Proper Urinal Etiquette

Ladies, this article isn’t for you. You may not be aware, but when a man enters a public toilet or restroom, he has a big decision to make. Which urinal to use? Urinal etiquette is subtle and undefined, but also extremely important. You simply want to get in, do your business and get out.

To help you do that, we’ve put together a list of helpful bathroom urinal etiquette tips to help gentlemen avoid a potentially embarrassing situation.

Urinal Selection: A Natural Male Instinct

It would seem that just as humans are born with certain natural instincts, like crying when they’re hungry, responding to pain and recognizing their mother’s voice, male humans are born with an instinct to choose the right urinal. When you’re in a hurry and really have to pee, however, you might sometimes forget proper urinal etiquette and go for the first free urinal you see.

Review these guidelines for proper urinal etiquette and get back in touch with your natural bathroom urinal instincts. The key to a smooth and hassle-free bathroom visit is planning ahead. Apply the following urinal etiquette guidelines when choosing your urinal:

• Select a urinal with free space to either side. In a large bathroom with multiple urinals, the best choice is when you have a free urinal to either side. That gives you space and privacy to go about your business without feeling uncomfortable.

• Go for an end urinal. A urinal at the end of a row is your next best choice if you can’t find a urinal with a free urinal on either side. This means at worst you have one neighbor, and you can angle your body to create a bit more privacy.

• Corner urinals are bathroom gold. Occasionally, public bathrooms are designed with a urinal set in a corner at a 45-degree angle to the walls. This is your best choice for private and comfortable urinal usage. If you can hold it, wait until this holy grail of urinals is free.

• The child’s urinal. A bold choice, the child’s urinal often occupies an end position. This prime urinal real estate is often ignored due to the inconvenience of the lower height. If you’re a relatively short man, a slight stoop will allow you to select this option.

What to Do in a Crowded Urinal Space

If all of these urinal positions are unavailable and you only have a single urinal available in-between two other urinal users, you need to step up your urinal etiquette game:

• Eyes forward. Once you’re installed in front of your urinal, it’s eyes forward until you’re done. Most public bathrooms and restrooms provide advertisements, newspaper articles or even TVs to entertain you, so focus on what’s in front of you and only look down when you’re zipping up.

• No games. When you’re alone at a urinal, you’re free to try to melt as much ice or move around the urinal pucks as you like. If you’re surrounded on either side, however, all games are off. Resist the urge to play your favorite urinal games out of etiquette for other users.

• Back straight out. Men should come equipped with backup sensors like transport trucks. In a busy restroom with packed urinals, there isn’t much room for maneuvering. Once you’re done, zip your fly, flush and back away from your urinal before turning and walking off.

Partitions for Everyone

In an ideal world, all public and commercial bathrooms would have attractive and practical partitions and separations from One Point Partitions. Since that isn’t the case, you need to apply proper bathroom urinal etiquette, especially in busy situations where you don’t have much elbow room. We hope this refresher course will remind you of the importance of respecting the unwritten urinal code. Gentlemen, to your urinals!