Last updated on September 7th, 2023
Here are 34 interesting facts about toilets that we use everyday.
1. Arthur Giblin is believed to have invented the first flushable toilet.
2. As per the data collected by the World Toilet Organization, 1 billion people in the world defecate in the open.
3. And as per a study, the more features your smart phone has, the longer you sit in the toilet.
4. There are more TVs in Afghanistan than there are toilets. Interestingly, ninety percent of the population has TVs while only 7% has flush toilets.
5. Did you know that you were flushing up to 26 liters of water in every single flush?
6. You could easily find the cleanest toilet in a public place, if you remember that the first toilet cubicle in a row, is the least used and thus the cleanest of all.
7. The World Toilet Organization was founded on 19 November 2001 and on this day every year World Toilet Day is celebrated.
8. Be cautious! Accidents do happen in toilets. King George II even died falling off one in 1760. And nearly 40,000 Americans are injured in toilets every year.
9. No one can avoid the call of nature. We happen to visit toilets about 2500 times a year and may be more when having a bad stomach during many times a year.
10. Toilet paper is rumored to have been invented in China in the 6th century.
11. Chinese have also built public toilets for dogs.
12. To your surprise, bathroom is a reason for argument among 70% of the couples in the U.K.
13. On an average babies change their nappy 10,000 times before they (babies) learn to use the bathroom themselves. Tough job for a single parent, isn’t it?
14. The average kitchen chopping board has around 200% more fecal bacteria on it than a toilet seat.
15. Germs from a flushing toilet can move ahead up to 6 feet. Every time you flush your toilet, germs get air lifted and can become a potential cause of infection. Therefore, it is advised to move out quickly once you flush the toilet.
16. Originally, ‘toilet’ means – “act of washing, dressing, and preparing oneself”. This is derived from French.
17. You may be surprised to learn that almost 20% of the people do not wash their hands after they visit toilet. And of those who do, only 30%, use soap to wash their hands.
18. Over 7 million people in the U.S. have admitted to have dropped their cell phones in the toilet bowl. Isn’t it a valid reason for you not to carry your cell phone to the toilet?
19. It might help you to know that mobiles phones have 18 times bacteria than the toilet handles.
20. One may be prone to kidney and bladder diseases, if they suppress their urination just because the toilets at public places are not clean.
21. Rigorous washing of hands with soap for about 15-20 seconds is recommended for killing harmful germs. However, only 5% people wash their hands for 15 seconds or more.
22. Urea, a key chemical in your urine can kill fungi and bacteria.
23. NASA recently spent $23.4 million for designing a suction toilet, which could be used in the International Space Station.
24. Though this fact has nothing to do with toilets, you might be surprised to know that your TV remote can even kill you. It is the worst in terms of the bacteria it carries.
25. The Scot Paper Company was the first to manufacture toilet paper on a roll, in 1890.
26. According to the NIH, about four million Americans suffer from constipation.
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