The really old toilets didn't cause spray. They simply filled the bowl to the top with water, then let the weight of the water do the work. The somewhat old to

The really old toilets didn't cause spray. They simply filled the bowl to the top with water, then let the weight of the water do the work. The somewhat old toilets didn't spray very much. It wasn't notable. It didn't create a fine mist. On old toilets, the lid was only slightly more sensible than the doors to hide the screen of a 1950s TV set. The bowl could be unsightly, and something could fall in by accident. Leaving the lid up has always been fairly normal, and people still do it today.