal pedestrian traffic. Are the building managers that determined to reduce toilet traffic? Is the risk of a phantom shitter coming off the street so high that they must lock the doors? What is the logic behind this?

Why do women use paper toilet seat covers in a clean restroom?

agregoli — Tue, 02 Nov 2004 11:31:51 -0800

Many times in my various workplaces, I've noticed people "nesting" in the ladies restroom. By this I mean, using one of those papery toilet seat covers before sitting down. Most of these incidents involve a restroom that is spotless, and sometimes it was only used by a few people. I'm of the mind that using these things is if anything, less sanitary, as it increases the chance of (*ahem*) fluids getting on the seat. I can't find any info either way - your thoughts? And a follow-up question - why the fear of germs in a spotless restroom? Do people feel this will actually protect them? Your thighs are the only part touching the seat? Etc?