After you've fallen in love, you'd think sharing a bathroom with your partner would be far from your mind. In fact, all you can probably think about is when you'll get to introduce them to your friends and family or both say I love you. But in the back of your mind, you might already be contemplating when you might have to poop at your partner's house!
Let's face it, going to the toilet in front of your partner is a key milestone as it can be a great indicator of trust and the comfortability between you.
The bathroom is one of the most intimate places in the home where you can truly be yourself. But how you act in this room with your partner can be testament to a trusting and solid relationship.
That’s exactly why Drench has decided to quiz the British public to find out just when we reach these relationship milestones in the bathroom - and exactly how we feel about them.
56% of Couples Put Themselves at Risk of Contracting E.Coli
So, you’ve fallen head over heels for your significant other. You want to spend every day and every minute with them. Going as far as sharing everything with them, like gossip, food, and even their used towels.
More than half (56%) of couples said they’ve shared a used towel with their partner. But, it’s probably the last thing you want to share with your significant other, as research has found that 90% of bathroom towels are contaminated with faecal bacteria and 14% of them carry E. Coli.
Some people are able to carry infectious bacteria on their skin without getting sick, however when we share towels it can pass things like E.Coli, staph infections, and ringworm to others and make them ill.
Next time you want to share something with your partner, perhaps just stick to feelings and affections.
21% of Women Said They Would Never Remove Make-Up in Front of Their Partner
For some women, there are more concerning things than sharing a towel with their partner, such as having the confidence to remove make-up in front of their significant other.
Sadly, 21% of women said they would never remove make-up in front of their partner even going so far as to sleep in the cosmetics.
However, it appears men just love you the way you are, as only 57% of men noticed that their partner removed make-up in the first 6 months, whereas actually, 68% of women took off make-up in this period.
So, ladies take the leap of faith, get to the bathroom mirror, and remove that make-up! If for whatever reason he doesn’t love you the way you are, then he just doesn’t deserve you.
29% of Women Don’t Feel Comfortable About Toilet Issues Around Their Partner Until 7 Months
Everyone poops, you know it, we know it, the whole world knows it. Yet, for some reason, there’s a strange fantasy that women don’t poo at all, or if they do, they poop glitter and sparkles.
It seems women are willing to keep up this myth for as long as it takes - only feeling content around toilet issues in front of their partner after 7 months of dating. The same cannot be said for men, however - 32% of men felt happy about toilet concerns with their partner within the first month!
Shockingly, 22% of women said they would always feel uncomfortable about toilet issues around their partner.
The Bathroom Confidence Gap
While studies have found generally men are more confident than women, with men overestimating and women underestimating their abilities, it appears this confidence gap between men and women occurs in the bathroom too. Within the first month of dating their partner:
- 32% of men feel comfortable about toilet concerns around their partner, compared to only 15% of women.
- 23% of men leave the bathroom door open while on the toilet, compared to only 8% of women.
- 18% of men will come in and use the toilet while their partner is in the shower/bath, compared to only 4% of women.
For women, however, it takes a lot longer than one month for them to feel confident around even the most basic bathroom matters. Although feeling comfortable around bathroom habits with your partner probably isn’t at the top of your priorities, it’s still important for women to feel confident with themselves and around their partner.
Do Couples Close The Bathroom Door?
The numbers indicate no - 63% use the bathroom with the door open! Who said romance is dead? That’s a whopping 3 in 5 couples who leave the door open while they’re in the bathroom - leaving everything for their significant other to see. Surprisingly, 1 in 5 of those couples do it within the first month. Well if you’re going to do it at some point you may as well test the waters early.
If you really want to test the relationship you could always use the toilet while they were in the bathroom, like 60% of couples in our survey.
Almost a quarter of couples said they waited more than 7 months to finally go to the toilet while their partner was in there, suggesting this act is a step too far for the early stages and needs a greater amount of closeness.
Evidently, for 40% of partnerships, the bathroom is a room that should not be shared. No matter how much they love or feel comfortable around their significant other, they would never use the toilet while their partner was in the bathroom.
Why Do Couples Have Separate Bathrooms?
Separate bathrooms help to provide your own space from your partner which can be particularly helpful in busy mornings so you don’t have the frustration of waiting for each other or being in each other's way. It also helps you to face fewer challenges if your personalities are different when it comes to organisation, tidiness and more helping you to live together harmoniously.
Revealed: What Bothers Couples The Most in The Bathroom
Men and Women all have their fair share of annoying traits in the bathroom. For men, it seems the most annoying thing you can do in the bathroom is not clean the toilet after you’ve finished. With 40% of women saying it was the most annoying habit of their partner. Women, it appears your hair is causing all the arguments - 34% of men said their partner’s hair in the drain peeved them off the most.
According to our survey men are less tidy in the bathroom, or perhaps more annoying to their partner. Not a single female respondent said ‘nothing’ annoys them about their partner’s bathroom habits. But, men were more forgiving with 4% saying nothing bothered them about their partner in the bathroom.
So, what’s the secret to a long and happy relationship? We gathered data from couples who’ve been together for 5 years or longer to discover the recipe for a long-lasting relationship.
- Almost half (45%) of long-term couples remove make-up in front of their partner in under a month and over a quarter (27%) in the first week. Indicating you need trust and to feel confident around your partner if a relationship is to work.
- 2 in 5 of the couples who’ve been together for 5+ years felt comfortable around toilet issues within the first 6 months, suggesting if it takes any longer than this the relationship might not have much trust.
- If you feel comfortable around your partner, you could wait at least 2 months to use the toilet with the door open, such as 30% of couples. Or if that’s not your thing, don’t do it at all like 37% of long-term couples.
- Some things take a lot more trust even for the healthiest relationships. 36% of long-term couples, said they waited at least 7 months before using the toilet while their partner was in the bathroom.
Now you have it, if you want to be with your loved one for a long time now you know what to do. If your relationship doesn’t exactly match these stages, don’t fret. Every relationship is truly different, and as long as you have trust, happiness and love, what else could you ask for?
Now you have it, if you want to be with your loved one for a long time now you know what to do in the bathroom! If your relationship doesn’t exactly match these stages, don’t fret. And remember, a perfect toilet routine can make sharing a bathroom with your partner much more comfortable. Every relationship is truly different, and as long as you have trust, happiness and love, what else could you ask for?
