Mystery revealed: The purpose behind the innovative U-shaped public toilet seat design

When you are away from home and need to go to the bathroom, the only option is to use a public bathroom. Not all of them are unpleasant, but the experience is not as relaxing as it could be in the comfort of your home.

While relieving yourself in a public bathroom with five other people in adjacent stalls, you may have noticed some architectural variations.

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Why are some sinks U-shaped?

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Restrooms at highway rest stops, shopping malls, and train stations typically have U-shaped seats rather than the comfortable oval ones found at home. And it turns out there’s a reason why some materials are missing from public bathrooms.

The main reason for changing the design of public toilet chairs is to improve hygiene. An open-front toilet seat is a novel version of the buttock position and is the standard for most public restrooms due to the American National Standard Plumbing Code.

Where does it come from?

This bathroom code dates back more than 70 years, dating back to 1955 when it was first formed.

It was then mandated by the Uniform Plumbing Code in 1973, allowing the U-shaped toilet seat to become popular. “Toilets shall be equipped with seats of smooth, non-absorbent material,” according to the code.

All public toilet seats must have an open front.” Obviously, the whole concept is based on hygiene, as the number of people sitting on a public toilet seat on a given day is not something we would like. know.

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However, because there is less surface area for germs to thrive in these U-shaped chairs, there is less contact with neighboring regions.

How was the design formed based on the users?

The toilet seat also appears to have been built with women in mind. According to Lynne Simnick, senior director of code development for the International Association of Plumbing and Mechanical Officials, the open seat was designed to allow women to “clean the perineal area after using the toilet” without using an unsanitary seat.

Simnick further stated that the open front seat “eliminates an area that could be contaminated with urine” as well as “eliminates the user’s genital contact with the seat.”

Previously, many people theorized about the origin of the unusual looking toilet seat. According to Slate, some of the beliefs about why the seat is used include that men are less careful in public bathrooms and that the U-shaped seat is cleaner than the typical oval if it is not raised.

Other ideas cited people’s fear of contracting STDs in public bathrooms and the ease of cleaning the U-shaped seat as contributing factors.

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Source: vtt.edu.vn

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