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This is very related to How to avoid splash sounds in public toilets?. However, still it is different: I don't mind the sound, but I mind the water itself hitting me from below. It's both unpleasant, and not hygienic. The water isn't really clean to begin with.

When sitting on toilet and defecating, how do I prevent cases of the water from the toilet hitting the buttocks from below?

In the linked question, there is currently one answer that gives a direct answer to my question as well, but I'm looking for more answers and hacks, which are not related to the sound.

Peter Mortensen
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Shadow Wizard Love Zelda
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    Putting toilet paper on the water before starting indeed working, but: 1) waste of paper, and 2) sometimes I forget. So other methods are welcome. – Shadow Wizard Love Zelda Dec 27 '20 at 14:39
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    "Sometimes I forget" isn't going to be very helpful with solutions. The anti-splash paper is the "standard" method, and hardly wasteful since it will save one or more extra sheets needed to dry the splashes. – Weather Vane Dec 27 '20 at 15:56
  • @WeatherVane I know, hence only a comment and not inside the question itself. I'm just curious to see if there are other creative hacks. Also, sometimes there is no toilet paper at all, I always take wet wipes with me anyway so I'm fine, but can't use wet wipes to prevent splash. – Shadow Wizard Love Zelda Dec 27 '20 at 16:42
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    Get a better toilet -- one with a lower water level. – Hot Licks Dec 28 '20 at 21:06
  • What I hate are the public toilets with the built-in "auto bidet" feature -- they keep flushing every time you wiggle a little, and they spray water on your butt when they do this. – Hot Licks Dec 28 '20 at 21:07
  • Note that depending on the country, there are very different setups: in some places there's a relatively flat surface with water nearly all over the inside of the toilet; in others, there's only a relatively small hole (say, about 10-15 cm wide) towards the back. This can change strategies quite a bit. – jcaron Dec 29 '20 at 01:33
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    @HotLicks and then you have toilets in Japan with jets and everything to clean your bottom, all controlled by a panel with a gazillion buttons all will only Japanese text on them. What does this button do? Surpriiiiiise! – jcaron Dec 29 '20 at 01:35
  • @HotLicks I know what you mean, was in such toilets while in Europe and USA but in Israel the standard toilets have the water quite high. Since the issue is with public toilets mainly, it's not in my control anyway. As for auto flush, totally agree, one of the most annoying things that exist. I try to avoid those if possible, or find creative ways to fight them, e.g. always leaving a hand on the sensor. This might fit a new question, now that I think about it. :-) – Shadow Wizard Love Zelda Dec 29 '20 at 09:17
  • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-XNDM4eAn1U – Steve Dec 29 '20 at 18:24
  • @HotLicks -- in my experience, a lower water level means that the poo attains a higher velocity before striking the water and thus the poop splash actually has a better chance of reaching the level of the buttocks. The problem is manifested in its most horrible form in the case of a porta-potty (portable toilet). When recently "cleaned" and thus free of floating toilet paper etc, a poop-splash is almost guaranteed, due to the great distance between the buttocks and the surface of the "water" (chemical solution). – quiet flyer Dec 30 '20 at 14:58
  • @quietflyer well, in case of portable toilet, I won't use it without putting paper before, prefer to mess my pants. over having blue chemicals all over my buttocks. :-D – Shadow Wizard Love Zelda Dec 30 '20 at 15:11
  • Stretch cling film across the bowl and hover. – Weather Vane Dec 31 '20 at 15:41
  • @WeatherVane quite the same as what this comment suggests, which is essentially "poo on a solid surface". Problem is cleaning up, where to throw the cling film afterwards, etc. – Shadow Wizard Love Zelda Dec 31 '20 at 15:52

7 Answers7

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Put some toilet paper into the bowl before pooing, it will cushion the fall of the poo and stop the splash.

Just be aware that if you are doing a large quantity the poo will eventually push the paper down into the water in the toilet so you might want to add a bit more paper before continuing.

Scatologist
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    Poop Splash Elimination - Smarter Every Day 22 – Paŭlo Ebermann Dec 28 '20 at 01:26
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    Well, that's what I do already. That's the "obvious" way to do it, agree, but as I said in the linked comment, looking for other ways as well, for cases when I can't use this one. – Shadow Wizard Love Zelda Dec 28 '20 at 06:39
  • How to manage it where is not recommended to put any toilet paper into the bowl and flushg as long as the pipes cannot handle them (Thailand etc.)? – Nikolas Charalambidis Dec 28 '20 at 10:08
  • @nikolas sit offset and poop on the bowl :) – Caius Jard Dec 28 '20 at 10:13
  • @Caius or grab the poo with toilet paper covered hand, and throw to the trash can... ;-) – Shadow Wizard Love Zelda Dec 28 '20 at 15:10
  • I did consider adding to my answer "or lay out some sheets on the floor, squat, poop on the (paper on the) floor instead , wrap it up and throw it in in the toilet..". Seemed a bit extreme though :) – Caius Jard Dec 28 '20 at 16:25
  • @CaiusJard Wind suddenly starts blowing .....Whoosh!! XD – 19aksh Dec 28 '20 at 16:36
  • Oh well... it's a public toilet. Wipe up as best ya can and try not to look sheepish to the waiting queue when you exit the stall – Caius Jard Dec 28 '20 at 16:38
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    @CaiusJard main problem is that in most toilets I've seen, there is a small gap below the door, so anyone can see the floor inside the toilets, guess it's on purpose so we can tell when it's taken, as we see the feet of those using the toilet. So using your advise will cause the people outside to see what I'm doing. Prefer the splash over this... :-) – Shadow Wizard Love Zelda Dec 29 '20 at 09:22
  • I suppose if the toilet has a lid you could squat on that... ;) (Wondering how low this conversation can go :D ) – Caius Jard Dec 29 '20 at 09:28
  • @CaiusJard good idea! :D – Shadow Wizard Love Zelda Dec 29 '20 at 16:24
  • @ShadowWizardisVaccinating - Stand near the bowl when you put the toilet paper into it. In most public toilets it's only possible to see a pooer's feet when they are sitting on the toilet if you crouch down and look at an almost horizontal angle. (I have never done this - I am simply considering the geometry.) If the possible presence of an unusually interested person was a big worry you could bring a long coat and hang it on the door so as to cover the gap. Might you be playing a game of "'Why Don't You...?' 'Yes, But...'"? –  Dec 30 '20 at 03:30
  • @ruffle see this. The floor of each stall is visible even without crouching. Long coat is good idea, but in my country we have few days with cold weather. :/ – Shadow Wizard Love Zelda Dec 30 '20 at 09:04
  • @Scatologist -- when using the toilet paper solution to prevent poop splash in a newly-cleaned porta-potty, my co-workers and I always called it "building the eagle's nest". A great deal of paper was generally required due to the difficulty of dropping the paper exactly in the desired spot, due to the great distance between the water's surface and the opening on top. – quiet flyer Dec 30 '20 at 15:05
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Turn sideways on the toilet, move forwards or sit off-center so that you poop on the porcelain part of the bowl instead of dropping poop directly into the water. This does of course exchange one problem for another, namely that you increase the chance of staining the bowl in such a way that requires a (guaranteed-to-be-absent) brush to clean the bowl. Flushing the toilet so the bowl is wet can help reduce sticking/staining but it's more a function of what you've eaten than how "non stick" you can make the bowl. Flushing the toilet first does also allow you to analyse which parts of the bowl get the most water flow, and gives you a part to aim for where the flush stands the best chance of washing away the evidence

The other alternative, which may or may not be palatable to you (probably depending on whether you're a parent or not) would be to wrap some tissue around your hand and catch/deflect the falling poop so that it's dropping from less of a height/hitting the water with a lower speed. The backsplash won't be so high, and you'll remain dry. Before balking "what? I couldn't possibly touch falling poop with a tissue covered hand" - consider that it's not really any different from what you're doing during the process of wiping when you're done...

Caius Jard
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  • I did try the first suggestion several times, and learned that I'm bad at aiming, and that sometimes I prefer the splash over having to clean afterwards. Still, good advice! As for the second hack, I'm a parent, and touched poop with my bare hand more than once, so no shock, though never thought to try such a thing. Will try when... the need arise, and update about rate of success. :-) – Shadow Wizard Love Zelda Dec 27 '20 at 20:47
  • Also note that the bacteria in the toilet only come from one place, which is also covered in the same bacteria, so all in a bit of splash isn't going to make a huge difference in terms of hygiene/bacterial transfer - especially when you also consider the water in the toilet is chemically treated to ensure it's not an ideal environment for promoting bacteria growth; it has to remain safe for drinking through its journey from water plant to your tap.. and as anyone who ever tried to clean spaghetti Bolognese off a surface using only a dry napkin will attest, a little water helps clean no end! – Caius Jard Dec 28 '20 at 08:23
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    As for bacteria, I'm talking mainly about public toilets, not home toilets - so the water there "collect" bacteria of the various people who missed the water a bit, leaving marks on the toilet. That's the concern, not my own (or family members) bacteria with which I can live peacefully. :) – Shadow Wizard Love Zelda Dec 28 '20 at 09:52
  • Thanks for the tip, it's working just fine. :) – Shadow Wizard Love Zelda Jan 04 '21 at 08:51
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In my country, the front of the bowl curves gently towards the back. The rear of the bowl has deeper water and a sharp bend into the U bend and outlet.

If a lump lands in the deep water, it will cause a splash.

The trick is to sit quite forward on the seat and aim for the front-most water line. Not only does this prevent splashing, but the lump will (ideally) follow the curve and disappear before the flush is used.

Edit - Add diagramThis is the line to attempt

Peter Bill
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  • Well, basically you suggest change of position, which is already suggested in this other answer. Also the toilets in my country look like this, so less relevant. Thanks for your time and answer though. :) – Shadow Wizard Love Zelda Dec 29 '20 at 09:26
  • I understood the other answer to suggest aiming at the porcelain. I suggest aiming where the water is shallow. From your photo, I think this could work. – Peter Bill Dec 29 '20 at 11:43
  • The water are in the same level, where you see, in the picture, a place with shallow water? I might be missing something, but I really don't see such a thing. – Shadow Wizard Love Zelda Dec 29 '20 at 12:39
  • @ShadowWizardisVaccinating Please see edit. – Peter Bill Dec 29 '20 at 14:34
  • I see. Well, this requires a good aiming, I did try such methods before, and usually miss whatever spot I tried to hit. Hard to aim when you don't even know the bullet's shape and size. :) – Shadow Wizard Love Zelda Dec 29 '20 at 14:53
  • Doesn't the need to leave room for a certain part of the male anatomy, constrain how far forward you can sit? Leaving "it" entirely outside the bowl doesn't seem to be a good option since it is normal for urine to be released while pooing, and making a special effort to avoid that would tend to inhibit the pooing process as well... – quiet flyer Dec 30 '20 at 14:53
  • @quietflyer I usually pee before starting anyway, so while it "drips" when pooing (due to the contraction of nearby muscles, probably?), it's easy to stop the dripping, or worst case absorb with toilet paper. – Shadow Wizard Love Zelda Dec 30 '20 at 15:22
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If you adjust the flush valve in the back tank you can make the water level higher or lower to reduce the splashing.

There are two possible ways this can work...

  • lower the water level, any splash will have to fly higher from the water surface before it hits you.
  • Raise the water level, anything falling into the water will fall a smaller distance and therefore not splash as much. I would try this one first.

After you adjust the valve to the right spot, you shouldn't have to play with it again for a few years when something wears out.

user4574
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  • Less relevant for public toilets, but thanks for a creative advice! :) – Shadow Wizard Love Zelda Dec 29 '20 at 09:32
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    I think this is fundamentally misunderstanding the way a toilet works. The level of the water in the bowl is not related to the water in the cistern. The toilet bowl just overflows or siphons...? – Lefty Dec 29 '20 at 11:18
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    @Lefty It depends. The level in the bowl won't go beyond a certain point, but you can adjust it below that maximum. I know it can be done because I have personally done it. – user4574 Dec 29 '20 at 20:18
  • @ShadowWizardisVaccinating I missed the "public" part. – user4574 Dec 29 '20 at 20:19
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    @user4574 I really don't understand how that is supposed to work. The cistern deposits water into the bowl. Once the bowl gets to its maximum level, it overflows. If you don't allow enough water into the bowl, it won't fill and won't overflow, but when you flush it the 2nd time, it will overflow until the level in the bowl gets to its maximum and it will stop overflowing. The only thing that I can think you might have seen is when the bowl sometimes siphons excess water due to a blockage downstream, this can allow the water level to go lower than normal. – Lefty Dec 29 '20 at 21:36
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"(W)hen sitting on toilet and defecating, how to prevent cases of the water from the toilet hitting the buttocks from below?"

Carry a collapsible camping cup around with you, and when you are sitting on the toilet hold it under your bottom and poo in it. Then stand well away from the toilet and with an outstretched arm tip the poo from the cup into the toilet bowl.

Alternatively instead of a collapsible cup you could use a cloth anti-virus facemask. But you may not wish to reuse it either as a facemask or as a solution the next time you need to poo and wish to avoid impact with water from the toilet bowl.

A third option would be to poo in one of your hands. Yes, most people would consider this to be disgusting, but you did not say that that would be an impediment and if done successfully it would prevent your bottom coming into contact with water made dirty by something other than your own poo, which has of course already come into contact with your body on its way out.

A fourth possibility, which cannot be recommended because it would almost certainly be injurious to your health, would be to ensure that before doing a poo you have always consumed sufficient quantity of a laxative to make you suffer from diarrhoea. If you carry a piece of piping with you of at least the required diameter you could it hold it to your bumhole at an angle to the toilet bowl of say 45 degrees and then poo the diarrhoea along it. I would suggest fixing a funnel to one end of the pipe, and then holding it maybe 2-3 inches from your bum. Then any splashing from the diarrhoea (fresh out of your bum) hitting the funnel would be the price paid for not being hit by splashes of water from the toilet bowl (possibly laden with impurities originating outside of your family). (This might, however, be ruled out as an answer insofar as the problem was posed in terms of "when [you are] sitting on [the] toilet".)

  • Well, both the first and third options pose a big problem of cleaning up afterwards: it would be tough to clean either the cup or my hands, especially in public toilets where there aren't proper accessories, only soap. The second option is interesting and creative use of face mask, but: 1) those aren't cheap, and 2) it means I'll have to put it into the trash can, and people would wonder who on Earth pooped into a face mask. :-) – Shadow Wizard Love Zelda Dec 30 '20 at 08:55
  • As for the fourth, I did take laxatives before, it's not really harmful to my health, just very unpleasant. And pushing pipe into my anus is even less pleasant, so I'll use other methods. Thanks though! – Shadow Wizard Love Zelda Dec 30 '20 at 08:57
  • You could fix a funnel to one end of the pipe, and then hold it maybe 2-3 inches from your bum. Then any splashing from the diarrhoea hitting the funnel would be the price you would pay for not being hit by splashes of scary water from the toilet bowl. I will edit accordingly. –  Dec 30 '20 at 12:19
  • I prefer water over my own liquid poo, thank you. ;) – Shadow Wizard Love Zelda Dec 30 '20 at 12:55
  • Taking a laxative every day not to cure constipation or any other problem in the body but simply to cause diarrhoea because defecation in liquid form is emotionally preferred is not to be recommended. It would almost certainly cause harm. (Please do not try it, kids.) Human poo's natural state of matter is solid for evolutionary reasons. –  Dec 30 '20 at 13:40
  • Well, for one from my experience, after taking laxative and being totally "empty", it takes about three days until I have to go again. Plus, when at home I don't need to use any hack, I can have it splash. So we talk about taking it once a month or so, which is sensible, but I won't do it for the reasons I said before. The laxative cause a very unpleasant feeling, at least for me, and even after taking it all out, it stays for a while, causing "ghost bowel movements", in lack of actual term. Hope it makes sense, lol, and thanks again for creative idea! :) – Shadow Wizard Love Zelda Dec 30 '20 at 15:08
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Get the water out of the bowl first

If there's no water, then there's no splashing! There are two ways to accomplish this.

1. Using the supply valve

Assuming that the water supply valve is accessible and the toilet is a siphon type (with a tank on the back), try this:

  1. Turn off the water supply
  2. Push and hold the flush lever, and watch the bowl -- as soon as you see the siphon kick in (the water starts to drain quickly) release the lever. The siphon will pull most of the water out, and if you time it right, no additional water from the tank will flow in to replace it (even if you don't time it just right, the level will be lower than it was before). The rim jets* will also not run, reducing water level in the bowl.
  3. Do your business into the (mostly) empty toilet bowl
  4. Turn the supply back on -- you'll hear the tank filling in the back
  5. Once the water stops running, flush (if you flush too soon there might not be enough water to empty the bowl)

*How the rim jets work:

When the supply line enters the tank it splits in two directions -- there's one outlet for refilling the tank (the fill valve), and then the refill tube directed into the overflow pipe to supply water to the rim jets which rinse the bowl (source):

Toilet diagram

By turning off the water line, you're preventing water from going to the rim jets, which reduces how much water goes into the tank when you flush.

Finding and operating the supply valve

The water supply valve is usually on the wall, but sometimes comes up out of the floor, and may be behind the toilet and hard to reach.

Toilet water supply will either have a knob that you rotate until it stops -- either a quarter turn, or a couple of rotations:

Toilet supply twist valve

Or (less often) a plunger that you pull out:

Toilet supply plunger valve

You'll probably want to use a paper towel since the knob will be gross.

2. With a bucket of water

This is impractical, as you're unlikely to have a bucket with you, and even if you did, you might draw unwanted attention filling a bucket and carrying it with you into the stall in a public restroom -- but it is effective! It will also work on any type of toilet.

  1. Fill a bucket with about a three to four liters of water
  2. Pour it into the bowl quickly
  3. The siphon will activate, and the bowl will drain

Here's a video showing a plumber using this method to empty a toilet before performing repairs.

LShaver
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    Doesn't make sense to me, I'm afraid; you cannot empty the bowl of a syphonic toilet by turning off the water supply to the cistern. The water in the bowl does not come directly from the supply pipe, it comes from the reservoir above the bowl. If the reservoir is empty, the toilet doesn't flush, but it doesn't mean the bowl is empty. Anyone wanting to prove this to themselves doesn't need to find the supply tap; just flush the toilet, wait a couple of seconds, and try to flush it again; there isn't enough water in the cistern to perform another flush, but the bowl will have water in it – Caius Jard Dec 29 '20 at 09:29
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    Now that's a true hack! Thanks, didn't think in that direction. Only downside is cleaning the smears of feces that would surely leave, after flushing. No issue at home of course, but since my main concern with splashing is in public toilets, it means I'll be cleaning other people mess as well. – Shadow Wizard Love Zelda Dec 29 '20 at 09:29
  • @CaiusJard I added some detail, as the timing is important. On an older toilet in my house this works well. On a newer one, it's harder to get the timing right. Some toilets have a float on the flapper, so even when you release the flush lever, some water will still flow into the bowl. – LShaver Dec 29 '20 at 14:38
  • I seriously am not going to click the link to that video. –  Dec 30 '20 at 03:51
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    @ruffle it's quite safe -- just a plumber demonstrating how to clear the water from a clean, empty toilet -- but I understand the apprehension! – LShaver Dec 30 '20 at 04:08
  • @ruffle YouTube is pretty much SFW, and any vid that happens to not be safe is hidden properly behind a warning you have to confirm. It's hard to find really gross things on YT, even if you look for them, because they usually get flagged and deleted. – Shadow Wizard Love Zelda Dec 30 '20 at 09:19
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    @I'mwithMonica I edited to explain. Turning off the water turns off the rim jets, which raise the water level. – LShaver Dec 30 '20 at 15:09
  • @LShaver Okay, I understand how your system works, now. :) Mine does not have a direct connection between inflow and outflow! (And I don't remember ever seeing one). Mine also has a stiff connection between handle and release valve, so I can close it again at will, after intitiating a flush. - And also my toilet bowl does not have a big jet below "normal" water level, water can only enter under the rim. - Maybe this is a cultural thing? Do all toilets look like your's, where you come from? – I'm with Monica Dec 30 '20 at 15:33
  • @I'mwithMonica this is pretty typical of a toilet in the U.S. I'd say the biggest variation is in how the flush lever works -- some have a chain like the picture, others have a stiff connection like yours, and some have a chain with a float on the flapper. – LShaver Dec 30 '20 at 15:44
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  1. Drop some toilet paper in the bowl so that there is no exposed water surface.
  2. Now poop.
  3. It will fall on the toilet paper and there will be no splashes.
  4. Flush the latest poop.
  5. Keep going to step - 1 until done.

Real life hack:

When you have an idea of what's your poop aim, you do not anymore need to cover the entire water surface. Just put the paper to cover the ball park surface.

Noname
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