The Hive Mind: What Happened to Bathroom Etiquette?

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By Bella Grimaldi Editorial Staff By Avery Slavin Editorial Staff As college students, we know the horror of a communal bathroom. Whether you have experienced it yourself or someone has told you about using one regularly, you know how bad it is. The truth of the matter is this could be easily rectified if students did better to take care of their space, themselves, and were courteous to others. The common courtesy needed in a shared restroom begins with basic hygiene and decency. Sometimes, it feels as though people do not necessarily care how they leave the bathrooms because it’s “not theirs,” but who wants to use a gross, unkept bathroom? Pretty much every time we go in, the floor is absolutely covered in puddles. Unless there is some kind of plumbing issue or problem with the pipes that we are unaware of, we suspect that it’s from people coming out of the shower and not properly drying off. Walking in and dodging wet trails all over the floor is just an unnecessary way to have to start or end the day. Speaking of the showers, those are probably the most tame thing in the communal bathrooms, and even then, they are still less than ideal. Hair covers the walls, and the shower curtains are stained. The stainless steel of the showerhead is rusted and produces a water pressure that is nothing short of frustrating. Upon arriving at a stall, we always push the door open slowly, worried about what we might see. It is truly unpredictable. Some days, the issue may be toilet paper littering the floor. Other times, it's a wet seat or an unflushed toilet. The sinks are also always covered in something, whether that be dried toothpaste, hair dye, or bodily fluids that absolutely should not be in a sink. You should always leave an area cleaner than you found it, and it seems as though many students who live in residence halls generally believe there will be no repercussions for their actions because there are so many people living in the building. Cleaning up after yourself in a shared space is absolutely necessary. It is your job to take care of the space you have used. Failing to do so leaves everyone else in a disgusting living environment. The biggest horror of a shared bathroom is the lack of handwashing people think is acceptable. Washing your hands is a non-negotiable every time you leave a bathroom stall. Even if you just touched the door, you have subjected yourself to tons of germs that will get you and others sick. When you wash your hands, soap is crucial. Water rinsing off your hands is not enough because all it does is remove the surface or visual material on your hands. Soap does the hard work by removing the germs and nastiness that you cannot see, but are there. Handwashing is the basis of good hygiene, but it is not where it stops. When coming to college, we were all introduced to shower shoes and the need to use them in a dorm. Shower shoes and footwear in the communal bathroom is not a recommendation, it is a necessity. As mentioned previously, it is really easy for bathroom floors to get messy and gross. Do you really want your body in contact with random liquids on the floor, or wet toilet paper in a stall? Wearing no shoes in a communal bathroom puts you at risk of getting infections and spreading germs to others. Not to mention, you bring all those germs back to your room. Courtesy in a restroom is not just practicing hygiene, but how you practice it. We understand the need to blow your nose or clear your throat, but there are spaces and ways to do so in a shared bathroom that are respectful to others. It should go without saying that you should blow your nose or clear your throat into a tissue or a paper towel, and that a sink or a shower are not a substitute. Trust us, no one wants to use a sink or a shower filled with phlegm. The bathrooms are not cleaned enough for that. Due to the varying and unregulated number of people using a communal restroom, you never know what you are getting in contact with. The best thing you can do is take hygienic and courteous steps to better your shared living space.