Flush Smart: 7 Tips for Good Bathroom Etiquette

(Feature Impact) Relationships and plumbing have something in common: they can both benefit from practicing smarter bathroom habits. Whether you’re sharing a household with your family, a partner or roommates, good etiquette in these frequently shared spaces can save everyone’s sanity – just like rethinking your flushing routines can save your pipes.From simple annoyances like leaving the toilet seat up to potentially costly mistakes like clogging your plumbing by flushing the wrong items, a new survey from the Responsible Flushing Alliance (RFA) illuminated a variety of bad habits that cause the most tension in American homes.In addition to shedding light on these problems, the alliance outlined solutions you can implement at home to restore peace in your restroom. Plus, you can gamify the habit changes to make them more entertaining.“Our goal is to revolutionize public education by keeping it highly engaging, memorable and fun,” RFA President Lara Wyss said. “We are challenging the public to rethink their everyday habits.”Get started with these seven tips:Replace the toilet roll properlyDon’t be the reason someone gets stranded with nothing but a cardboard tube in their moment of need. Keep extra rolls nearby, and when you’re down to the last square of toilet paper, make it a race against the clock to replace it.Use the (flush) forceAn unflushed toilet was listed as the biggest bathroom pet peeve by 37% of survey respondents. To make it fun for the family, introduce a new tradition: before you leave the bathroom, pretend there’s an invisible force field pushing you back to make sure you’ve flushed and are good to go.Hunt for sink and shower hairLeaving hair in the drain isn’t just a source of potential plumbing clogs – it’s also an irritant for 35% of respondents. After you shower or style your hair, make it a game to see how many stray strands you can capture and deliver to the trash can.Clean it and close itYou’ve probably heard jokes about people who leave the toilet seat up, so don’t make yourself the punchline. For a completely un-mockable routine, grab the brush to give the bowl a quick swish after you flush, ensure the seat is down and use an anti-bacterial wipe to leave everything sparkling. You’ll notice cleaning wipes bear the Do Not Flush symbol, which means they go in the trash and never the toilet.Conquer the counterToothpaste and water often splatter all over the place, so to be a polite bathroom roommate, wipe up the mess before it’s even had a chance to dry. Keep cleaning wipes or rags within easy reach and give yourself a 10-second deadline to leave surfaces spotless.Practice good towel etiquetteWet towels don’t belong on bathroom floors. If they still have a use or two left in them, banish them back to your towel rack. Otherwise, challenge yourself to a game of laundry basketball, aiming for the hamper.Don’t flush the un-flushableAccording to an RFA survey, half of Americans are still flushing things they know they shouldn’t, like paper towels, feminine hygiene products and non-flushable wipes. Since clearing a clog in your home can cost anywhere from $300-$15,000 or more, the only thing you’ll be draining with habits like these is your wallet.“Always check wet wipes for the Do Not Flush symbol and disposal instructions, which helps us protect not only the health of our homes and environment but our relationships, too,” Wyss said.Visit FlushSmart.org to learn more about good bathroom etiquette, take an interactive quiz and put these tips into practice with a seven-day challenge.Photo courtesy of Shutterstock (throwing away non-flushable wipe)

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