According to Science, the Only Correct Way to Pee in a Urinal
“Accidental use of a urinal can be devastating,” says a group of physicists at Brigham Young University, who have discovered a better way to pee in a urinal without getting the horrible splash on the floor, or worse, your clothes or yourself.
The team installed a water tank and nozzles to simulate the flow of urine from the human body, and filmed this action on high-speed cameras. They also installed a second tank to simulate sitting on a toilet rather than standing at a urinal.
In their analysis, the researchers determined that if men sat on the toilet instead of standing at the urinal, they would have the least amount of splashing. Phys.org advises that if you have to use a urinal:
Men should stand as close to the urinal as possible … It is also helpful to direct the jet so that it hits the back of the urinal at a downward angle. This creates less splashing and the bounced drips trickle down into the urinal drain. Conversely, so as not to ruin their pants (or anger their neighbors), they suggest that men not spray water directly into the urinal or the pool that forms at the bottom of the urinal, both of which cause a lot of backspray.
So remember: get close, aim down.
This story was originally published in November 2013 and updated on May 10, 2021 to follow the Lifehacker style guidelines.