Do Restrooms and Bathrooms Really Bring Bad Feng Shui?

If you don’t already know, Feng Shui was developed a looooooong time ago.

Many of the Feng Shui rules and practices that you might have read are also developed a long time ago. That includes one the most popular concept: restrooms and bathrooms have bad Feng Shui.

But are they really? 

If you haven’t noticed, our living standards have GREATLY improved in the last century. Technological advancements and new scientific knowledge have greatly improved our way of life.

Because of this, some Feng Shui concepts have become outdated (whereas some are just plainly wrong). This includes the notion that ALL restrooms have bad Feng Shui by default. In this article, I’ll be using a scientific perspective and a little bit of history to explain why modern restrooms do NOT have bad Feng Shui.

Restrooms in Ancient Times

Can you imagine what restrooms are like in ancient times? In ancient China, restrooms were built in a small hut outside of the house.

Why is that?

That’s because, back then, there were no sewer systems like we have today. They did not have a toilet where they could flush every time we finish taking care of business.

A little hard to imagine, right? Below is an image that shows what ancient restrooms in China may look like.

Further, in ancient times, water doesn’t come that easy. People had to carry water from the closest water source and store it inside the home. Water is used on essential items, such as cooking, cleaning dishes, laundry, and washing themselves up (they didn’t have showers, and only the rich can take hot water baths). Thus, restrooms were cleaned around one to three times a week.

Knowing that, can you now imagine the stench and sanitation of the restroom?

In fact, in the late 1990’s, I’ve traveled to a small village in China’s country-side where there was no sewer system. And yes, I’ve used their restroom. It was quite common to find yourself with flies, worms, or other strange insects swarming inside. (I went during winter time, but I can only imagine how it would be if it was summer time.)

In fact, you can smell the stench of the restroom from quite a distance! I can remember it took me about 1-2 minutes to walk from the residential area to the restroom.

Can you now see why restrooms have bad Feng Shui? Imagine if the restroom hut is only a 10 second walk from where you live. I’m sure the WHOLE house would reek of its foul smell when the wind starts blowing towards the direction of the house.

Restrooms in Modern Times

The toilets we use today was developed in the last century. The key difference is that we can flush away our bodily fluids and waste after every use!

Also, cleaning a restroom today is VERY different than cleaning a restroom in ancient times. Even if we don’t clean our restrooms for a week, its filth would be NOTHING compared to the restrooms from ancient times. Your restroom wouldn’t have piles of feces mixed with urine waiting to be washed away.

Now, can you see the Feng Shui differences between ancient and modern-day restrooms?

Feng Shui Interpretations of Modern Restroom

Why do modern day Feng Shui practitioners still claim that restrooms bring bad Feng Shui? In their words, they say that it’s because restrooms are where we take care of business. Bathrooms are where we wash off our dead skin and clean ourselves from unsanitary germs that we’ve gathered throughout the day.

To me, those statements are half true at best because they neglect the fact that our bodily wastes are washed away with clean water. It’s unlike ancient restrooms where our bodily wastes are cleaned once to three times a week. So in a sense, the Feng Shui modern restrooms aren’t remotely close to the Feng Shui of ancient restrooms.

However, bathrooms today can be much more humid because we take much more baths and showers. Constant humidity can cause black mold to grow, and its presence can be devastating to our health. That is why it’s highly suggested that you keep your bathrooms well ventilated. If you have a window, open it. If not, have some kind of ventilation in place.

With all these factors considered, it is safe to say that the bathrooms we have today do NOT have bad Feng Shui. Of course, that’s assuming that you keep your restroom clean. But even if you don’t, its Feng Shui won’t be as bad compared to the ones in ancient times. NOT EVEN CLOSE.

4 Restroom Feng Shui Rules and Concepts that Should be Updated

Because of the huge difference between ancient and modern restrooms, some restroom Feng Shui concepts should be updated, which I’ve listed below:

Restrooms Do NOT Bring Bad Feng Shui by Default

I’ve explained why in the section above. To summarize, your restroom will only have bad Feng Shui if you don’t keep it clean. Even if you don’t clean your restroom, your restroom Feng Shui won’t be as bad because we flush our toilets after each use.

Restroom Door Facing Kitchen

You might have heard that restroom door facing kitchen can bring sickness and affects the digestive system of the family. This is likely true in ancient times because the toilet hut is a perfect breeding ground for flies and insects.

Flies and insects are attracted to the heat and smell of the food in the kitchen, and they can end up in your food unbeknownst to you. Also, the ancients likely didn’t know much about hygiene. They probably don’t even know why they got sick after ingesting food that was crawled and contaminated by flies and insects. My guess is that this is the main reason why restrooms facing kitchen is bad Feng Shui in ancient times.

As for today, this can be true when someone’s constantly using the restroom when you’re cooking. That’s because the flushing of the toilet launches harmful viruses and bacteria into the air, traveling up to 6 feet away from the toilet! These can range from the notorious E. Coli to Hepatitis A, to name a few.

So instead of having the insects and flies carry those virus and bacteria to your food while you cook, the toilet flushing is doing the same job today.

Still, even when the restroom door is open when you’re cooking, it shouldn’t affect the sanitation of your food unless someone’s constantly using the restroom when you’re cooking. Restroom Feng Shui just isn’t that bad nowadays.

Of course, the distance between the restroom and the kitchen should also be considered. If both are very far apart, then you wouldn’t have to worry about this being a bad Feng Shui setup. Yes, the risk is there, but it’s a very low risk.

An easy fix is to install a door curtain or drapery on the restroom door as Feng Shui cure. This same cure can be applied to restroom doors facing the bedroom door.

Restroom Door Facing Bed

Imagine yourself living and sleeping inside a public restroom that’s rarely cleaned. How would that affect you? Would you feel nauseous and become sick over time?

This is the reason why restroom door facing bed is said to bring sickness and health problems. However, I’m sure the restroom at your home is much cleaner than public restrooms (I hope). Therefore, even if your restroom door is open and facing your bed, it shouldn’t be a huge Feng Shui problem that you should worry about.

Again, the distance between the restroom door and your bed should be considered. The restroom door shouldn’t be too close to the bed.

Restroom Door Facing Desk

The Feng Shui effects of this is that (1) kids who use that desk won’t like to study and (2) adults who use that desk can’t seem to sit still and can’t concentrate.

By now, you can probably see why. That’s because in ancient times, the stench of the restroom is unbearable. How can you concentrate when you’re feeling disgust?

Most people’s concentration is affected by outside stimuli. These stimuli are those that affect our five senses – smell, sight, touch, taste, and vision. For me, I can’t even concentrate when there’s the smell of food, not to mention the foul smell of ancient restrooms!

So if you keep your restrooms clean and pleasant, having the restroom door facing the desk wouldn’t be much of a problem.

So… Are Restrooms Really Bad Feng Shui?

No, today’s restroom is not bad Feng Shui. However, if you only flush your toilet twice a week (just like ancient times), then yes, your restroom will give you REALLY bad Feng Shui.

Thus, if you keep your restroom clean, then it won’t give you bad Feng Shui. Even if it sits on your wealth area or other areas like the Southeast, you shouldn’t worry. It just means you won’t be able to tap into the wealth area. It is NOT going to negatively affect your wealth.

Further, many other concepts of restroom Feng Shui still hold true, depending on what school of Feng Shui you practice.

For one, your restroom shouldn’t be located at the center of your house. That’s because the smell of human waste can easily spread to other living areas. Put simply, it affects the comfort of your home.

That is also why it’s important to have good ventilation in your restroom. Opening the restroom window will do the job. If that’s not possible, installing a wall or ceiling exhaust vent would definitely help. Its main purpose is to get rid the smell and humidity (if there’s any). Here are other tips to further minimize the bad Feng Shui (although minimal) of the restroom.

Conclusion

Feng Shui was developed a looooong time ago, and some of its concepts are outdated and not applicable to modern day living. This includes the idea that restrooms are bad Feng Shui by default, which is true before (in the lower to middle class) but not today.

Using what you’ve just learned, can you think of other restroom Feng Shui concepts that seem ridiculous or outdated? If so, comment below and share it with us!