I don't normally touch public toilet flush handles, but will most always wipe the seat if necessary, then sit right down on it without worry of germs. With the exception of the ladies room in Penn Station NYC, I always sit down on public toilet seats. I am not one of these women who hover and piss all over the seat cause half the time, you end up pissing on yourself ... yuk! It's like peeing in the woods. Just wipe the dang seat, sit down, and git 'er done. But the handle? No. I always use my foot to flush. Hmmmmm ... guess I'm more concerned about germs on my hands than I am about germs on my ass. I do not want to touch a handle that the person before me touched right after doing their bizness. I do not consider myself to be a germphobe.

good poll.

I use my foot....always.

I used to use my foot until I once lost my balance and fell into the wall (which subsequently fell off its supports and into the adjoining stall), so now I use a piece of wadded up TP.

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What do you mean you didn't see it? It was right next to the toilet!

I throw a cat, or if none are available, a street urchin, at the handle as I am exiting.

I use my shoe, but curse those automatic flushers. I see the red light blinking, I wait for the toilet to flush. Then as I am about to press the manual flush button with my shoe, the flush starts.

I use The Force.

Or The Crane move from the Karate Kid.

If you understand both references, (snort) you're a nerd just like me.

Clogged an auto-flusher in Denver airport once. When the thing finally blew, well ... me and my kids lit outta there pretty quick - cracking up all the way: "She's gonna bloooooowwwwwwwww!"

Looks like we have quite a few foot flushers here (except for our local cat flush, Bilgey). I must add my number to the ranks. I am a foot flusher. Especially in those skank-ass nasty K-Mart and Wal-Mart bathrooms. Usually I hold it until I go to another bathroom, but there have been occasions when I've been forced to do it, so I always use my foot. My poor shoes!

Queen of Scats, you put a hilarious picture in my head. Hope you weren't too traumatized by your foot flushing peril.

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Behold! My new farting super power! BRAPP!!!

Wow, in my country we have sinks to wash our hands. But I applaud you for your physical prowess and dedication to flushing regardless of the dangers evident in the process. I salute thee!

I flush with my feet several times, alternating between my left and right shoes. I get a little extra workout that way. On the final flush, I jump in the air, pause (matrix style) then flush on the way down.

I just flush and go. Or rather, I GO, then I FLUSH, then I LEAVE the stall. And THEN I wash my hands. Sometimes twice. I use a paper towel to open the door, though.

I use my shoe...unless I am wearing flip-flops cause with my luck my foot would slip outta the darn thing and I would be half barefooted on the public bathroom floor which kinda defeats the whole purpose, don't ya think?

It's just never occurred to me to use anything but my hand! Isn't that why we wash hands after? If I tried to use my foot I'd likely do myself serious injury - and how would one explain that!?

_I flush and then wash my hands using soap and hot water for the the length of two sings of the birthday song or row,row ur boat.______
Producing waste since 1967

I use my foot, if required. That is, if the robo-flush doesn't handle the chore for me. If the seat is up, the foot-flush can occasionally be difficult, depending on the position of the handle. I've also encountered the flush button, which seems like a useless design change and basically forces me to use my hand. As for exiting the restroom - can anyone explain to me why restroom doors couldn't be made to open outward?

TSV - my only saving grace that day was that it was late, the bathroom wasn't too well lit, and it was empty (it was a bathroom at a campground in the northwoods of Wisconsin).

The only witnesses to the entire event were the spiders skittering out from beneath the toilet wondering who the idiot was that just knocked over the wall.

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What do you mean you didn't see it? It was right next to the toilet!

For all the germaphobes: if you don't get down and dirty, touch a metal lever with your hands, and move on, how are you ever going to build your immune system? From a person who uses the benefits of the docile germs to help with the nasty ones.

It's one thing to touch a dirty toilet lever with your bare hand, and it's quite another to NOT WASH afterward and then use that same hand to eat, rub your eye, touch your face, hug your children, etc. ITA - There is nothing wrong with being exposed to some germs. However, I'm still going to be a foot flusher within the public toilet system! :)

Verticula I couldnt agree with you more so let me bestow upon you a great comment review. Me being the well adjusted child that I was, was always trained to wash my hands after going to the bathroom regardless of whether it was number ONE or TWO. Soooooo to me it doesnt matter if I use my foot OR my hand it is going to be washed anyway. Sigh if only others would think this way......
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The Thunderous Crapper 63 Enjoying home toilet advantage since 2004!

I choose pull and go (and wash, of course) but after reading so many posters who use the foot method I may have to rethink this and go with that. God only knows what's on the bottom of all those shoes.

What's so funny 'bout poop, love, and understanding?

Thanks Thunder. My kids are good hand washers thanks to my persistance and patience in teaching them good, clean, healthy habits, without turning them into compulsive germphobes. As a result of my attention to cleanliness in their upbringing, they were rarely sick as little kids.

I'm usually a hand flusher unless the place is totally filthy. I almost took out the wall like queen mary when I was pregnant with lil shitwit #1 and trying to flush by foot. I think I was at a Chic Fil A (sorry I know it's spelled oddly, but I forget how) just a couple days before going into labor. I was worried the fall was going to send me into labor at the time.

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Rock-n-roll! Poopy-poo!

FYI ShitWit: It's spelled "Chick-fil-A" ... Balancing on one foot and flushing with the other while pregnant is definitely a risky activity!

I flush with my foot because I assume (and rightly so apparrently) that everyone else flushes with their foot. If you think there are germs on the handle from the previous people doing their business, then touching it, can you imagine the germ count from the people flushing with their foot? So you say, 'Wash your hands, stupid!' and I do. However, since I'm a chick and they make us wear pants without pockets, I'm forced to carry a purse. I have to touch said purse before I can wash my hands and there is no way I'm transferring those nasty germs!
I am far from a germaphobe – I only rinse most of my dishes and reuse them. I don't freak out when someone else in my office is sick. I don't wipe down my desk with Clorox weekly, or EVER. I don't put down toilet paper or even wipe the seat (unless it's wet) in public bathrooms before sitting.

But those handles are icky!

I reach back and flush from my seat immediately after I'm done wiping. BIG MISTAKE! I'm home from college for the summer and I forgot that my mom's an ultra-clean freak. While going to a wedding and reception this weekend in Chicago, mom & I stopped in a gas station restroom. She was ballistic (my term) that that I sat down right on the seat and concerned (her interpretation) that I flushed with my hand. The rest of the trip we used multi-stalled bathrooms, but I adapted to what mom taught me years ago. I wonder why!

FLUSHING was the hardest thing I had to learn when mom and I were out in public places. At age 4 or 5 I would be able to latch the stall door, lower the seat if necessary (this was my younger brother's biggest problem), support myself up on the stool, drop my pants (I was scared for some reason to do this first), eliminate, wipe (although I had to fight a tight roll of toilet paper a few times) and then...and I hated it so much, the flush. Mom remembers me trying to lie that the lever was broken or that I actually hadn't peed (I guess I wasn't that convincing and she always had good ears). If I stayed on the stool to flush, it was quite a reach and I didn't have the muscle or leverage to do it. When I walked over, sometimes I bruised myself hitting the toilet paper dispenser and even then sometimes I would have to put both my hands on it and my full (it wasn't that much--then or now) weight behind me. Often I only partially activated the flush; I had mixed feelings about this because it wasn't as scary with the noise and water blast, but my "work" didn't disappear. Many times I would call mom in and after complimenting me ("foot stool--great") she would grab the toilet paper dispenser for balance and use her foot. She made it look so easy. I'm 18 now and will be going to a college where the dorm stools have the sensors. They would have made my life much easier several years ago!

I just leave it there. eventually SOMEONE will find it and have the need to flush. Until then, my poop is staying there.

At least, Anita, you made it a bit farther before you were caught. I flew into Will Rogers Airport after being away at college for more than nine months. I tried to shit at mid-flight, it was my first time on an airplane toilet, and I just couldn't get my three-day shit to come out under such tense circumstances. And this was despite my having to stand in the aisle for more than 15 minutes even to get my chance.

My flight arrived and the walk into the terminal is what did it. My shit was there and ready to drop, but so was my mother! After our initial hug, I told her I needed to use the restroom and that she could wait for my luggage. Mistake #l: I forgot to give her the luggage ticket so she follows me into the restroom. Mistake #2: Unknowing that mom is just a few steps behind me I pick up my pace, head into the restroom, pick the first open stall I spot and throw myself onto the stool. Just as my jeans and panties clear seat level and I'm working on passing one very large shit, mom is at my stall door for my luggage tag. When reaching down to floor level to pull it from my jeans, mom sees that I'm sitting directly on the seat. Mistake #3: when I meet up with mom she brings the subject up. I tell her there was no available toilet paper to put down. She had been in the bathroom a few minutes before and emphasized that every stall had a dispenser of ass gaskets and that I should have used one. When I should have been relieved after passing one large shit, I was made to feel "dirty". Oh yes, it's good she didn't stick around to see my hand caress that very evil flusher!

I feel for you Kellie! The pleasure of a good shit should not be spoiled! But in the circumstances your forgetfulness was understandable. Funnily, airport terminals often do it for me - one of the reasons why I've never done it in mid-air, so to speak.

I feel for you Kellie! The pleasure of a good shit should not be spoiled! But in the circumstances your forgetfulness was understandable. Funnily, airport terminals often do it for me - one of the reasons why I've never done it in mid-air, so to speak.

Why should Kellie be made to feel "dirty." She took a shit in a public place. I don't use the ass gaskets anyway, although I know they are provided in most airports. They are, and my husband and daughter agree, confining. I tend to reposition myself a couple of times durng a shit, and sometimes it's necessary to get my flow of urine going. I inevitably find that I need to get off the paper, especially after it rips on me. So why put it down in the first place? I do, however, wipe off the seat before my seven-year-old daughter sits down. She's not always as careful as I am in spotting urine before sitting down.

I'm a sociology major and I can closely relate to what happened to Anita and Kellie by getting away from their parents and learning other ways of doing things at college. Parents model and control us while we live in their house, although the control often lessons when we get to high school, have the job to earn some of our own money, and get a car. Off a college, we tend to make new friends and sometimes we might even change our beliefs and what we do.

Example, I came back from college halfway across the country last month. Dad drove in 75 miles from his office to pick me up. One of the first things he noticed was my pack of Marboro's in my top pocket. I probably should have put them in my luggage because I know how he rails against "cancer sticks", "coffin nail", etc. Besides, a pack will take me through a week. Second, and in almost an exact copy of Kellie's situation, I, too, had to make a run for the bathroom. I went into a stall, sat down and when I exited and was pulling up my shorts, he asked if I was constipated. I just shrugged it off without adding much to the conversation. About an hour later, again I had to go bad and had him stop at a rest station. He went in too and at the urinal he kept wondering why I had again taken a stall and was sitting down. I nicely tried to explain to him that I had in college found that it was easier and that I felt better by sitting down on the toilet to pee. He seemed surprised, made a fumbled remark that I have "something in common" with my mother, and again seemed to be so surprised--may be startled is a better word. I wasn't about to tell him about Jenny, my steady girlfriend, who began to squat straddle the toilet and who claims the technique, which was talked about in her womens literature class, is much more logical and thorough.

I guess the best way to explain it to parents is that things change and people change when they leave one venue for another. Myself, Jenny,Kellie and Anita are just four of the examples.

I was only an average student in high school, but after graduating a few years ago I didn't need college to figure out that things get easier for each generation--if they only will take advantage of them. First, you can get toilet seat covers that come in a 10 or 20-pack like Kleenex at places such as Walgreens. Get into the habit of using them; oh, but first, unlike Kellie you have to remember to use them! How many college credits do you need to overcome sheer stupidity. And Sean, I don't understand why you would want to sit down. If you don't want to use the urinals like most men, lift the seat, but sitting down just exposes you to more hygiene issues that wouldn't otherwise have to surface. And Anita, why do you think so many of our mothers teach us not to sit directly on the seat or touch the flusher??? Might there be some experience and logic behind it! I'm amazed that despite so many bathrooms with dispensers of seat covers, women will still not use them. If there's not the automatic flush, choose the foot and it's relatively easy. College just doesn't seem to teach common sense. And as to what Mover says, I'll take the "confines" of a piece of paper between me and the seat anytime instead of the skanked surfaces we're often confronted with.

I usually use my foot if it's one of those toilets with the lever down low. I think these are usually the type that are compressed air assisted. If it's the more traditional type of toilet with the handle on the side of the tank, I use my hand. I also always wait until it is completely flushed before I leave just to make sure there are no lingering bits of turd that refused to go down the first time.

"guess I'm more concerned about germs on my hands than I am about germs on my ass"

That's very reasonable, since your hands/fingers are more likely to wind up in your nose or mouth than your ass is.
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Deja Poo - Because this shit's so strange, it couldn't ever have happened before.

My daughter, Torrie, is 6 and will be starting first grade this fall. One of the hardest things we're doing this summer is trying to find her toilets with a flusher she can flush. As more bathrooms are being renovated, the sensor-driven toilets are replacing the older ones. These are a nightmare, an absolute nightmare for young children who are going to get up and down off the seat, and generally move around more. Torrie's self-esteem is sapped each time she moves and the sensor goes off. Concentrating on getting a pee flow going or getting your poop to come out is of primary importance NOT an eruption of water that is likely to spook you. Not only do they have these toilets at her school, but just in the past week we've seen them at the airport and our civic center. Torrie is small for her age, and sometimes it hurts her to sit as far back as she should initially, so when she repositions herself so as to get her poop in the bowl and not on the front of the seat, the flusher is activated. Also, while I've tried to dissuade her from doing this, she puts her hands on the seat for balance, and that's another thing that triggers the stupid sensor. With Torrie, at her age, in her situation and with some of her limitations, the cleanliness issue suggested by Common Sense Chick is the FARTHEST thing from my mind. My Torrie will take a hand-pushed toilet flusher in a heartbeat.

I'm 13 and out a lot with my 4-year-old sister. We've been at the park, a couple of times at the mall and yesterday, the library since they are all within walking distance of our house. I've tried to demonstrate for her how to position herself on the seat first in such a way that she's comfortable and won't have to move. But with her size and not being able to reach the floor with her feet, some movement is necessary. Also when pooping, she tries to spread her legs and if her panties are too high, she jumps down to drop them and then the flush goes off. Yesterday, at the library the toilet was much older and didn't have the automatic flush. She had a full poop, took her time and then went on the side of the toilet and put her weight on the flusher to get the toilet flushed. Then I reminded her to clean herself and she got back up on the seat and did a pretty good job with it. Then she was back working on the flusher level, something she seems to enjoy.

I always use my foot. Some day, I am going to slip and bust my ass in the toilet.
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SamDamnit!
The Emir of Crapistan

I usually just use my hand and flush away, then wash. Sometimes if I've taken a really nice dump I'll leave it for the next person to be impressed.

My son's situation is somewhat parallel to what Camdyn reported regarding her sister. Mason is 5, starting kindergarten this fall, and I allow him (he actually enjoys it!) to get up on the toilet to poop or pee. Yes, he moves around and will jump down, if he feels he is losing his balance. For some reason, the biggest issue I've had with him is his tendency to sit too close to the front, so close in fact that his poop sometimes hits the front of the toilet bowl. I've showed him how to more effectively sit farther back, spread his legs more, etc, but he's scared of falling backward and therefore he puts his hands over the front of the seat and sometimes the front of the dirty bowl for leverage. My wife, I know has tried to break Mason of this habit, which she finds is most filthy. What we decided to do beginning recently is reward him for sitting back on the toilet, producing, independently, and wiping himself without putting his hands on the seat. The reward is that either she or I will flush for him. Otherwise, he has to go along side of the stool and it takes him a while to put enough weight on the flusher to work. He definitely doesn't like the frustration it causes him.

Hmmmm, I was looking for coupons for toilet cleaners and I found this site. Thank you for the laughs. Yes, I am a foot flusher... and a stooper, not a sitter. Furthermore, I too open the door with tissue or paper towel, and no, I am not a germaphobe, but seriously, how can you not take the issue seriously after seeing the inside of one of these "restrooms". hahaha

Like with Torrie, my daughter will be starting all-day kindergarten later this month. We had a safe walk to school night earlier this week and the school was open for a tour and short program. I made a point to take Abby into the bathroom on the kindergarten side with the intent of having her practice in front of me. The school is older so there is the older-style toilets and the manual flush. The bathroom had toilets of two different heights so as to accommodate even the smallest and most awkward. Abby was most fascinated by the huge dispenser of toilet paper that takes up half the partition. With the exception of one stall, all the doors had latches and I had her practice with opening and closing the latch, since sometimes she'll get frustrated. She asked why the seat was black because it's something we rarely see any more. Her biggest problem, however, is with flushing. Even when she gets off the toilet, and walks around the side, she has to put a lot of her weight on the flusher because her arm just isn't that strong yet. I showed her how to use her foot, but she seems to think that's something kind of extreme. The last person she needs to meet is Common Sense Chick.

So do all you foot flushers turn the taps on with your feet as well, then wash your hands? Or do you not bother washing your hands at all?

If you do turn the taps on with your hands, flushing with your feet is just plain stupid.

Bang on Thunderbox!! My thoughts exactly!!

I don't understand flushing with your foot. I'm not in the least bit germophobic, so maybe my opinion doesn't count, but I'd think people would rather be able to wash their hands than potentially get germs on their shoes and track them everywhere they go (including their house; I know how you Americans wear shoes in the house..).

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...and they all lived crappily ever after!

I'm not in the least bit germophobic, i touch the taps, the door, etc, but I've always flushed with my foot. I find it easier to flush one of those flushometer (tankless) toilets with my foot. You just kick it and go... how simple. Since it's a habit, I guess I flush all public toilets like that.

WP - I agree - and I think it must be quite difficult to flush with your foot without risk of injury!! Perhaps my opinion doesn't count either - I'm neither germophibic not have I ever tried foot flushing!!

Mason's Father (07.13.2007)raises interesting points. On the positive side 1) he is involved with his son's training - unlike many men and male relatives, and 2) Mason doesn't have to be dragged kicking and screaming - he enjoys his time on the toilet.

Mason is aged 5. His training is taking a long time. Also, he might be the source of ridicule - and even bullying - if at Kindergarten stage he sits down to urinate. I hope he has already learned how to use public urinals. My brother and his friend, when they took me out, took me into gents' toilets, and I was so fascinated by urinals (which I called 'rinals') that I asked if we could have some at home! (I would be just under the age of 3 - I can't remember that of course.)

Another lesson I was taught very early, that you should leave the toilet clean for the next user, and I was always expected to clean the inside myself. This meant learning by trial and error the right place to sit. (Toilets are different shapes, and in a house where I was living for some time as a student, the shape of the pan was such that I HAD to sit forward.)

On the question the flushing handle or button, I don't let that worry me too much, as I will always wash my hands thoroughly afterwards. I DO always wipe a public seat with tissue, though, before I sit on it.

This one is easy, most public toilets, now have infra-red, wave by, flush actuators. You don't have to touch a thing, just wave goodbye to the loo, and it flushes itself!!

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like a constipated accountant- I worked it out with a pencil.

Sorry, butt further to that, I plainly live in the UK, Butt, have spent a while dumping in Pittsburger (I did really- 7/1987-11/1987.

I Always ass-umed that you yanks, were well ahead of us shits when it came to bognology.

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like a constipated accountant- I worked it out with a pencil.

I carry a 10' pole with me when I travel. That way I'm prepared for anything.