Reader Chris gets major snaps for finding this vintage toilet seat designed just for men. Note, that while I find this beyond-fascinating — and it would likely make my top-10 wild and wacky retro items ever, if I bothered to rank – I do not approve at all. Why?
Because it is very bad feng shui to leave your toilet seat open. Very very bad. Wealth-energy — that is: money — flows right down that open drain.
For example, everyone over on the Forum knows: No photos of open toilets allowed. Deleted – without notice. Close your toilet seats, people!
Anyway back to this amazing toilet seat. Chris writes:
I thought I’d share a great find I made today. It’s a toilet seat designed for MEN! It holds in the “UP” position unless you fold it down (springs back up when you get up too). Original packaging. Made from something called OLSONITE. It’s a heavy plastic. The chrome hinge is spectacular. Bret at Old Portland Hardware and Architectural had it. I was either going to try it out or sell it. When it fit b\ y 1940 period Wellworth toilet it was a keeper. Standard seats did not fit it so the last one had to have the top removed. Much improved however you do have to realize that it is spring loaded and will hit the porcelain lid if you don’t get up slowly!
Feel free to share on your site. I’ll get you the photos of the countertop display soon. -chris
Countertop display? For this seat? Yes! Send pics!!! Thank you, Chris. This really is cool — American ingenuity at its finest. Something *new* for men to play with, when they are in the bathroom.
Where to get a toilet seat to match my vintage toilet? 
Retro bathroom: Black pearlescent toilet seat from Kohler 
Vintage 1954 yellow kitchen designed by Armstrong 
Become a fan
We had something like that in one of the schools I attended. Very scary.
Love the slogan: “Tops for Bottoms”.
Not only is it bad feng shui, but this also allows the dog to drink from the toilet and various items to fall into the toilet. Lids are good.
Cool in a kitchy sort of way, but I totally agree, toilet lids need to be down for cleanliness!
Just a picky note – I think “Olsonite” may be what the “plastic” is called. I think when I lived in KS, in the mid-sixties, I went to a grade school that had these types of seats too! The school was built in the 50s. — OK, so that’s how old I am.
I think you are absolutely right, June!
Open lids on toilets makes me crazy! My husband is about 99% trained, so I feel pretty successful in that regard!
In any case, I do love the chrome hinge…one day I’ll get around to replacing the lids on my two vintage toilets, and I’m going to try to find nice chrome hinges on them. (Both had gotten “stylish” 80s-era updates before we bought the house.)
Being of the female persuasion, I don’t care for the spring mechanics, but I must say the metal hardware against the black seat is simply dashing!
Agree– Gorgeous hinge! Hinge looks better down, anyway.
Open toilet seats are a dealbreaker for me too. Who wants to contemplate the interior of a toilet? I can’t even fathom people who leave it open as a matter of course.
Also mysterious and hard to live with are people who close the bathroom door when they leave, so that you think there is someone IN there.
In fact, I know people, even women, who leave the toilet seat up and close the door when they are done. My brain stalls out, trying to comprehend this.
Bad feng shui also to leave the bathroom door open. Mal odors escaping into the living or sleeping space = bad.
That rule I would mostly disagree with. A closed doors leads to confusion as to whether or not it’s in use. Some people don’t turn the light on, so you can’t use that as a signal. Also, for bathrooms where showers and baths are taken, a closed door traps moisture and can lead to mold and mildew. And if you’ve gone to all the work of decorating a really cool looking bathroom (pink or otherwise), you should show it off and not hide it!
Get a bathroom fan. Crack the window. Knock.
Actually, closed doors are simply awful for my own personal feng shui. I intensely dislike them. My chi bounces off the closed door and smacks me in the face. I prefer open views in all cases. All of my doors and windows stay open at all times, if possible.
But mostly I prefer knowing if anyone is in the dang bathroom. Closed doors make for needless confusion, especially in a house with one bathroom shared by several people.
Yeah, these are for commercial use. My school had them. I don’t know how much information you want to hear, but the split is to prevent drips from landing on the seat. The spring-loaded feature? Maybe to help teach dumb little boys that this is a seat and should be down only when sitting. Me, I never had any problem knowing what the seat was for or that you’re supposed to close the lid afterward. It’s a lid. Use it. It drives me nuts when men and women (no, girls certainly are not the innocent sex when it comes to being neat) leave the seat or the lid up. Do they also leave their car door open after they’re done driving it?
Amen. Our family has a closed seat policy. But virtually all guests to our house leave the lid up, including women. Not a big deal, but a little irritating. How hard is it to figure out that the lid exists for a reason?
I would not like this one bit. Let’s just say it can be dangerous to have to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night and realize the seat is up. LOL
I have a reverse technology toilet seat. All you have to do is give the seat cover a little nudge and the lid slowly lowers itself all the way down (so it doesn’t fall). I have everybody trained and I live with all males.
Jeanne! There is a toilet seat lid that goes down that way – gentle with no slam noise! My mother in law has one!
When my bath is done in a month or so, I’m going to send you before and after pics….I think I’ll leave the seat up and put a king-size Baby Ruth in the toilet! LOL
I hate to say this – but my money goes down the drain anyway. It has nothing to do with Chinese dudes!
I’d prefer a lid too. Just yesterday, Mr. Shui almost made me drop my shampoo in the terlet b/c the lid was up!
Now that’s the spirit!
….Shane!
Man this was a good post! We needed a good “flushing” of all the peace stuff. Let’s everybody have fun! LOL
And let me count the ways……..while this is a great bachelor toilet seat due to it’s seat up feature (love that chrome hinge!)……I have personally stopped countless men at public gas station restrooms, small restaurants (the unisex ones, I just hate those!), and public sani-cans to go back in and put the lid down if I see the lid up as soon as I open the door to go in and they just exited. Boy, have I gotten a lot of raised eyebrows!
With that said, I think I am running at about at about a 60% success rate, which I think is pretty good for a stranger-to-stranger request. I won’t even go into how many that there is no evidence of the faucet being turned on to wash before they exit (sani-cans excepted). Just EWWW!!!
My other peeve (inherited from my mother): architects/house designers who do not pay attention to placement of the loo in the room in relationship to the door, ie, toilets directly across from the door…..also the bathroom itself being located anywhere near or off the living/dining area.
Anyway, that is still a very cool find, and I’m very happy for Chris that it fit his toilet! Looks great!
TTT, In my two long narrow bathrooms, including one that backs up to another, there is just no other place to put the toilet than straight across from the door. I hear you, but in these smallish houses, sometimes you gotta doo what you gotta doo.
So what’s going on here???
I have been told by many women at work to keep the seat up….because the women do not actually sit down. Fine by me….
Gross. That means that they are simply too horrified by the condition of the bathroom to risk sitting down. Like in a bar bathroom. Believe me, they would prefer to sit in a clean bathroom than to crouch in one shared with men.
I just do what they tell me to do and don’t ask questions….
You are wise.
Oh Gavin, you must work with a bunch of official “hoverers”. I’m only a hoverer if there is A) no seat protectors, or at least TP to make my own, or B) in an outhouse sani-can regardless of seat protectors!
I guess you need to continue to make the hover girls at work happy!
True Pam – small houses make do with what works best…..I’m really talking more about the newer bigger houses, especially custom built where there could have been other layout options.
I’d much more easily forgive any house pre1980 for less than ideal layout, than one post 1980
This is way too funny! So it’s an auto up seat shaped like a horseshoe so that in case it’s not up you don’t drip on the seat? In which case what is going on the spring has failed or you are holding it down with your foot or something?
Also – does it spank you as you stand up for lack of a better word lol? Or is there a delay in it’s action?
I think these horseshoe seats with no actual lid are weird anyway and I’ve never seen one in a house – looks like public type stuff. But, since it’s retro…I’ll let is go go…
How have I not been reading this site before yesterday?
Welcome to our wild, wacky, and resourceful retro-wonderland, Jason. We do have some fun here.
Jason, what exactly were you googling that got you to RetroRenovation on toilet seat day anyway?!
Pretty sure this is intended for an institutional situation – not the home. And it probably made the cleaning staff much happier as men are just slobs.
Okay…I’ll admt it:
Most of the time I’m a “wall-leaning-hands-free-driver”….but a very accurate one!
I will say that most men like the seat open because of anticipated trips to the toilet at 3am. One less reason to actually open your eyes. That’s not a problem here.
Were my toilets in a cubby or behind the door, I would have no trouble with it up or down, but mine are placed “center stage” and view-able from 20ft.
Too bad the springs on this seat don’t work in reverse!
ack! Overshare!
yeah…I know. But YouTube has regulations!
If you are closing your eyes when you pee, you might as well just sit down.
I always like a challenge.
Since were talkin’ toilets here..
Ladies, when you put a fluffy 2″ pile cover on the tank and another on the lid, you are just asking for trouble….
Women don’t realize that some of those things are so thick that it’s impossible for the lid and seat to stay up when in use by men.
That what I’m sayin”………It’s like playing “Twister” with a toilet.
When I stay a my GF’s place, one of the first things I do is remove that fuzzy toilet seat cover. Otherwise it’s like going up against a plastic guillotine. (But I do try and remember to slip it back on before I leave on Monday.)
As this comment thread shows, my GF isn’t the only woman with serious bathroom issues. (After a year of being together she recently gave me the “Why an open toilet seat is disgusting” lecture.) I just don’t get why an open lid is so evil. As long as the bowl is empty what’s the big deal? Some serious Freudian analysis needed for the distaff half.
I hope you at least put the lid down before flushing otherwise particles from the um…contents can spray up to 20 ft.
I am so glad a friend of mine finally changed out her towels and toilet seat cover cause it was always a challenge to sit down before the lid flipped up. I wonder how she didn’t know that and if her daughter didn’t complain to her.
I think toilet seat carpets are stupid, anyway. We know there’s a toilet under there.
Oh I don’t like those. It’s like being in the French Revolution at the guillotine.
You can imagine what happed to the “Smile-y Santa Face” at a Christmas Party I went to a few years ago…..
You are lucky I am all about toilet humor. Completely immature in that respect. Mel & I discovered early on that we had this stunningly in common.
Write about “finding peace” a few days ago and you can hear the crickets.
Toss up a picture of a toilet and the men come running!!!
Yes, validation of the blog’s nicely balanced demographic. Dare I pun about “finding peace” vs. “finding piiisssss”?
I wish, for my wife’s sake, that these were in all public toilets shared by men and women. There are a lot of dispicible men who don’t lift the lid. Well, you can imagine the rest. It reminds me of a sign I saw in a tavern restroom. “We aim to please. You aim too, please.”
I am walking dangerously close to “Access Denied” but in order to bring harmony between the sexes:
When a man stands before a toilet the first and last 3 seconds are “fly by night”.
Case closed…but not necessarily the lid!
HAHAHAHAHA. My son is 7. You mean to tell me he will never improve on his aimimg abilities?!
Olivia, thank you! Finally someone brought up the main reason to CLOSE THE LID! When I read an article about a guy whose job was as some sort of scientist for a bathroom company, he went on about how flushing the toilet sprays microscopic particles about 3 feet in every direction, and that is why you close the lid before flushing. Also why you don’t want your toothbrush out in the open anywhere near your toilet. If double-checking for a clean bowl is necessary, I wait for a bit, then lift the lid with my shoe.
I am currently in a battle with my BF as to why seats and lids should be put down every time. His excuse is “it’s gross to touch the seat”! WHAT??!! That’s why you wash your hands!
Who would think a toilet seat would generate so much discussion.
I remember a grade school I went to having seats like this in the bathroom— the girls’ bathroom! I would assume they were in the boys’ too but who knows.
Brilliant! I want it. I share a bathroom with my three teenaged sons. Having a drip free toilet seat trumps any feng shui issues.
My wife has her own bathroom (the master bedroom bathroom). No males are allowed to step foot in her bathroom, and she stays clear of our bathroom. Guests use the powder room. This toilet seat was made for my house.
Well, I’m propped up in bed looking at today’s post before lights out. What a great way to end the day – toilet humor. I am still laughing at the comments.
All the more reason for everyone of BOTH sexes to “have a seat!”
It makes things so much easier.
Ok, if we’re going for retro toilet humor here, I’ve got a beauty from about 1967.
Neighbor kids had an inground pool and cabanas down the street, and the chainsmoking parents had the little “his and hers” baths decked out in 60′s cabana decor, towels, tented ceilings in loud striped vinyl, etc, but above the men’s commode was a little black and white line drawing, neatly framed a la “The New Yorker” that stated: “Please don’t toss cigarette butts in our toilets, we don’t s#%* in your ashtrays.”
Why have I never forgotten this?
Only on Retro Renovation would there be 53 posts about toilet seats. Make that 54.
“toilet seat day” LOL
Just to fling more… stuff, I refer everyone to those masters of investigative technique- the Mythbusters! Yes, they have studied this very situation. Draw your own conclusions.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TeAOC3A0xJ8
Yikes! Guess I need to store my toothbrush in barbasol.
I know the seat is the center of attention, but look at the floor in that bathroom!
Yes, isn’t it great? I need to ask what it is? Rubber?
Why are there two different types of toilet seats? One that is a partial ring like this one, vs the total oval? I’ve always wondered that –
On a humorous note – when my sister got married, my Dad would always say, “I went to bathroom and thought of you today…” You see, she married a CRANE. American – Crane toilets…. a little private family joke!
Seat down, please! (Besides kitty likes to sleep on the fuzzy cover).
OK, as a Mom of 3 Boys, I have a VERY different opinion of this.. I think it’s a FANTASTIC idea!!
I actually found this page by googling “toilet seat that stays up for Boys”
I have been drilling into their little heads since they were 2 & being potty trained that they need to life the seat up to pee & put it down when done. Now at ages 8, 10, & 12 Do you think they do it?? Abso-fricking-lutely not! & they never have despite my pleading, lecturing, demanding, crying, whining, etc.. you get the picture.. This results in pee that drips down under the seat & etches into the plastic/MDF/wood or whatever the seat is made of & also into the cracks & crevices of the hinges making for very disgusting mess that I am tired of cleaning up! I replace toilet seats an average of 3-4 times a year!
Soo, if anyone knows how I can get my hands on one of these, I would be forever grateful!!!
tee hee. welcome.
It would be great to have in women’s public restrooms as well. Ladies are so gross. They pee on the seat cause they are too paranoid to sit and then they don’t wipe it. If I feel I need to hover, I am courteous and lift the seat with my foot. Keeps the seat dry for the next person who prefers to sit.
lol, this is one of the longest posting threads I’ve seen on retro reno…
I want one. Where can I get it?
Very old, Cory. You would have to watch ebay, etc. To be sure, if I ever see one for sale, I will post it…
SO not new. Barney Stinson had this prior to 2006. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World%27s_Greatest_Couple