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The Gross Bathroom Habit You’re Probably Doing Without Realizing It (and Why You Need to Stop ASAP)

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12.09.2026

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The Gross Bathroom Habit You’re Probably Doing Without Realizing It (and Why You Need to Stop ASAP)

Researchers found that flushing with the lid open can send microscopic toilet aerosols into the air, including right around breathing height.

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According to a new review, folks who are flushing with the lid down are decidedly not disgusting troll people who like getting their faces blasted with toilet bacteria. Open-lid flushers—may the gods have mercy on you.

Researchers at Flinders University, publishing their findings in Science Of The Total Environment, reviewed 22 studies examining what happens when toilets flush. The answer is that flushing can launch microscopic particles into the air,........

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