Social media users were horrified to learn about the ‘waffle trampling’, which doctors called ‘unhygienic’ and ‘a mistake’.
The matter angered the internet when Andrew Carpenter, a lawyer in Australia, recirculated a Reddit post in which a man details his wife’s revolting bathing habit.
In the post, originally posted in 2022, the man said that his wife ‘poops in the shower and throws it down the drain. It’s not a joke.’
“She even broke the news to me while laughing about it,” the user wrote. “Do you know what a waffle stomp is,” she asked me as she laughed and laughed so hard she started crying! I feel disgusted and betrayed.
Doctors have criticized the practice for risking serious bacteria and infections like E. coli, salmonella and norovirus.
A Reddit post about ‘waffle stepping’, or defecating in the shower, recirculated on social media this week, leading users and doctors to deem the ‘revolting’ habit as ‘unhygienic’ and ‘a mistake’
Dr. Stuart Fischer, an internal medicine doctor in New York, told DailyMail.com: “This is unsanitary and is medically and cosmetically incorrect.”
A 2020 study by QS Supplies looked at the bathroom habits of 1,000 Americans and Brits, such as how often they shower.
In addition to one in three people claiming to urinate in the shower, a surprising one in 30 admitted to trampling on waffles.
Fischer noted that in addition to being “ridiculous,” stepping on waffles means you’re coming into contact with a variety of harmful pathogens. They can pass through toenails and open wounds on the feet, causing infections.
One of the main bacteria found in feces is E. coli, as it lives in the intestines of people and animals. Although many strains of E. coli are harmless, others can cause infection, such as Shiga toxin-producing E. coli.
Symptoms of this infection include fever, diarrhea, stomach cramps, nausea and vomiting.
In some cases, patients may develop a kidney disease called hemolytic uremic syndrome. If left untreated, it can cause kidney failure and death.
Additionally, feces have been shown to carry salmonella and norovirus, the number of foodborne illnesses in the US.
“There are many bacteria in human feces that, in some people, can be deadly,” Dr. Fischer said.
‘This is definitely a mistake.’
He also noted that if bacteria got onto the surface of a waffle iron’s foot, it would require intense scrubbing to remove it, causing it to remain for days or weeks.
‘We have to make the right health choices all the time. Even in the shower,” said Dr. Fischer.
Social media users were horrified when they heard about the waffle stomp.
“Divorce and restraining order,” said a user named ana_gwugwu on Carpenter’s Instagram repost.
Paige Gregory said: ‘So she only does it while she’s in the shower OR she goes in the shower to do it?!’
“That is the most revolting thing I have ever heard,” said shana.mamay.