Great for when you run out of TP.

Ha Ha. You said behind.

icky!!!!! Have always been so appalled that anyone does that!

Icky. If you are spending so much time on the throne that you need reading material, well, then you need more prunes and fiber.

Reading during a hot bath -- well that's okay, but long term storage of mags is still icky.

So. Very. Icky. Agree with Mid-C Frank that you shouldn't have enough time to read.

So icky!

when toilets flush germs spew forth, and your periodical could be contaminated. better to meditate on images of natural wonders like; niagra falls or old faithful.

No. In fact, if they're still sitting there after 2.5 minutes, they get a mild electric shock.

ew, icky! And I'm happy to find out that I'm not the only one that feels that way! Both sides of my family seem to have no problem with it and I just quietly find it gross.

The worst is when the magazines are rated X ! In the 80's, I saw that trend among couples without children a lot more often than today.

I totally have a rack suspended from my toilet tank. I also leave my toothbrush in the bathroom to collect what spews forth when the toilet is flushed as well. ;) I read in there. It is the most relaxing, quiet room and sometimes you just need to be patient while your sphincter works out the kinks. I've gotten compliments for breaking the taboo.

If you're going with the idea that it is unsanitary to keep magazines nearby due to bacteria spewed from a toilet flush, keeping your towels hanging in the bathroom seems ickier than keeping magazines out. Ditto with toothbrushes, hairbrushes, and the like. I'm guessing people may wash their hands when they're done reading and with their business. However, towels tend to be used after the washing: you're just rubbing germy linens all over your supposedly clean hands and body. =)

I'd like to push this the other direction and install a toilet in my library.

My mentor at my first 'real' job out of university said to me: "If you ever meet a man who keeps reading material in his bathroom, stop dating him immediately".

On the other end of the spectrum, this magazine rack is pretty awesome. Does anyone know who makes it?

I say: magazine rack in the bathroom with a sign over it saying "I only read these in the tub, not when I'm pooping." Happy?

I like the idea of having something in the bathroom to use to relax, like drinking a glass of wine or listening to the radio while enjoying a soaking tub or something, but as I think about it, the idea of magazines dripping with possible fecal and urine matter is gross....

Ha. Close the toilet before you flush. Problem solved.

Nah. Icky. But one of the funniest bathrooms I ever say had a hymnal rack with Baptist songbooks on it.

You know, there is always the concept of closing the lid before you flush. That is good feng shui, good hygiene, safer for pets and kids--the whole nine yards. And as others have said above, if you think magazines are bad, you wouldn't keep anything else in the bathroom either.

Please can we get beyond the yuck factor of daily life (I assume this is one of the reasons so many people appear to avoid cleaning their toilets--of course avoiding cleaning it makes it truly yucky). Lots of things in life are yucky. We need to manage it.

I have a 4-year old and a 2-year old... My bathroom is the ONLY place I can go and actually read in peace between the hours of 7:00 a.m. and 8:00 p.m. because I can lock the door. With that, I simply wish to say that I can have reading material in the bathroom and not necessarily read it while using the bathroom... This is just like judging people for what's in their medicine cabinet which you shouldn't be looking in anyway!

wasn't this very topic covered less than a year ago?

We keep books and magazines in a drawer cabinet in the bathroom. I have been in plenty of people's houses that have reading material in the bathroom and I've never found it to be gross. I'm surprised no one has mentioned smart phone usage in the bathroom. My husband's morning routine in the bathroom consists of reading his email, checking facebook, and a bunch of other stuff on his iPhone. I don't necessarily think it's gross (after all people do wash their hands). I just think it's a waste of time.

The bathroom is my "safe place" - when things are going bad, whether just a stressful day or something big happening, I always retreat there. - always have, as far back as I can remember.

I'll bring a book into the bathroom with me when I'm in a mood - put the tap on a steady drip-drip, hunker down on the floor beside the tub, and let time pass.

- but bringing in a book (magazine, newspaper, iPad, etc.) when doing my business? ah. no - sorry.

OMG! ARCHITECT Magazine - that's my company's mag. So nice to see it here (even if it is in a bathroom)!

There is a stack of New Yorkers and a copy of Anna Karenina in our bathroom right now. This would never have happened before I got married.

Light reading material in the bathroom is a necessity, not just a design choice.

Yes, icky. I used to work somewhere where mid-morning the ED would fold up his NYT and stroll out of his office. For some reason, I just felt uncomfortable knowing what this meant; I felt more uncomfortable when the NYT came back and would get passed around the office for others to read.

I am rolling my eyes at the people with the 'eeewwwwwwwwwwww icky' comments. I've never thought of magazine racks in bathrooms as being unhygienic. However, I hate toilet mats. If a boy or a 'too many beers' husband misses his target: isn't it better to see it and clean it up rather than having it soak into the carpet for the next person to step on? Now THAT is eeewwwwww. So I guess, everyone has thier 'icky' paranoia. :)

I have this disease that results in my spending extended periods of quality bathroom time. Magazines (Scientific American) were my godsend when I was forced to spend time there, before I got a laptop.

It's ridiculous to get grossed out about magazines in a bathroom. I totally agree with the commenter who said in that case, we better get grossed out about towels, brushes, toothbrushes, kleenex and anything else in the bathroom. Evidently, people live very sheltered lives. Get out a bit, travel, and put things in context!

Not icky, as long as the magazines don't migrate back out of the bathroom.

I keep Ikea catalogs and Lee Valley catalogs in the bathroom. I won't actually be ordering anything, but it's nice to peruse and they aren't things I'll end up archiving.

Magazines I'll keep are different - they wouldn't be in there. Cross-contamination is just too easy.

I have magazines in my bathroom, but they're for my cat. She likes to read when she is in her litter pan.

Seriously, why do AT commenters have to be so judging all the time? Yes, I agree it's gross when I see the stack of magazines in my parents bathroom. But do I sometimes take a magazine in to the loo with me when I go number two? yes I do, and no- I'm not "in there too long". Sometimes I want to keep reading the article, sometimes it's the enchiladas. Doesn't matter if it's a couch choice or bathroom choice, you all always manage to have something rude to say.

When I was in college, my roommates insisted on taping up colored poster-size paper, along with an attached marker, for bathroom fun. The results were ... interesting. Never did get into the magazine-in-bathroom thing, though I do love reading the New Yorker in the bath.

In my opinion, magazines in a bathroom are just plain gross.

I concur with this opinion. Although I do like the idea of the hymnal rack. Bellowing the words to 'A Mighty Fortress Is Our God' while on the can appeals to my sense of trangression ;)

Well, hopefully you wash your hands after using the facilities so any germs from the reading material should be taken care of.

I think it's nasty. I never understood why people do that.

Hey, here's an idea. How about we NOT have a judgmental conversation about what people do while they're crapping? It's their business, and I think that a post titled "Magazines in the Bathroom - Awesome or Icky?" is just plain stupid. I'm pretty sure it's not a "decorating habit", either.

I doubt anyone keeps magazines in the bathroom as a "decorating habit." I think it's purely utilitarian.

We keep a few magazines in the bathroom and we toss them when we've finished reading them. Icky? Maybe, but it doesn't seem to be affecting our health.

Icky.

I think that voting on the idea of what we do in there is silly.

BUT - I do think that anyone who takes a magazine into the bathroom with them should take it out too. Magazines don't live by the toilet.

I have one book in the restroom- a 1950's Modern Physics... it's pretty and people enjoy its presence. I do not believe it has ever been read in there, however.

@ M@ - funny!

My take on this has always been that if you're in the bathroom long enough to have time to read then you're spending too much time in the bathroom. Try some prunes.

My husband turned our half bath into a library.

People are too germ-obsessed. It's not good for you.

eawiess,

those are "STRAP" by Droog.

http://www.droog.com/store/accessories/strap/

I find reading material in the bathroom a necessity. I prefer poetry books or how-to books. Maybe even some nature books. I picked up the habit from an ex-boyfriend, realizing that sometimes it takes a long time for one to poop, and that's time you can spend learning something.

YUCK!!!!!!!!!!!!!! go do your business and get out. Taking a magazine in there and then what? Bring it out at place it on the dining room table or coffee table?

Unseemly? Who uses that word really?

I also have medical problems that result in much time being spent - what am I meant to do? Start singing? It's boring & I'm ill, not a good comination. We keep old catalogues and back issues of the TLS in the bathroom, and just recycle them when the next one moves in - you read more of the articles this way.

Is every male people know so unclean? My husband is one the one fussing about mess & would never pee all over the place.

There does seem to be a bit of a germ phobia. (mind you, older houses in Australia tend to have the toilet outside the bathroom - in its own little room).

I think it's tacky.

I think this whole discussion is tacky.

I think that fingering people who have reading material in their bathrooms is tacky.

And I think that men who don't know how to pee without spraying it outside of a toilet bowl are just plain disgusting.

(I live with with 2 men, my husband and my son, have lived with my father too, and none of them have every gotten urine where it wasn't supposed to go...)

Grow up.

It's not the germ-factor that makes me think it's gross. It's the fact that I know what you get up when you're taking a...umm... going to the toilet. And, I mean, where does one draw the line - why not install a mini-bar too? Coffee machine? How long are people spending in there anyway? Actually, I don't want to know.

i keep magazines in my bathroom. i'm a voracious reader and also easily bored -- if i didn't have magazines, i'd read the label on the method bottle.

Elitist about bathroom magazines? Seriously? Who cares! One of my mentors told me that if I ever met a man or woman who cared about such things to "Run Away!" Best advice I ever received.

:)

We keep magazines in our bathroom. Once they're in there, that's where they stay. You use one while doing your business, then you place it back into its holder and wash your hands like usual. You do wash your hands after you use the restroom, don't you? You're already touching germs in the bathroom, regardless whether you're handling magazines or not.

We totally keep magazines - we have special clear holders that keep them in tact and the kids have LEGO magazine and my husband keeps his home improvement publications. I don't need it, my daughter doesn't need it - I hate to be stereotypical - but the boys just seem to like sitting there. To each their own - they get removed monthly so I'm not too worried about their germ status. To each their own.

icky.

What sort of bathrooms do you people have where "spewing" is a major concern??

I do have a magazine rack in my bathroom below my towels, arm's length away from any "spewing." I find it convenient (the bathroom is one place totally free of distractions) but I do sometimes wonder if guests think it's awkward.

I come from a family of bathroom readers. My parents, grandparents, and siblings all keep reading material in the bathroom. I don't, but that's mostly because I don't read many magazines. I do take books into the bathtub with me, which my boyfriend hates because it means I'll be in there for at least an hour, haha.

I don't see anything gross about it though, because I always wash my hands after I use the bathroom, and the toilet lid is closed before I flush. Besides, your toothbrush and hand towel stay in there the whole time, is that really any better than a magazine? You put the toothbrush in your mouth after all.

I'm really suprised so many people are shocked by this. I personally don't have any reading material in my bathroom, but I don't see what the issue is.

You can talk about germs and whatnot all you want, but is it really any worse than touching the toilet handle or toilet paper, or cleaning the toilet? So long as you wash your hands thoroughly when all is said and done, what's the big deal?

Actually wait... I do sometimes take a book into the bathroom if I'm feeling a bit "under the weather".

I sit down, read my book, put the book on the tank when I'm done, wipe, wash my hands, then grab my book and leave.

So... even if I were a germophobe, my hands are always relatively clean when I touch the book. It's not like I wipe and then continue reading before washing my hands.

Sorry, the whole thing is ridiculous to me. I don't see why it's gross.

Who wants to stare at a blank wall for 1 - 10 minutes?

@Mid-C Frank you took the words right out of my mouth.

My husband's family does the magazines in the bathroom thing and it grosses me out. The bathroom is not a place I want to hang out in.

"Please can we get beyond the yuck factor of daily life ... Lots of things in life are yucky."

"I think this whole discussion is tacky.
I think that fingering people who have reading material in their bathrooms is tacky.
Grow up."

Wholeheartedly agree.

Some of us prefer to make productive use of the time in there...
...so rather than pondering the condition of our grout or toenails, we read.

If the AT bloggers can't think of anything more productive to blog about, perhaps they should simply not post for a day or two.

Reading material in the bathroom = :)

Just close the lid when flushing, and all is well. Seriously people, fecal matter ends up more places than you think (I say that as someone who works in a parasitology lab).

Icky.

icky

mythbusters checked the whole bacteria thing in a bathroom already - from http://mythbustersresults.com/episode12

"Fecal coliforms bacteria can grow in toothbrush bristles.

confirmed

Fecal coliforms were indeed found on all the test brushes, including the control ones. However, none were of a level high enough to be dangerous, and experts confirm that such coliforms were impossible to completely avoid."

of course, I'm guessing if you haven't gotten sick yet, you probably won't in the future. and yes, I have reading material in there, nicely stacked on a shelf away from the toilet, close to the sink.

what are you going to do, stare at the wall? come on! mags in the bathroom are essential

If you touch a magazine while on the toilet - you will wash your hands after anyway... so what's the problem?
Yes, I would not keep them right next to the toilet - but further away, why not?

I have great ventilation and nice natural light in my bathroom and have a small reading library on a shelf. It includes books on trees, birdwatching, small architecture/interior photobooks for inspiration, etc...

This is mostly for my usage. My guests occasionally comment on some of the books after they've consumed some of the content.

I (and plenty of my friends) agree that the 15 private minutes in the bathroom is a great personal respite from the world and the rest of the household.

We have books and magazines in the bathroom. We also take our kindles, ipad, ipod touch, etc. into the bathroom. Well, technically it's a water closet (just a toilet) with shelves high up on the back wall. Our shower/bath is a separate room.

Anyway, we could care less what people think. We've never gotten sick from the bathroom or items in it (is that what would happen? What exactly is the consequence? Or is it just "ICKY?") and we wash our hands.

Some of you people are so puritanical! Your homes are not as clean as you think they are. You probably have as much fecal matter on your hands on your way into the bathroom as you do on the way out. Get over yourselves.

Thank God there are other people who find this disconcerting. I'm not saying I've never brought reading material into the bathroom with me, but to have magazines (plural!) permanently living in the bathroom weirds me out. If you're spending that much time on the toilet on a regular basis, you need to adjust your diet. Seriously. It shouldn't take you long enough to get bored.

I don't care about the flushing mist, but aside from parents of small children an husbands of nagging wives, who sits there long enough to get any amount of reading finished? Why does anyone sit down before needing to go?

Haven't we done this topic to death yet on AT?
Yes, 50% for. Yes, 50% against.
Big surprising insights!

are there no polls anymore? is it 50-50?

Oh good grief! Kitchens are FAR more unsanitary than bathrooms, despite the myths (this was on NPR years ago, it's due to more assiduous use of cleansers in bathrooms than kitchens).

Reading is only a problem when you are there more then 3-4 minutes, thats when you need the prunes. Or doing it in public restroom. My earliest photos are of me reading, Richard Scary of course, on the little kiddie toilet, my parents think (and thought then) that it was cute and that it was why I read on the john to this day.

Now that I think about it, one of my best friends has a whole HUGE basket of magazines and catalogs right by the WC. He's such a good host.

It's not like you wipe your ass with the magazine and put it back... I actually like when there is reading material in the bathroom incase you are there for more time than anticipated. I don't like clutter so people at my house have to suffer reading the backs of shampoo bottles.

If you're not a haphazard shitter, I don't see the problem. People are usually doing their "dirty work" as you so charmingly put it _in_ the toilet rather than _around_ the toilet.

Just FYI, everybody poops/pees. You sound like a third grader.

one of the many problems preceding my bf's death was extended time in the bathroom. he kept a pile of motorcycle magazines in his bathroom to hearken back to when he could still ride and occupy him through the long process.

Kay, there are men out there without the best aim. If you've ever cleaned the bathroom after a man like that, you will know that it does, in fact, go _around_ the toilet.

Also, some men, when they are losing their hair, will shed over EVERYTHING in a bathroom as they towel off -even the walls.

So, I have to assume everyone in the "ICKY EW" column on this lives in a large, luxurious house. We don't: bathroom is the largest room in the apartment. I put on my makeup in there, chat on the phone, plug in to the Internet, etc. It has the most room to do so. Plenty of people have washer/dryers in their bathroom too. And the good "ole" days? Chairs in the restroom as a chatting spot.

I'm assuming that the icky camp also only has towels, toothbrushes + grooming supplies in the bathroom since it's so "Icky" in there. Those of you with children wouldn't DARE keep bathroom toys in there, what with the possibility of ickyness, right? But wait! You mean towels and toothbrushes get germ too?! Hrm.

People need to get over themselves. You can clean 5 times a day but your bathroom and kitchen and house will always be filled with numerous germs. You don't sanitize your whole body and clothing when you leave the restroom do you? I mean, you SHOWER in the land of bacteria but keeping a magazine in there is an issue?

Maybe more fiber/flax in the diet might help some.
i.e. less time in the bathroom. LOL

It depends. I think magazines are a non-issue if they're stored neatly out of the way. My husband keeps a shelf of reading material in his en suite bathroom because some of his meds have side effects. I don't keep reading material in my bathroom because it's full of more useful things and is the one guests use.

Honestly - chill out people. Have any of you ever gotten sick because you used a "non-sterile" bathroom? Germs are everywhere, all the time, in the air, on every surface. What the big deal? Wash your hands on the way out. Simple. Sometimes I think the world's gone anti-germ mad.

Wow, so many people here are worried about germs! I wonder if they mind wearing shoes around the house as well, because that's just bringing tons of germs into a house. I'm from Japan and I cannot stand it (at least in my home).

I don't really care if other people do, but I wouldn't keep magazines in my bathroom. They belong in the living room/bedroom, not a bathroom -- the magazine covers get wavy from the moisture and it's sort of gross. I never stay on a toilet seat long enough to read an article, anyway.

Thank you for this.
I am from Eastern Europe, and when I saw this trend when I moved here, I thought well, maybe it's a difference of culture, and tried to look the other way, but I am so happy to see that other people here think the same. To add to this, I work in smaller office with a shared bathroom, and people here keep magazines in the bathroom, which I thought it was disgusting, and was just having this conversation, and people around me were saying I don't know what I am saying, or maybe it doesn't happen where I come from.
What is even more surprising to me is that a woman brings in the magazines and places them there, when she noticed the men taking the magazines from the hallway in the restroom.
So icky!!

I have to comment although I'm ridiculously late.
Disgusting! I see magazines in guest bathrooms all the time! Do I want to pick up a magazine that a bunch of other people read while they were pooping. EWWWWWW.
And has anyone tried to read a magazine in the bathtub? Your hands are wet and you can't turn the pages without soaking the mag. it just doesn't work. Relaxing thought in theory, but realistically it's very hard to keep the mag dry in the tub.