Bathroom rant

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Author Message   Pippi Supporter Username: Pippi Post Number: 2641 Registered: 8-2003 Posted on Friday, July 21, 2006 - 12:13 pm:        My office has two private bathrooms, shared between men and women. I am often the only woman in an office of anywhere from three to eight men. Someone doesn't flush his pee and I think it's just gross and rude. I can deal with the seat left up, but leaving your whizz in the bowl is just plain gross. Am I crazy?   kriss Citizen Username: Kriss Post Number: 317 Registered: 6-2001 Posted on Friday, July 21, 2006 - 12:20 pm:        No.   buzzsaw Citizen Username: Buzzsaw Post Number: 5371 Registered: 5-2001 Posted on Friday, July 21, 2006 - 12:37 pm:        put saran wrap over the open bowl!   las Citizen Username: Las Post Number: 2110 Registered: 10-2003 Posted on Friday, July 21, 2006 - 12:39 pm:        You're not crazy Pippi.   K_soze Citizen Username: K_soze Post Number: 562 Registered: 11-2005 Posted on Friday, July 21, 2006 - 12:41 pm:        Put a little shelf in there with all the necessary female toiletries. Wait a week & put a nice plant in there, wait some more and plug in a bath and body works wallflower. Or you can just crazy glue the seats down to the bowl.   Project 37 Citizen Username: Project37 Post Number: 155 Registered: 3-2006 Posted on Friday, July 21, 2006 - 12:44 pm:        Ugh! How do people manage to be that inconsiderate? Perhaps leave a note? At least it's not this bad: http://img504.imageshack.us/img504/8812/shower0685yv7.jpg   Pippi Supporter Username: Pippi Post Number: 2642 Registered: 8-2003 Posted on Friday, July 21, 2006 - 1:36 pm:        thanks for reassuring me that I am not crazy. I thought about a note, but we have clients using the bathrooms and I think it may be unprofessional. same with the saran wrap suggestion   mem Citizen Username: Mem Post Number: 6468 Registered: 5-2001 Posted on Friday, July 21, 2006 - 1:39 pm:        Pippi - Don't get mad - get even! First, figure out who's doing it. Then, stay late one night, and after everyone leaves go poop in his desk drawer. Don't forget to close the desk drawer when finished. Works every time.   Project 37 Citizen Username: Project37 Post Number: 157 Registered: 3-2006 Posted on Friday, July 21, 2006 - 1:41 pm:        Depends on how you word it, I suppose. Maybe more along the lines of a friendly reminder as opposed to a "WHAT THE @#*& IS WRONG WITH YOU" diatribe. Can't be much more unprofessional than the current situation. mem - if we ever meet, I'll be extra sure *not* to get on your bad side!   ess Citizen Username: Ess Post Number: 2776 Registered: 11-2001 Posted on Friday, July 21, 2006 - 1:51 pm:        1. No, you are not crazy! 2. Is it possible to circulate a subtle memo, something along the lines of "We have been experiencing some plumbing difficulty. Therefore, please make sure the toilet is flushed and completely devoid of your excrement before exiting the bathroom. Thank you."   red Citizen Username: Redy67 Post Number: 6510 Registered: 2-2003 Posted on Friday, July 21, 2006 - 1:55 pm:        Could this be another film for Duncan?   Pippi Supporter Username: Pippi Post Number: 2643 Registered: 8-2003 Posted on Friday, July 21, 2006 - 2:07 pm:        ess - see that's the problem...the toilets do have a flushing problem. There is already a note hanging that asks you to hold the handle down for 10 seconds while flushing (or else toilet paper and other stuff won't go down.) I think that may be why the non-flusher isn't flushing. Who's got an extra 10 seconds to waste (no pun intended) in this fast-paced world??   CLK Supporter Username: Clkelley Post Number: 2360 Registered: 6-2002 Posted on Friday, July 21, 2006 - 2:11 pm:        Pippi, you say that clients use your restroom. Which would be worse - your clients seeing a sign, or seeing pee in the toilet? Obviously somebody in your office isn't thinking about the clients when he leaves his business there. Another thought - maybe it's a client who's doing it. Maybe s/he is, ahem, p*88ed off?   ess Citizen Username: Ess Post Number: 2779 Registered: 11-2001 Posted on Friday, July 21, 2006 - 2:14 pm:        It's true; it's just too hard to take time to read a sign when urine a hurry.   new_2_nj Citizen Username: New_2_nj Post Number: 12 Registered: 4-2005 Posted on Friday, July 21, 2006 - 2:25 pm:        I'm not trying to downplay your situation because pee in the bowl is gross, no matter who leaves it. But, I think sharing a bathroom with women can be just as bad, if not worse. Some of the things that I saw in the women's room at my last job, literally, made me throw up a little bit in my mouth. You name it, they left it. Really. I'm not kidding. It sounds like you have a small office though. Usually that lends itself to a chummy atmosphere. Maybe you could saying jokingly - "I don't think we follow the 'If it's yellow, let it mellow' rule around here."   Pippi Supporter Username: Pippi Post Number: 2645 Registered: 8-2003 Posted on Friday, July 21, 2006 - 2:38 pm:        CLK - This incidence of left-over pee is higher than the incidence of visiting clients. ess - new_2_NJ - I appreciate what you are saying. However, I can assure you that since I am (generally) the only female using the restroom, I leave it clean. Often, I am the only one to replace toilet paper, paper towels and soap. I feel like the den mother. Don't even get me started about the office kitchen....   Hoops Citizen Username: Hoops Post Number: 1716 Registered: 10-2004 Posted on Friday, July 21, 2006 - 2:50 pm:        after everyone leaves for the day place a Men sign on one and a Women sign on the other. then see what happens.   Pippi Supporter Username: Pippi Post Number: 2649 Registered: 8-2003 Posted on Friday, July 21, 2006 - 2:55 pm:        Hoops - that may be the best idea yet!   MeAndTheBoys Citizen Username: Meandtheboys Post Number: 4222 Registered: 12-2004 Posted on Friday, July 21, 2006 - 2:56 pm:        I agree it's gross, Pippi, but I can tell you, based on my experience in my house with three boy children, it seems to be genetic somehow. I refuse to let them get away with it, and make them go back and "flush the toilet and put the seat down" every time. My hope: my boys will not become those men that don't think they need to bother to flush!   Virtual It Girl Citizen Username: Shh Post Number: 4821 Registered: 5-2001 Posted on Friday, July 21, 2006 - 3:45 pm:        Luckily my husband rarely leaves the seat up but my girls barely ever flush! It's one thing if it's the middle of the night, but come on! And I know they're not leaving it there to conserve water. I was going to say perhaps you can designate one of the bathrooms for women.   Pippi Supporter Username: Pippi Post Number: 2650 Registered: 8-2003 Posted on Friday, July 21, 2006 - 3:52 pm:        VIG - you'd better break them of that habit soon! It's is difficult to designate one bathroom just for me, I doubt that will go over well.   greenetree Supporter Username: Greenetree Post Number: 8552 Registered: 5-2001 Posted on Friday, July 21, 2006 - 3:58 pm:        Decorate it. Dried flowers, herbal air freshener, cute little wreath with ribbons on the wall, flower scented hand lotion. And two large posters of male ballet dancers in tights. One over the tank at eye level and the other facing the bowl at sitting eye level. That should keep them out of there. Unless you work with any gay guys. In which case you can get them to help you decorate and I doubt that they are the non-flushers.   Factvsfiction Citizen Username: Factvsfiction Post Number: 1144 Registered: 4-2006 Posted on Friday, July 21, 2006 - 6:08 pm:        Pippi- Don't be scared. Gandhi used to drink the stuff. And Einstein used to absentmindely "share it" with the public sidewalks in Princeton. Perhaps non-flushing is a cost-cutting measure employed by your company or an attempt to use less water? Inquire. Great MOL name for the topic BTW   algebra2 Supporter Username: Algebra2 Post Number: 4161 Registered: 5-2001 Posted on Friday, July 21, 2006 - 6:28 pm:        Mem - I used to live with two particularly gross guy roommates. One night they came home after hooking up with two girls -- and told me the following story: After sleeping with the girls they went into the kitchen and shat in their peanutbutter. To this day I am still weary everytime I open up a jar of Skippy.   Virtual It Girl Citizen Username: Shh Post Number: 4826 Registered: 5-2001 Posted on Friday, July 21, 2006 - 7:12 pm:        EWWWWWWWWWWWW!   eliz Supporter Username: Eliz Post Number: 1592 Registered: 5-2001 Posted on Friday, July 21, 2006 - 7:34 pm:        Ok to paraphrase someone a little further up in this thread ... I just threw up a little in my mouth!   bets Supporter Username: Bets Post Number: 23644 Registered: 6-2001 Posted on Friday, July 21, 2006 - 8:00 pm:        Alg, that was totally disgusting. I hope you gave them some serious sh*t for that (no pun intended)! Pippi, I would probably leave a note. At least you don't have the self-flushing toilets that manage to flush while I'm not quite done and splash water literally to the sides of the stall. They renovated the bathrooms 2 years ago and I hate hate hate them! Auto water in the sinks, too - one sink will have pressure like Niagara Falls and sprays your clothes, another delivers boiling water, another randomly goes off all day long. You can't wash coffee cups or dishes in them. Did I mention that I hate them? I do.   Joan Supporter Username: Joancrystal Post Number: 7815 Registered: 5-2001 Posted on Friday, July 21, 2006 - 8:05 pm:        Pippi: You may be the only woman in your office but what about your clients? How many of them are females? It may not be that unreasonable to designate one of the two bathrooms as the ladies room with the proviso that the men in your office may use it as well if there is a line for the men's room and that one is vacant.   Virtual It Girl Citizen Username: Shh Post Number: 4828 Registered: 5-2001 Posted on Friday, July 21, 2006 - 9:30 pm:        Always rational Joan, I love it. Hey Pip, I have a great(!!!) idea. Tell them you've suddenly become overhwelmed by morning sickness (or the frequent uncontrollable urge to pee) and need to have a bathroom accessible at all times just in case you need to vomit (or pee).   Robert O'Connor Citizen Username: Local24 Post Number: 37 Registered: 3-2006 Posted on Friday, July 21, 2006 - 9:48 pm:        It would appear the offenders need a talking too. This is not only gross, but its un-healthy. The thread, however seems to be showing that men are the bad ones. Now I know you ladies won't like this, but, as a plumber, and as one who has seen many-O-toilet rooms in my day, I can honestly say women are far worse. If I had a choice between working in a mens or ladies room, I pick the mens room. There are a few other plumbers on this board and I'm pretty sure they would agree.   Factvsfiction Citizen Username: Factvsfiction Post Number: 1148 Registered: 4-2006 Posted on Friday, July 21, 2006 - 10:03 pm:        Is there a Miss Manners for Toilet etiquette? If not I " smell" a book here somewhere Pippi. Why did they do a # 2 in the peanut butter? Were they foreign, and hence not aware of our local custom not to crap in our food? One of my earliest jobs as a kid whose loss has never been lamented, was cleaning bathrooms. I can say that women are sloppier than men, especially when it comes to women's hygiene product disposal.   Gregor Samsa Citizen Username: Oldsctls67 Post Number: 569 Registered: 11-2002 Posted on Saturday, July 22, 2006 - 7:21 am:        If it's yellow let it mellow, if it's brown flush it down...   Pippi Supporter Username: Pippi Post Number: 2652 Registered: 8-2003 Posted on Saturday, July 22, 2006 - 10:56 am:        Gregor - it is one thing to "let it mellow" in your own home, where the people using the toilet are the beloved members of your family. It is another entirely when it's an office with co-workers and strangers. ewwWWWWWWW Joan - would you believe we have few female clients?? It's true. I am working up the nerve to speak with my boss and ask him how he would suggest I proceed.   Gregor Samsa Citizen Username: Oldsctls67 Post Number: 571 Registered: 11-2002 Posted on Saturday, July 22, 2006 - 11:41 am:        I don't actually subscribe to that mantra, although my wife used to. She is from Bermuda, and apparently it's the norm down there. I just remember seeing that sign in a bathroom somewhere...   lizzyr Citizen Username: Lizzyr Post Number: 275 Registered: 5-2001 Posted on Saturday, July 22, 2006 - 11:45 am:        In my office, it's the ladies room that gets the emails from the office manager (a guy). The typical reminders: - Even though they are auto-flush, they sometimes don't take care of everything, please check before you leave the stall. - Some ladies put paper on the seats and leave it for the next "guest". You are asked to clean up before you leave. - Fem hygiene need to be properly disposed of. - Make sure your paper towels make it in the garbage can, don't throw them on the floor. About once a month we get these lovely reminders. At leaset it makes for great water cooler talk trying to figure out who is the biggest female pig in the office. I've heard the men's room is gross, but they don't seem to care. The nicest touch was the condom (used I understand) on the floor of the unisex handicapped bathroom a few weeks ago.   Cynicalgirl Citizen Username: Cynicalgirl Post Number: 2986 Registered: 9-2003 Posted on Saturday, July 22, 2006 - 11:59 am:        Where I work, the female population is split between a group that relentlessly brushes/flosses, face washes and uses a fresh paper towel to open the door on the way out (about 35%), middle of the roaders who use the facilities and are tidy (45%) and 20% who splash, drip soap and paper towels, are slobs with the female hygiene, and -- my special favorite -- use the provided toilet seat covers but manage never to flush them completely etc. Oh, and young ladies who use their cell phones in the stalls and vogue in front of the mirror for ages. Who they're doing it for I couldn't tell you given the male denizens of my floor. They're usually in the 2nd and 3rd groups. And now we have Purell things all over the place as part of our Infectious Disease preparedness planning.   Jersey_Boy Citizen Username: Jersey_boy Post Number: 1466 Registered: 1-2006 Posted on Saturday, July 22, 2006 - 12:13 pm:        How about this sign: If it's yellow flush it down. If it's brown flush it down. J.B.   greenetree Supporter Username: Greenetree Post Number: 8566 Registered: 5-2001 Posted on Saturday, July 22, 2006 - 12:53 pm:        Lizzyr - It's good to know that people are having safe sex. Off topic but funny (I think I posted this once awhile back - sorry if it's a repeat): A few years ago, I worked with quite the cast of characters. Among them were a really, really, really uptight male social worker (USW) and a big-personality- in-your-face-funny-as-hell nurse (RN). One slow day (most of our patients were probably out shooting up - story for another time) USW was complaining, as usual, about the staff bathroom. RN took a condom (we gave them out to patients), put a couple of squirts of hand lotion in it and tossed it on the bathroom floor. Sure enough, USW goes to use the bathroom. I don't know which was louder: his shrieking or the rest of us falling out laughing.   Soparents Supporter Username: Soparents Post Number: 2304 Registered: 5-2005 Posted on Saturday, July 22, 2006 - 12:54 pm:          Shevya Birdov Citizen Username: Howardt Post Number: 2246 Registered: 11-2004 Posted on Saturday, July 22, 2006 - 12:58 pm:        The thing that kills me is how many people don't wash their hands after doing doo-doo in the stall. I worked for a medical publisher in NYC a number of years (and jobs) ago. Once I was in the bathroom peeing and saw the EDITOR-IN-CHIEF of all med pubs, an MD, for Christ-sake! come out of a stall and walk right out the door. I was outraged and wondered how to communicate my outrage. I ended up doing nothing but never shaking his hand again. I got laid off soon after. I've run into him at industry events and I still wouldn't touch him with a ten-foot Pole. Or a six-foot Italian.   Joan Supporter Username: Joancrystal Post Number: 7822 Registered: 5-2001 Posted on Saturday, July 22, 2006 - 1:04 pm:        Pippi: I don't suppose you could get more female clients? Is anyone familiar with Human Rights Law where Pippi works? If there are two bathrooms available to staff, is the company obligated to make one of them a ladies room or face charges of discrimination?   greenetree Supporter Username: Greenetree Post Number: 8567 Registered: 5-2001 Posted on Saturday, July 22, 2006 - 1:15 pm:        Shevya - If I go into a restaurant restroom and there is no soap, I won't eat there. I feel ya. How, in this day and age, do people not wash their hands? Cyn - I'm one of the "paper-towel" types. Although, I restrict public washing to hands. I also keep hand sanitizer on my desk.   Shevya Birdov Citizen Username: Howardt Post Number: 2247 Registered: 11-2004 Posted on Saturday, July 22, 2006 - 1:18 pm:        green, my motto is: "no soap? radio!"   SO Ref Citizen Username: So_refugee Post Number: 1992 Registered: 2-2005 Posted on Saturday, July 22, 2006 - 1:21 pm:          greenetree Supporter Username: Greenetree Post Number: 8569 Registered: 5-2001 Posted on Saturday, July 22, 2006 - 1:21 pm:        Wait. I don't get it.   Shevya Birdov Citizen Username: Howardt Post Number: 2248 Registered: 11-2004 Posted on Saturday, July 22, 2006 - 2:28 pm:          eliz Supporter Username: Eliz Post Number: 1594 Registered: 5-2001 Posted on Saturday, July 22, 2006 - 5:43 pm:        This is a somewhat related threaddrift but... last nite hubby and I ate at a very popular, upscale local eatery - the meal was delicious. The table next to us ordered a cheese plate for dessert and the waiter came over to explain each of the cheeses - as he did it he put his pointer finger on the plate and dragged it around to each cheese as he explained it. It completely grossed me out but the guy seemed unfazed and dug into his cheeses. Ewwwww.   Jgberkeley Citizen Username: Jgberkeley Post Number: 4617 Registered: 5-2001 Posted on Saturday, July 22, 2006 - 11:11 pm:        Wow, that just stinks. I'm a guy. Since leaving Wall Street for many reasons I have my own construction company. I have a rule. We leave each day and the toliets are cleaned. every day the next guy in rotation cleans them, me included. If during the day I find one not flushed or messed up, someone is let go. Since I keep the same crew and only add a guy here and there, I can track the problem quickly. I have had problems so bad that I removed the toilet. Consider that, it is rather simple. Later, George   Tuxedo Citizen Username: Tuxedo Post Number: 85 Registered: 7-2004 Posted on Wednesday, July 26, 2006 - 1:21 pm:        Project 37: i need a dramamine to read your posts: