The toilet has been given a lot of bad press in Feng Shui - is it true that it flushes away wealth, relationships and other good things in life? While some readily place little trinkets in their washrooms in hope of 'preventing money from being flushed away', others go as far as to structurally relocate their toilets to another sector of the house. Which begs the question: Where is the best sector for toilets to go, if any?

Before we go into that matter, let us first get acquainted with some Feng Shui basics - the 'Three Important Factors' - when assessing the Feng Shui of any property. These three factors are the main door, kitchen, and bedroom.

Main Door is the threshold between Yin (internal) and Yang (external), and therefore acts as the 'Mouth' where Qi (energy) enters the property. A good Main Door ensures that the entire building receives a healthy amount of Qi.

Kitchen in fact refers to the stove. The stove is crucial because this is where food is cooked - when food is cooked, it transforms from one state (Yin) to another (Yang). A stove located in a prosperous sector of the house ensures the occupants are well nourished and healthy.

Bedrooms are where most of our time is physically spent to replenish our bodies (Yin) after a hard day's work (Yang). As such, the location of the bedrooms directly affects the health and emotional well-being of its occupants. Generally, a well-supported bedroom is one that 'sees' a hill or higher ground externally - this is where the Qi is stable and sentimental (versus fast-moving and aggressive).

How about the toilet? Well, it becomes a problem when the main door of a house is directly aligned with the bathroom door. What happens is that when Qi enters the property through the main door, it flows straight into the toilet - thus, not allowing it to meander and flow throughout the entire building. As such, occupants will not be able to benefit from any energy that enters the property. This is especially true when the distance after entering the main door to the toilet door is less than 10 feet apart. In the long run, this condition depletes the positive life force (Yang Qi) of the people in the house.

Today, there are those who spend up to hundreds of thousands to beautify their lavatories. For as long it is kept clean, there should not be any Feng Shui fuss about toilets. After all, no one can live without it, so apply some common sense

By Toh Kong Eu (MA Instructor)