Weird but sincere question about toilet seats.

[asthmaticeog]

OK, now I'm sure we're all familiar with the standard-issue institutional toilet seat - the horseshoe shaped seat typically found in all public and open-to-the-public buildings.




And of course, there's the completely round (or if not actually round, enclosed) seat found in most homes.



The question is, why the difference? If the horseshoe shape is mandated because of a hygene thing, why don't home toilet seat buyers get the presumably more-hygenic seats as well?

[WCGreen]

1. The Horsehoe ones were designed to get rid of a cig fast....

In high school.....

Drop and flush....

But you better aim well....

[Deja Q]

2. Or allow really endowed men to position the whiz-doin' machine more easily

:rofl:

[bridgit]

4. plus women don't have to slide their hoo-hoo across a public...

'point of contact' so as to say

[asthmaticeog]

6. It's in men's rooms too, though. nt

[bridgit]

13. that seems an issue that speaks to standardization of code...

compliance, and construction practice...hey! 'construction practice', i think i just found another oxymoron :rofl:

[asthmaticeog]

19. I think I see what you mean...

...sorta like how drive-up ATMs have braille on the buttons just because it's easier and cheaper to just put braille on all ATM buttons rather than re-tool for seprerate buttons and then havr to figure out which ones go on drive-ups.

[Oeditpus Rex]

15. Hoo-hoo

must be a NorCal thang.

I have a friend in West Hollyweird who calls it a Hoo-Hah.

:rofl:

[purr]

20. I hear that around here - SW Pa as well...nt

[madeline_con]

32. But , who slides theirs across a public seat? n/t

[WCGreen]

25. Ah Ha.... The Hoo Hoo.....

[bridgit]

3. the 'open front' seat is considered handicap compliant...

[asthmaticeog]

5. OK. A further question?

How so? What in particular makes that design hadicap compliant? (Without turning this into lockbait, if possible.)

[bridgit]

7. seems it would be easier when lifting one's self up & out of, and then...

down onto the seat :shrug: hubby was a commercial-industrial journeyman plumber for some 25 years, and mentions that it is all about access again :shrug:

[asthmaticeog]

9. OK.

Thanks for having an actual answer (nothing against WC & toad, of course...). :hi:

[bridgit]

14. cheers...

:toast:

[graywarrior]

8. To prevent home buyers from wearing public toilets as necklaces

[asthmaticeog]

10. Like so?

[graywarrior]

12. Exactly.

I wore one for Halloween one year.

[ghostsofgiants]

11. I always wondered about that myself...

But never cared enough to actually ask, haha.

[henslee]

16. Off topic... just read about a dutch urinal that has a fly etched into the

porcelin.... (pic at link) It seems that there is less splatter when users aim for the fly.
http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=&imgrefurl=http://www.readingeagle.com/editor/archives/2005/06/the_fly_in_the.html&h=411&w=412&sz=152&tbnid=ke0vth_SR8DlSM:&tbnh=120&tbnw=121&hl=en&start=42&prev=/images%3Fq%3Durinal%26start%3D40%26svnum%3D10%26hl%3Den%26hs%3D4TQ%26lr%3D%26client%3Dfirefox-a%26rls%3Dorg.mozilla:en-US:official%26sa%3DN

[asthmaticeog]

18. I've read about that!

Brilliant.

[Dont_Bogart_the_Pretzel]

24. Sorry...

gotta do it...

[GoddessOfGuinness]

17. I think it's because it's cheaper.

Less plastic, you know...

[DS1]

21. Less chance of your junk dropping down in some drops of piss

[petronius]

22. The closed-front (round) toilets take up a little less space

which is more of a concern in a home bathroom. So, you can go for the open-front for hygienic reasons, or the closed-front to save a few inches of space...

[Nikia]

23. Don't know, but I get dizzy using public toilets sometimes

I used to think that it was because I got nervous from being closed in and being self conscious around other people. I suppose it could be the seat instead,

[Kali]

26. Good question, I have wondered about that myself.

I don't quite get why the open front would really be more accessable for handicapped - they have been like that for ages, long before most disabilities laws....haven't they?

[johnnie]

27. I am thinking

When a man takes a leak and doesn't lift the seat, the horseshoe wouldn't get wet in the front. That would be more desirable in public restrooms.

[ldf]

28. that is NOT the case.

people who don't lift the seat have no concern whatsoever about a few drops, or A LOT OF DROPS, hitting the seat.

actually, i think that is the whole point. they get some sort of charge out of the idea of someone unknowingly sitting in their piss. they really just want to be pissed on....

disgusting bastards.

on another note, concerning "access", how come there is no built in "step", either on the base of the toilet, or the wall next to it, so you can "gently raise to oneside for easier access" for the purpose of "sanitary cleaning".

the contortions i go through, just to be "thorough"....

:blush:

i swear, du is just a regular "fount" of useful discourse....

[johnnie]

29. That's not what I meant

I meant that if someone doesn't raise the seat and they drip a bit, it would not hit the seat but hit the actual bowl. I'm not talking about some freak pissing all over with the idea that someone will end up sitting in their urine.

[Kat45]

30. Funny, I was wondering that just the other day.

:shrug:

[XemaSab]

31. I don't understand why public toilets

are often higher up than home toilets.

It's lame is what. x(

[madeline_con]

33. I think that's a handicap access thing. n/t

[DawgHouse]

35. Yes, they often are higher but at my local best Buy

store, all the toilets in the ladies room are like kiddie toilets. It's weird.

[leftofthedial]

34. I'm shaped differently in public

isn't everyone?