September 14, 2006
Ladies' room etiquette, part 365

It's bad enough that people sprinkle when they tinkle and don't wipe the seat, and that they leave hair in the sink (not to mention on the aforementioned seat), but what's the deal with the folks who don't lock the door of the public rest room and then yell at the person who unwittingly walks in on them?

(And please, if you must be bulimic [and I swear I'm not judging], please do your thing in private. I happen to know some excellent therapists, but the first step is admitting you have a problem ... right after locking the damned door behind you, girlfriend. An extra flush after would be awfully nice, too.)

Posted by cynical at September 14, 2006 10:39 AM
Comments

Have you mentioned mercy-flushing before? What, pray tell, is mercy-flushing? The mercy flush is the act of flushing the toilet before one is finished with it. Occasions which would warrant a mercy flush include (but are not limited to) when:

  • one runs the risk of clogging the toilet
  • one has filled the toilet with feces and/or vomit but one has more to evacuate from the bowels/stomach (this is only slightly distinguished from the risk of pipe-clogging in that the contents of the bowl might not be so thick as to stop up the plumbing, and yet the toilet might overflow)
  • the stench is unbearable to the defecator and/or to bystanders
The mercy flush is an integral, though rarely mentioned, component of bathroom etiquitte.

Posted by: Robyn on September 18, 2006 01:11 PM

I wonder if "mercy flush" is a standard girlterm. Because, over in guyland, I've always heard it called a "courtesy flush."

Posted by: TJ on September 19, 2006 10:57 AM

I first heard it from my old roomie, J Lynn. Lactose-intolerant, but unwilling to give up her beloved cheese, ice cream, or canolis, she was indeed performing an act of mercy - for both of us when she mercy-flushed.

Posted by: Robyn on September 19, 2006 02:49 PM

I've never heard it discussed at all, so I wasn't aware there was a term for it, period. I'd probably choose "courtesy flush," but they both work equally well. The point is just to flush, for the love of oxygen and unburned eyeballs, people! (And, of course, lock the door wherever possible.)

Posted by: cynical on September 19, 2006 08:05 PM
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