Separate toilet questions

[Astrid]

Ok, very odd question, but it is something I really want to know.

Until I was 14, I grew up in houses where the toilet was in the bathroom. So all entirely normal to me, but as a result I never got taught the etiquette of using a separate toilet in someone else's house.
So here are my really strange questions:

• Can you still use the toilet when someone else is in the bathroom?
• Can you use the toilet if someone is in the shower?
• If someone is in the bathroom, where do you wash your hands?
• If the toilet is off the laundry, are you meant to wash your hands in the laundry, or find your way to the bathroom?
• If there bathroom and toilet are on the opposite side of the house to each other and the kitchen is closer, is it ever OK to wash hands in the kitchen?

I do wonder as I have been in homes and absolutely busted as someone was in the bathroom. One time I got told off by my then BF's mother as I could not wait so went to the toilet and flushed (my BF at the time was in the shower for over 45 minutes).

I am also intrigued as to whether the "rules" are consistent

[Rowellen]

I doubt there would ever be any consistency lol! But here is the unspoken rules in our house which has a separate toilet located off the laundry:

• Can you still use the toilet when someone else is in the bathroom? Yes.
• Can you use the toilet if someone is in the shower? Yes if busting unless it's the kids as it does have a minor effect on water temperature/pressure. Try to avoid if possible though.
• If someone is in the bathroom, where do you wash your hands? In the laundry
• If the toilet is off the laundry, are you meant to wash your hands in the laundry, or find your way to the bathroom? Laundry. We have soap & hand towel available for this purpose and I regularly clean the laundry tub so it's not gross.
• If there bathroom and toilet are on the opposite side of the house to each other and the kitchen is closer, is it ever OK to wash hands in the kitchen? I would say generally not but this isn't an issue at my house. It wouldn't bother me personally, but I wouldn't wash my hands in the kitchen after using a toilet in someone else's house.

[Jaycee]

Exactly as Rowellen said

[RainbowRiver]

Can you still use the toilet when someone else is in the bathroom?
Yes


Can you use the toilet if someone is in the shower?
Yes, makes no difference to our showers or pressure/temperatures


If someone is in the bathroom, where do you wash your hands?
Laundry, but in our house we have an ensuite so just wash hands there


If the toilet is off the laundry, are you meant to wash your hands in the laundry, or find your way to the bathroom?
Our toilet is right next to the laundry (on one side) and bathroom on the other. I prefer people NOT to use my laundry and often shut the door to avoid it


If there bathroom and toilet are on the opposite side of the house to each other and the kitchen is closer, is it ever OK to wash hands in the kitchen?
Absolutely not!! Only hand washing in my kitchen is after food prep. Never after toileting or general hand washing

[wysiwyg]

Interesting thread as also grew up with toilet in bathroom, and still have only that. In the UK though most people do not have laundry's (so there is no option of washing hands in laundry sink) and if you had a separate toilet you generally have a little tiny sink in it too. I personally hate it when you go to the toilet somewhere and there is no sink and have to wander about (sometimes opening doors) to find the sink (IL's is like this) - to me if you have to touch anything between toilet and sink is no good. In the UK there are guidelines/regs about not having bathrooms directly off kitchens so the idea of needing to use kitchen sink to wash hands is also odd and I also am never sure of the etiquette - I wonder why the tiny sinks in the toilets are less common here?