it makes room for more dook, but for the smell? i don't think the courtesy flush makes any difference, the turd's already been in contact with the air, and if it's liquid, that's alot of surface area so the smell is there...flushing just gets it out of the way so you don't have to look at it. and so that the people in the next stall don't have the mental picture of your dook of doom rising from the depths to assault them.

Personally, I never used it. That is because I get in an out really quick. However, If I were constipated for 3+ days, I would need to take my time, and my shit would stink 3x as much. Then, I would grunt like hell, pinch, and then courtesy flush to keep the stench from spreading quickly. My own stench doesn't bother me, but since it will bring tears to the eyes of others, I would courtesy flush. I wouldn't flush before I dropped any log, thoughj. At that point, it doesn't matter. Also, I don't really care about covering up my noise. Hell, that is what a stall is for.

I think it depends on how well ventilated the bathroom is. In my apartment the brown stench sticks around for about an hour after I'm all done and flushed.

But at work, it seems like as soon as I flush the smell is gone. There's some good fan suction going on up in the ceiling, so I'm guessing that as long as the log is in the bowl and emitting its foulness the air will keep stinking. As soon as it goes down, the remaining poo particles get all sucked away.

I was stationed on the USS LaSalle (Gaeta, Italy) for almost 2 years, and uh... umm.. let me tell you people - "courtesy flush" concept is very real! Especially when you share a bathroom of 4 stalls/6 sinks/6 showers with 40 other ppl in the morning... LOL.. I remember so many times someone would cry out (while brushing their teeth) for a courtesy flush I'm telling you... "courtesy flush" means exactly what it sounds like - AAND!! I think it's essential to the whole "shameless shitting" doctrine (it's shameless shitting - NOT "shameless making everybody else in the bathroom gag from unbearable smell") I think those ppl above, whoever they are, speak like that because they never had any prolonged experience with sharing 1 bathroom with many people. I think it's just decent when shitting to: 1) use short, controlled bursts 2) flush after each burst hehehe.. unless, of course you have diarrhea or bubble-guts (hangover) - in that case I just flush continuously. Courtesy flush = sign of decency/ concern for other ppl in the bathroom (or ppl that are going to use the bathroom after you)!

p.s. - my shit doesn't stink

We have the "courtesy non-flush" in our house. This is practiced when I'm in the shower and one of my kids come in and take a crap. I don't know why they don't use one of the other bathrooms but they always like to crap while I'm in the shower. I know for a fact that the courtesy flush gets rid of the smell because when I get out of the shower, I can still smell the crap until I flush it. Stinkin' kids!

It seems to me that as long as the turd is submerged in water, it cannot contribute to a rank atmosphere.
If anything is causing the stink, it is most likely the stuff that makes toilet paper a necessity.
Maybe we should call it a courtesy wipe.

Coutesy flushes spoil the fun. How can you stink someone out if you flush the smell away. Not that it actually goes away, but some people believe it does. My dad's furocimide poo smell hovers in the air for at least an hour whether he flushes it down or not. If he shits at one people are still stricken by uncontrollable vomiting at two.

Water contains stink. No question about that. If your turd is in the water, completely submerged, it will not stink (well, that bad. Particles drift, but not at a significant rate -- tens of minutes, not minutes).

Gas floats. No amount of flushing will get rid of gas.

The only time a courtesy flush really helps is if the turd is a floater (or has left significant smearage above the water line). When turd is open to air -- that's when it REALLY stinks. So if you drop floaters, your courtesy flush is effective and polite. If they're sinkers, it's just a social nicety.

I believe in the courtesy flush. If I'm in a public john, I usually give a courtesy flush before I lift my cheek to wipe. I've found that cuts down on smell.

I consider flushing because the bowl is too full
a courtesy flush, too-a courtesy to the poor toilet, which isn't meant to bear so much waste. So I courtesy flush if I'm unloading a night at the pub, or have used enough paper to TP the Redwood Forest.

I like to give multiple courtesy flushes--not for the others, but for myself. I like it when the water droplets splash up and tickle my rusty sheriff badge.

If water can subdue stink, then how can any liquid smell? How can you smell soup, which is water-based? I do not agree with this logic at all. I think it doesn't make any sense. I rarely use the courtesy flush, but I will if the time calls for it, i.e. if someone is waiting for the throne, or if I happen to be rather "full of myself" on that particular day. I think it's penultimate in crowded bathrooms and public places. However, using it at your girlfriend or boyfriend's house can be a double-edges sword. Not use it and experience the worst embarassment ever by clogging the bugger, do use it and practically shout from the rooftops "Hey, I just took a huge shit in your toilet! It's so big I had to flush twice! When can I come visit again?"
Hahaha.

here'e the deal, folks: The courtesy flush does more than just remove the poop and the tainted water- it also creates a vaccum where air is also sucked down the toilet. This reduces the amount of stink in the air.

for example, you can let out the rankest fart, drop a bomb, then courtesy flush, and the fart stink will be mostly eliminated. On the other hand, if your flush is not timely, the noxious odor will disseminate out of the toilet, and contaminate the bathroom. The key is in the timing.

As for water containing the poop smell, I think the answer lies in the middle- submerging a turd makes the turd smell less than if there was no water in the bowl, but doesnt eliminate the stink completely.

I think that the courtesy flush is a kind and polite thing to do. But, of course, if you are attempting an act of turd terriorism, it's out of the question! In that case, why even use a toilet.

I know of one chap, well, we'll just call him Casey B., so somebody commited an act of turd terriorism right on his living room floor. When he got up the next morning, he was not pleased to find a pile of turds, a puddle of piss, and some scraps of TP scattered around.

sounds like the work of Osama Bin Loggin

The fact that water contains the smell is true and false.

Traps are built into the drain pipe (that funny S-curve you see under the sink) so that water will lay in the trap and keep sewer gasses from rising up the drain and into the room. All drains have a trap of some kind. The gases from below the trap cannot penetrate the water as the surface tension is too great.

On the other hand, since you've added the turd to the water, much like the soup analogy, you now have shit soup (dumplings, anyone?) so it stands to reason that, given enough time, the smell eminating from your dumplings will manage to be brought to the surface of the water, as gas bubbles are lighter than water and float to the top where they pop and release their payload.

So, the courtesy flush works. No question.

If you time it just right, you can poop and flush at the same time, thus minimizing the poop's exposure to the ambient air/toilet water. Resulting in a significantly diminished "bouquet." Although, be warned, twisting and pooping may cause injury, so make sure you stretch and do some mild meditation pre-poop. Good luck.

Ok, this is going to sound messed up coming from a shameful shitter. Admittedly, the last time I pooped in a public washroom was during a drunken night in Vegas in 1996. Despite the fact that I avoid public washrooms at all costs, I have an opinion on the courtesy flush and that opinion is- Why bother? Shit stinks. That's just how it is. I mean, I guess we could all start carrying little Glade personal air fresheners, just in case, but what's the point? Shit just stinks and that's all there is to it. Screw the idea of trying to flush at the exact moment that the crap hits the water level. Just shit and know it will stink and be at peace with it.

I utilize the curtosy flush not for the sake of my fellow poopers next to me, but for myself. I dont care about the smell...I kinda like the smell of my own pooh to an extent. I dont use it to make more room in the bowl either. In my opinion, the best and only use for a curtosy flush is so the next round of pooh doesnt make the previous round of pooh splash up on your ass. This in turn cuts down on wipeage thus making you save money on shit paper! Thus I am dubbed...the trifty shitter.

Courtesy flush is a must for yourself. ... If not the toxic stench saturates your clothes. You will be walking around with eu de toilet in the real poo sense!! Also, I hate when i walk into a public restroom and smell someone elses dung creation. Sometimes its so strong I get a tasty film from the gaseous fog.

In my college dorm the antiquated plumbing system would send a scalding surge whenever toilets were flushed. Not only was a stinky turd encouraged to be flushed, the flusher must warn those in the shower of impending rise in water temperature. Protocol times two.

The courtesy flush is just plain good manners if you asked me. It also keeps the crapper from getting clogged from a mountain of poo and toilet paper all flushed at once. (I'm a clogger)

How very Zen! I love your closer...
-Just shit and know it will stink and be at peace with it.

The degree of the scent given off by liquids is entirely dependent upon the temperature (or kinetic energy) of the liquid in question.
As the molecules of the liquid move faster, more and more will gain sufficient velocity to break the surface tension.
So when soup is hot some particles are evaporating, becoming airborn and making their way to your nose. Leave a pot of cold soup in the kitchen and see whether you can smell it.
Toilet water is generally cold and for this reason I am a sceptic as far as the efficacy of the courtesy flush is concerned. (Unless of course, one's log is sticking out of the water. When this happens I notice a drastic increase in the stink level in my crapping closet.)
I suggest two experiments.
One: someone should take a shit in boiling water and see what happens.
Two: Someone should take a shit with their ass completely submerged in water.
Hypotheses?

Jack has it! The "Courtesy Dip" Just lift the seat, stick your whole ass right down in the water and let 'er rip! Of course if you have foul smelling gas, you can forget doing a 'courtesy dip' because the nasty fart bubbles would rise through the water and burst. In this case, go ahead and sit on the seat and courtesy flush in the hopes that the vaccum mentioned by still poopin might suck most of the farts down.

P.S.
Not recommended for sufferers of loose runny stools.

One thing we have mentioned in this whole debate: The environment. I like the courtesy flush, but isn't it bad for the environment? Just think about all that wasted water....

Amen to PJBrownstuff! There's not fucking point to wasting all that water! Just tell the loosers in the next stall to get a good whiff and deal with it!

Well, TSV and PJB, there is another problem. Use more water, or use more chemicals to clean the toilet?
That is why I don't courtesy flush. Instead, I flush the crapper as soon as my ass is wiped sparkling clean.
It sounds like a reasonable compromise, IMO.

I employ the courtesy flush. My take on it is that you MUST remain seated, legs closed to seal it off, and flush while remaining seated. Then, and only then, does the smell go with the turd.
The very instant the poo comes into contact with the air (as in the drop), you have smell. So, seal it off and flush for a stinkless dook.

That's exactly what I do, poonurse. And after the turds have been flushed away, THEN you can wipe.
And yes, it's not exactly good for the enviroment to flush all that much...but think-if you overflow the toilet, how much water would that waste? And with all the water wasted by the rest of the world, 8 gallons to relieve the stink is worth the price.

I think Slim Jim's got it!

I have never employed the courtesy flush, dip, or leg seal. My wife and I do however use the "verbal warning" as a loving courtesy to each other in our small shared bathroom. Normally her boom-boom smells like fresh-cut roses in spring, but on occasion that she's been out drinking with her girlfriends the night before, she pulls down her panties, smiles sweetly, and says, "this is really going to stink. You might want to leave."

My freakoid sister says she doesn't courtesy flush either. I know. I've been clobbered by her rancid stench several times on this visit.

1) The courtesy flush definately works.
2) It should never be employed unless it is part of a daily routine which may come back for revenge by the frequent victem of your bombings.
...You had to work hard for that stench, punish as many around you as you possibly can at any given time without remorse. Your uncontrollable laughter at their plight is your reward!!

Go sfp!!!

I HAVE to courtesy flush.

1. Low flow toilets
2. I'm a TP hog.

I always get up and take a look before I flush though.

When your poop is as big around as a baseball, and it needs to fold in half 3 er 4 times before it will even think about going down you need a courtesy flush. I am a big pooper and if you combine that with a weak toliet i may need 5 or 10 flushes before the majority of the log is eve under!

I'm a huge pooper, too. I use a poo chopper.

Courtesy flush? Noooooooo. If I have to endure the rath of my steamy brown friend, then so does my neighbor.

I never crap in public. I have an exhaust fan in my bathroom. The only time I courtesy flush is when I get floaters that stink like hell and gross me out. Or when I know I'm gonna need to use a lot of wet wipes, and or TP. Unlike my girlfriend who leaves the door open and exhaust fan off, yet thinks that spray air fresheners actually remove ALL of the stench.

Poonurse has the answer. You must make an airtight seal with your ass on the crapper before downloading any toxic sludge or miasmas, then flush before wiping. This is impossible for the curious though- some people just cant resist the urge to see the damage their bowels hath wrought! There is a new air freshener which kills the bacteria in the air- Oust- that would work for the compulsive folk who have to take that fecal peek. With these worthless toilets in newer homes, almost everyone has to flush before wiping to keep from clogging. However the courtesy flush is still a kind gesture, that shows you at least care about potentially offending the nasal sensibilities of others. I suggest that someone write Mrs. Manners and ask her opinion. Ass Phlegm?

You know, if someone comes into a public restroom, he/she should expect it to stink to high heaven. You don't go into a slaughterhouse expecting to come out smelling like marshmallows. The ONLY TIME I flush is after I'm done wiping and have stood up and zipped my pants. Why? Because I never would flush while still sitting and have water - disgusting, microbe-filled water - from a public restroom toilet splash up onto my underside. I also wouldn't eat a piece of pizza, say, that I had dropped onto a public restroom floor. Gross! To hell with the courtesy flush. Just leave it clean when you leave (no urine on the seat, etc.) and you've done your public duty...........

It's called a courtesy flush for a reason. There's plenty of reasons to flush, while almost no reason not to.

One reason not to courtesy flush concerns the possibility that the drain may be plugged, or may become so with your droppings. Have you ever courtesy flushed and then realized, too late, that the bowl is going to overflow? Sheer terror when the welling mass kisses your ass, followed by the most abysmal chagrin as your underpants, trousers, and shoes fill.

I just don't see a reason to courtesy flush. Your in the bathroom, for God's sake. If you can't stink, fart, and make noise, where the fuck are you supposed to?

Once I gave a courtesy flush, after looking at it of course, then dropped another bomb. I pulled my johnson aside to check the second turd, and, to my horor, my cock hairs were partially submerged in crappy water cause the crapper didn't flush! I had to shave my nuts after that!

I think a courtesy is required and does help.
But courtesy doesn't mean after its been sitting and stinking for 15mins.
I mean do you wash your 15mins after your finished and probably already started eating with friends... NO !

Courtesy is then and there..as it leaves your ass, your hand shoudl be on the flush lever.

If its a 'floater' then flush immediatley fo rsure. if its a 'sinker' then you may have a little grace period.

In any case its a re-assurnace that you can fill up with more and not worry about a clog.

I'm not a big proponent of the courtesy flush for one reason, aerosolization. If I'm sitting on the crapper the last thing I want is to feel shit water swirling around and misting my ass. When I flush I'm always standing up and if it's a public toilet I use my foot to activate the flush. Keep the shit contaminiated water as far from me as possible.

I'm always afraid that something is going to jump out of the toilet while I'm flushing and crawl up my ass. This is also the reason I hate toilets that run by themselves.

I would say that there are better uses of one's time, but that would be self-incriminating.

After the first flush, I hang around for confirmation that my turd has been successfully washed away. If parts break off and continue to float around my pan, or if there are skidmars, I then employ the courtesy flush. Otherwise, I just leave it. I don't believe the courtesy flush does anything for the smell, it simply leaves your toilet in a more acceptable condition to return to.

at work the courtesy flush is essential! On your home toilet its an option.

I usually don't require a courtesy flush, as I for some reason, don't stink out the bathroom.

The only time I do leave a smell, is when I get the squirts. I then courtesy flush, and it usually does the trick.
_______
"-55F, a new record low? Nope, thermometer went bad. Looks like -50F still stands"

I think the courtesy flush must be a very American concept - in fact as I'd never heard of it over here in the UK (in my extensive shitting experience!) so I had to ask my American friend to explain!

I agree entirely with TSV - 'you're in the bathroom, for God's sake. If you can't stink, fart, and make noise, where the fuck are you supposed to?' Absolutely!!!

The only time I flush more than once is when I'm having difficulty getting rid of a big deposit - which happens frequently, though not as much as when I was at the peak of my shitting powers.

I thought Daphne's comment about shitting at the girlfriend/boyfriend's house was absolutely hilarious (1.28.04). That's why I never shit in other peoples' houses any more Daphne - I had a similar experience in 1974!!!

Finally, thank you to Dook of Earl for his description of his wife, who 'pulls down her panties, smiles sweetly, and says, "this is really going to stink. You might want to leave." Brilliant!!!!

_Hamster, my version of the courtesy flush- finish my business, clean myself up, then and after my pants are up, flush. After that first flush, I flush again to make sure there are no horrid remnants. I hate disgusting remnants in the toilet so I never leave any for anyone else.______
Press on warts, who would buy those? -Well, hags mostly.

Frank - yes, I can go with that. You make me feel a bit guilty though! I dump quite heavily and use public toilets a lot. Sometimes I can't flush it away. If I think there may be a problem, I now do as you say, give a couple of flushes and don't stop to look - that way I can walk away 'in innocence'!! That's why I never dump in private houses (except my own, of course).

The courtesy flush is not something I've often utilized in the past. But it's something I've been using for the past couple weeks.

Although I started my current job as an off-site, work from home and go to meetings when needed salesman, I now have to come into an office. Way the hell the other side of Tucson than I live on. And I don't drive. Grr! +4 hours total to my day in transportation time.

But the courtesy flush - the office my boss took ownership of has 1 bathroom. Located in the only high-traffic area of the building.

We're a small company (3 people) and share with a 1-man microbusiness that does accounting. However, the accountant has tons of clients coming and going, a daily steady stream. And the bathroom is within 10 feet of his desk, the desk where he has all his clients.

So I have learned the courtesy flush. First bomb goes, I flush. Then spray with the anti-stink spray. Then each further load drops, I flush again.

The worst part of this set up is that the door is paper thin. I've heard the skinny technician who is obviously a shameful shitter grunting a few out at times, so I know the accountants clients have heard my fat ass rippin' 'em off in the past couple weeks.

KER-BBPPPTT!-SPLASH! *FLUSH*

the Pirate Master Rot Bottom.

Now the follow up -

Aside from at work, I tear toilets up. I've been known to make toilets cry. Not little pink, single-woman's house toilets. Those crap their pants when they see me coming. I'm talking about a friggin truck stop with a Ferguson PowerFlush in it. I'll make that sucker cry.

I've been in restaurants after a good meal (they deserve my poop, they helped create it!) and had a waiter or host come into the restroom and say "Sir, excuse me but I'm going to spray some anti-stink spray, alright?" Or just come and do it without announcing it.

I love being in a busy place, like a grocery store, or a fast food restaurant, dropping one off and (it makes me giggle!) someone will walk in, cough or gag, and turn around and leave. I can walk out of that bathroom proud and happy that I made that happen.

So normally, yeah, SCREW the courtesy flush, you should be thankful you get to smell the lovely scent of my shit! (See my post in the finger-sniffing thread)
the Pirate Master Rot Bottom.

I might use it in a public bathroom. Not at home.
Producing waste since 1967

I disapprove of "courtesy flushes." They waste tons of water, make a fearful amount of noise, and scatter droplets likely containing fecal germs throughout the restroom. I say, wait until you are done--including wiping--then flush once. I also think some people use way too much toilet paper. Sometimes I hear someone uncoil what sounds like an entire roll before wiping once (quick pass, sounds like) and repeating the process with the other roll. No wonder the poor toilet won't flush everything down the first time! What a waste! Take 4 or 5 squares, fold them, and wipe. It should go down the first time.

At the risk of incurring the Bilge ire once again, I must agree with MSG above. Except that those of us that do large shits still find that it does not all go down first time!

I don't think the courtesy flush makes any difference.

A courtesy flush is only needed to prevent a backup in the toilet.

The courtesy flush has nothing to do with smell. Once your poop is underwater, it is not giving off emissions that you will smell (unless it is allowed to sit for a long period).

What you smell in the bathroom is 1)the stink off the poop before it hits the water, 2)gas released in the process of pooping, and 3)the stink off the poop that is still stuck to your ass.

Therefore, what we need is not so much a courtesy flush, but a courtesy wipe.

I say no to the courtesy flush. It's not environmentally friendly. Think of the extra water you are wasting and the extra strain on the environment that it causes just for nonsense vanity. And worst of all, its benefits are marginal at best.

If the courtesy flush prevents the toilet from clogging and overflowing, it saves the water that you'd use to continue to flush to work the clog through.

_______
.....hugging bunnies since 1969
www.daphneszoo.com

Yes, IF. Most public toilets are strong enough to send down even the largest turds. Most poop is soft enough (even if it looks and feels hard) that a strong blast of water will break it into flushable pieces. If not, the courtesy flush is unlikely to help, and you may flood the place (and yourself) before you're done pooping! The culprit, as I've seen it in many a restroom, is too much paper. Wipe with a sane amount--4 or 5 squares at a time--and everything should go down.

I agree with Hamster. Courtesy Flushes are unknown concepts here in Britain. Indeed, the first time I ever heard of such a thing was in the first Austin Powers film (incidentally, one of the funniest toilet scenes ever put to celluloid).

I don't know whether this is because our shit smells sweeter than yours, or we're simply more hardened to the fact that the aroma of poo is to be expected in a lavatory, but if a cubical occupant flushes twice, we never think "Ah, a courtesy flush... jolly good form there old chap" but rather "Hmm... a double flusher...must be either a log the size of a dismembered African child's leg , or such phenomenal diarrhoea that one flush isn't enough to dilute the soup."

Or we could simply be dirty bastards. It's just possible...

Even though I hate to waste the extra water, the courtesy flush is a must in a shared bathroom situation. A bigger water bill is still a shitload cheaper than a divorce lawyer. Fortunately my wife and I just bought an older house with 2 main bathrooms on the 2 main floors, and a basement bathroom off the laundry solely for my use. It is shit nirvanna having a place to crap with such solitude. I did learn quick that in the basement bath you stand up, pull up the britches, step away, then reach in and flush. Just about anything clogs the bastard and I tell you, nothing feels worse than cold water rising up onto your nuts._______
Sorry---I farted!!

ok, My toilet tank has a problem, the flapper is broken, so it automatically double flushes.... I should have invented that. Step right up and get your's now, the NEW DOUBLE FLUSHER FOR THOSE THAT DROP A BIG LOAD. Are your logs too big and stinky? Do your family member blush when you flush? Are your TURDS SO BIG that when you drop them, to FLUSH, the Water will Splash and Gush,,,don't worry, order your's right now, the new, DOUBLE FLUSHER for big turds, act right now and get one free for your Big Ass stinky friends, but wait,,we will include the 3rd one for your brother,,,,Just mention the magic word STINKMEISTER,,,and we will shit, I mean Ship it for free. Get yours now while they last!

No it doesn't.
Just flush when you are done don't waste water
_______
Russell

Read Emily Post on Pooping.