What simple things have you been doing wrong for years unintentionally, until someone decided to correct you?

Flushing the toilet with the lid off.

I always assumed this was the right way as our Indian toilets which we are used to since many years never had a lid and we always flushed it open.

It never once occured to me that this could be so wrong with Western toilets.

Read about this recently and thought of sharing.

It says that everytime you flush, it's basically as if your toilet was sneezing (experts call it toilet plume). Since bacteria can be hurled upto 10 inches above the toilet when flushing with the lid off, even your toothbrush is at risk of catching splashes of fecal matter.😲😢

This was probably the reason why our Indian toilets were always designed to be separate and never a part of the bathing or the hand wash/brushing area.

These days, in many homes and in newer constructions, the brushing, bathing and the toilet area are all designed very close to one another like a train compartment.

Something similar to the pic below.

Courtesy — Google.

For bathing area, we can fix a shower cubicle or a door. But it becomes tough to do so for the hand washing area due to lack of space.

So, let's always remember to flush with the lid on!

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Edited to add based on the below comment I just received.

This is a very good question raised as I thought about it for a long time after writing the answer.

What we can do is, everytime, prior to using the toilet, we use the bidet to flush the inner side of the lid and the toilet seat. Wipe with a tissue. Use it, then close the lid and flush.

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Footnotes

20 Things We Keep Doing Wrong Every Day Without Even Realizing It

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