Lid up or lid down? Japan’s largest toilet manufacturer has weighed in on a question that divides households: close it before you flush.
Toto said a closed lid keeps water from spraying out of the bowl. The advice came in response to a question from grape, a Japanese website that puts everyday questions to manufacturers, on 8 September.
The company was careful not to overstate the risk. Modern toilets, it said, are designed so that very little water escapes even with the lid open, and Japanese certification standards limit how many droplets a flush may throw beyond the rim.
Even so, closing the lid remains the surest way to keep water in the bowl, Toto said.
Many people close the lid to stop viruses spreading. Japan’s Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare recommended the habit during the Covid-19 pandemic, and it has stuck.
Toto declined to endorse that reasoning. It said it was not a medical authority and could not say whether a closed lid prevents infection. Its advice, it said, rests only on splashing and energy use.
On hygiene, the company kept to more familiar ground: wash your hands properly after every visit and clean the toilet regularly.
Why toilets have lids
Stopping splashes was not the lid’s original purpose, Toto said. It was designed to keep objects from falling into the bowl and to make the fixture look tidier.
On toilets with heated seats, the lid also acts as insulation, holding in warmth and reducing the electricity bill. For those users, keeping it closed saves a little energy as well.
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