Brits spend 3.5 hours a week on the toilet, but only 2.7 hours exercising, according to a new study by the UK tile specialists, Topps Tiles.
According to a survey of 1,000 Brits on bathroom habits, the average person spends 5 minutes on the loo in one sitting and will visit the bathroom between 4-7 times a day – equating to 1.5 years on the throne over a lifetime.
The NHS recommends that we do 2.5 to 3 hours of exercise per week. The Office for National Statistics recently showed that even through lockdown, the average Brit was spending just 23.1 minutes per day exercising – meaning we spend more time on the toilet than we do keeping fit!
With Brits sitting on the toilet for 8 days a year, the type of bathroom entertainment people use to fill the time has also been exposed. It has become quite clear that mobile phones and relieving yourself on the loo go hand in hand for many – with 36% claiming that Facebook is their platform of choice in the bathroom.
Mobile phones aren’t the only company Brits have in the bathroom. 25% said that they were quite comfortable letting their household pet roam into the toilet with them, while 45% would happily leave the door open to friends or partners while using the loo.
Harriet Goodacre, Brand Communications Manager at Topps Tiles said:
“Bathrooms are an important part of any household. From providing a sanctuary for pampering to a place of bonding with babies or simply just getting a bit of alone time. But it’s a place we don’t talk about much – and we believe it deserves some celebration!
“As this study shows, the way we spend time in our bathrooms is different from person to person but one thing’s for sure; we’re spending more time in there than we might have realised. That’s why we’re encouraging people to ignore any embarrassment, and simply enjoy their bathrooms!”
With 3.5 hours a week spent peacefully on the loo, Topps Tiles are encouraging us all to take the taboo out of bathroom talk – for our bathrooms are more than just a toilet and a sink.
The study also shows that Brits are using toilets as a space to escape to, away from the pressures of everyday life. 52% of women and 33% of men admit that the bathroom offers a welcome relief from social anxieties and uncomfortable situations in public – something that will be increasingly prominent as lockdown regulations continue to relax.
It is also clear that Brits will quite happily put more time into their bathroom activity compared to their physical activity – with the average person exercising for just 23.1 minutes a day, versus 37 minutes exercising the loo.
Other activities that would be achievable with all this time Brits spend on the loo include sailing round the world a total of 15 times, which is slightly more heroic than getting stuck in a Facebook loophole.
You could even read all those books that you just “haven’t had time” to, infact, there would be enough time to read 570 of them. Or if cooking is more your forte, then you’ll miss out on cheffing up 7,729 roast dinner opportunities; perfecting that crispy roast potato – what a shame!
You can find the full research here: https://www.toppstiles.co.uk/blog/news/behind-closed-doors-british-bathroom-habits-revealed
