Flush with frustration: Our biggest bathroom pet peeves

Ever want to rant about your bathroom or the habits of its inhabitants? A stroll through February's Mid-Atlantic Home & Flower Show proved fertile ground for an impromptu - if somewhat nonscientific - poll.

Already in remodel/redesign mode, folks readily shared their bathroom woes. And some had proven solutions.

It's the little things

Chuck and Erin Olson of Virginia Beach said they agree about most things. The divider in their house? The Great Over-Under Debate.

He, who's admittedly "pickier" about it, likes the toilet paper to unravel from the top, "like in a hotel," while she prefers the "under" placement. Solution? Marital compromise. Erin goes with Chuck's "over."

Meanwhile, Chuck hates the look of shampoos, conditioners and shower gels in their original, mismatched bottles. So he transfers the products into coordinating containers for a more uniform look in the bath.

Karen Speights of Norfolk hates "shower heads that are too tall." The distance "just doesn't feel right" to the 5 -foot-3-inch woman; she prefers a removable hose model, also good for cleaning "dirty grout," she said.

Shirley Glover of Norfolk hates "not having a walk-in shower." She hasn't solved that one, but said she will "when I win the lottery."

This next one is a bit "exhausting."

"I don't like anyone to hear the (bathroom) noises," said Laura Walker of Virginia Beach, who runs the fan every time she enters, "even if I'm just brushing my teeth." No fan? She runs the water.

Shawn Pilkington of Virginia Beach shares the sentiment.

"I like to have a fan to muffle the noise" in public bathrooms, he said.

In its absence? "Hum."

Bathroom Conduct

People who enter the shower without a towel handy can dampen Lynda Waddell's spirit.

"They get out, they have to traipse across the floor dripping wet, finding their towel, getting their towel. It could be prevented," the Virginia Beach resident insisted. "Have a place for that towel!"

Waddell's husband installed a towel hook on the wall; Waddell asks her three sons to "prepare ahead of time."

And tossing a towel onto the floor when finished? "Not such a great idea!" she warned. If a single hook won't do the trick, try a free-standing towel rack or wall-mounted double rack.

Irv Chilcoat of Loudoun County hates when people leave the tub faucet on shower mode.

"When the cold water hits ya," it's brutal, he said. Dial it back to bath mode for the next user, he begged.

"Using the last of the toilet paper and not putting one back" bugs Waddell, too.

Or "when they get the toilet paper out and, rather then replace it on the roll, they just set it on the counter," Chilcoat added.

His solution? "I've threatened just to take them off the wall and let everybody just stack 'em on the back of the toilet and see if they get wet," he said. Instead, he just replaces the rolls himself.

Have a spare nearby and state your expectations, Waddell suggested.

"It comes with training; get your kids started early," she added.

The industry's caught on to the tissue issue and offers some great solutions: Moen's Eva, a wall-mounted, hanger-shaped roll holder, and the Kingsley pivoting double-paper holder, which opens easily and stores two rolls at once. No more excuses.

Nasty, nasty

The spreading of bathroom germs is "the biggest pet peeve of all time" for George Pilkington of Virginia Beach.

Inside the restroom, "I don't want to touch anything," he said. Outside, he expects that others have washed.

"Is it me?" Pilkington asked.

George is in good company. Hand washing took the lead in this poll. Some people admitted to listening for guests in their homes to wash their hands.

Others said they've witnessed people in public restrooms - even employees - leaving without washing. Some politely insist that the offender return to the sink. Some just cringe and try to avoid contact.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, scientists estimate that up to 80 percent of all infections are transmitted by hands. Proper washing, with warm water and soap for at least 20 seconds, is best, the CDC instructs. Dry with a paper towel, and use that towel to turn the faucet off and open the door.