We Finally Know Why Public Toilets Have A U-Shaped Seat

The mystery is finally over, we can now sleep at night because we know why many public toilets have U-shaped seats.

At home our toilet seats are oval but when we head to a public restroom we often encounter a toilet seat which is a U-shape in design. Why is this you may be wondering?

Well, the reasoning behind the U-shaped seat comes down to hygiene.

The U-shaped toilet seat is technically known as an "open-front toilet seat", and is what most public toilets in the states utilise thanks to the American Standard National Plumbing Code.

The code states that: "Water closets shall be equipped with seats of smooth non-absorbent material. All seats of water closets provided for public use shall be of the open-front type."

With U-shaped seats, there is less surface area for germs to thrive, so less contact made with your private parts!

The special U-shaped toilet seat apparently also helps cater to the female users of the restroom.

Lynne Simnick, senior director of code development at the International Association of Plumbing has stated that the open seat was designed to let women 'wipe the perineal area after using the water closet' without using a seat that might be unhygienic.

So hopefully that clears things up for you about the design of public restroom toilet seats. Make sure you join our email list so you can stay informed on extremely important news like this.

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