When nature calls and it’s only number one, what does your standard procedure look like? Of course, we all make our way to the bathroom, sit down (or not, if you’re a guy), and relieve ourselves. Pretty simple, right?
But when all that is taken care of, the next step is actually quite important. To flush or not to flush? That is the question. Well here are six good reasons why you might just want to let that yellow mellow…
1. It’s expensive
Water costs money and most conventional toilets use over three gallons of water per flush. Try skipping a few flushes and you’ll notice the difference on your next water bill. If money is tight, this is one way to cut down on household costs.
2. It disrupts your sleep
If you’re a light sleeper, chances are you have to get up more often during the night to go for a pee. This may be annoying but it’s nothing to worry about. You can make these nightly trips to the bathroom less disruptive by not flushing because the noise caused by the flush can wake you up even more and make it hard to get back to sleep. It could also wake up others in your household and leave you on the receiving end of the evil eye the next morning at the breakfast table.
3. It’s bad for the environment
Fresh water is a valuable resource that is becoming more scarce every day. Now is the time to start being a lot less wasteful with this precious resource and refraining from unnecessary flushing is a good start. Going for a pee five or six times a day adds up if you flush every time — that’s about 18 to 20 gallons of water just to avoid a yellow tint in your toilet bowl! Definitely something to think about.
4. It affects the water pressure and temperature
It’s happened to all of us at some point. You’re enjoying a nice warm shower and then suddenly the cold water disappears and you get scalded! Somebody obviously used the guest bathroom and didn’t know (or didn’t care) that someone was in the shower. Fortunately most modern plumbing systems are designed to avoid this problem. But still, why run the risk, especially if you can save some water and money in the process?
5. Urine is actually really clean
Pee is not totally sterile, but it’s a safe bet that it’s a lot cleaner than your saliva. Letting it mellow in the bowl is not going to do your toilet any harm.
6. Flushing spreads germs
Most people find the idea of not flushing disgusting. But the reality is: flushing the toilet can actually spread more germs than not flushing. When the water starts cascading into the toilet bowl some of it sprays out onto the bathroom floor. You may not see it, but it’s there. This water contains urine and fecal bacteria. By not flushing, we keep those germs and bacteria in the bowl where they belong.
But when a flush is necessary, always put the toilet seat down first to contain the splash.
If you find these reasons convincing, it might be good to start skipping a few flushes at home. Public toilets and the bathrooms at work, however, are a different story. Unless you can convince your coworkers to be a bit more environmentally conscious, it’s probably best to flush every time. But that doesn’t mean don’t try. Once they understand how it can save money and help the environment, they might just be a bit more open-minded.