Toilet Trivia

Toilets ! Everyone needs one, yet we are reluctant to talk about them. It’s an essential fixture in our homes and is usually not given much thought whereas in fact, this modern-day necessity has a very interesting history and some cool fun facts. Here are some fascinating facts about the toilet, the loo, the John, the crapper; we bet you didn’t know about.

• The average person spends three whole years of their life sitting on a toilet.
• The first toilet cubicle in a row is least used and consequently the cleanest of all.
• Most toilets flush in the key E-flat (A musical note)
• The first time there were separate male and female toilets were at a posh party in Paris in 1739.
• World Toilet Day is observed on November 19s every year in a bid to spread awareness about the need for sanitation for all.
• Car steering wheels carry more than twice as many germs as a toilet seat, computer keyboards carry more than 200 times while mobile phones have 18 times more bacteria than toilet seats.
• More people in the world have mobile phones than toilets.
• In South Korea, there is an entire theme park and museum dedicated to the humble toilet.
• The most luxurious toilet in the world was made of pure Gold. This 24 carat gold toilet existed in the Hall of Gold in Hong Kong. Hang Fung jewelers owned this one of a kind toilet as part of their marketing strategy to attract tourists from all over the world.
• The average life expectancy of a toilet is 15 years.
• An estimated 2.5 billion people in the world do not have access to proper sanitation facilities; major number is in rural areas of India and China.
• Dentists have recommended that a toothbrush be kept at least six feet away from a toilet to avoid airborne particles resulting from the flush.
• The film “Psycho” was the first movie to show a toilet flushing – the scene caused an inpouring of complaints about indecency.
• Some other terms for toilet include: washroom, outhouse, powder room, ladies, lavatory, potty, women’s room, bog, necessary, dunny, bathroom, gents, men’s room, khazi, convenience, garderobe, restroom, place of easement, privy, john, potty, water closet, the smallest room, can, little girls’ or boys’ room, facilities, and throne room.
• You’re probably wondering how astronauts relieve themselves in outer space. Space shuttles do not have bathrooms the way airplanes do. Air pressure is the key in determining where toilet wastes go. Waste is usually disposed of outside of the shuttle and out into space. Astronauts do not shower. They cleanse themselves using wash cloths.
• The White House has 35 bathrooms, which means it has 35 toilets. Talk about choices!
• Pomegranates studded with cloves were used as the first attempt at making toilet air-freshener.
• The inhabitants of ancient Rome had a sewer goddess, a toilet god and a god of excrement.
• We hope you found these facts about the most popular destination in the home interesting. Read on and share with others for them to learn these toilet facts.