Thanks to SportsGrid for the image.

The University of Colorado posts “Tips for the Toilet” in bathrooms. You would expect a list of bathroom rules, like the ones Harvard University presented for their graduate students, regarding appropriate and inappropriate actions for toilets, urinals, sinks, and showers. But apparently, the school is not concerned with the students’ bad bathroom etiquette.

The “Tips for the Toilet” at CU are about athletic recruitment. It outlines the following topics for appropriate contact:

• Telephone Call Limitations (no texting allowed!)
• Emails and Mailings
• Contact and Evaluations
• Recruiting Visits to Campus

What’s the weirdest bathroom rules you’ve ever seen?

Last year, we wrote about how Harvard University students were given a list of bathroom etiquette rules.

The Daily Princetonian recently published an article about the bad bathroom habits of Princeton’s students that janitors have to deal with. From piles of toilet paper on the floor to vomit and bottles of urine, students leave messes to be cleaned up by janitorial staff.

One of the reasons cited for inconsiderate behavior is the lack of visibility and contact between students and janitors.

“It’s not that they’re disrespectful, they’re just not conscious of [the janitors],” explained Hana Passen ’12, an RCA in Mathey College. “Everything happens in the morning. It’s all hidden under the rug, which makes it very easy for people to overlook. They figure the trash gets picked up and don’t really think about it.”

These problems seem to be ubiquitous- with the majority of people cleaning up after themselves. But there’s always a few stories that stick out in people’s minds that give the impression of disrespect.

What bad bathroom etiquette and habits have you encountered?

Many people have aversions to using public restrooms. Who knows how many people are using these toilets and sinks? At least, at home, you know who you are sharing germs with!

If you must use a public bathroom, there are some important things to remember! Some of recommendations for using a public bathroom include avoiding air hand dryers, using touchless dispensers. Carrying a hand sanitizer with you might also be a good idea, in case you do pick up any germs on door handles or faucets.

Check out this blog by Joseph Morris that discusses Public Restroom Statistics. You might be horrified by these public bathroom facts!

Last fall we posted about Harvard grad students’ bathroom etiquette rules, some of them being so obvious that people questioned their necessity. It seems that everyone, whether it be at work, at home, or in any public bathroom, has been guilty of violating bathroom etiquette. Whether it be leaving the toilet seat up at home, or forgetting to flush, there are so many ways to offend the other bathroom users.

A search on the web for “bathroom rules” found a wide variety of signs and postings regarding bathroom rules and etiquette. Here are some of these signs that remind us to use these shared facilities with consideration.

Posted by TheContinental

From Gyani Jarnail Singh

From The Copper Cow

From IdealMoments

What other bathroom rules do you have that you think are important?

A high GRE score doesn’t equate to high levels of common sense – or at least that’s how administrators at Harvard University’s Graduate School of Arts & Sciences feel.  Upon arriving for school this week, grad students at the school who reside on campus were presented with the usual garb of campus gear – school IDs, housing rules, safety precautions, fire exit locations – and a guide to proper bathroom etiquette.  In case they weren’t smart enough to figure it out themselves, students at one of America’s most highly respected and prestigious universities were actually presented a pamphlet of appropriate and inappropriate actions for toilets, urinals, sinks, and showers.

The checklist included rules such as:
-   Don’t leave bodily fluids on the toilet seat
-    Don’t stand on the toilet seat
-    Don’t collect or store urine and then dispose of it later in the bathroom or shower
-    Don’t urinate, defecate, or excavate the naval cavity in the shower
-    Don’t urinate, defecate, vomit, or wash feet in the sink
-    Urinate in the urinal with the proper aim
-    It’s OK to smile at yourself in the mirror

Well I’m glad someone is teaching our Ivy League students not to stand on the toilet seat! That’s been a real issue bothering me for awhile now.  If you are interested in educating yourself like a true Harvard student, click here to read the full list of bathroom rules.