Crap! That’s a Great Idea!
April 16, 2007
I don’t use public bathrooms unless the possibility of soiling myself is real. In fact, it’s a stretch for me to use the facilities at work… simply because they’re shared by dozens of people. I had an experience today that not only reaffirmed my disdain for public bathrooms, but also inspired an idea that could be the next thing in bathroom technology.
We all know that scanning the seat for ick is a requirement before touching it, right? Well… I scanned the seat before reaching down to lift it up. Nothing. So I thought I was safe. But as the underside of the seat came into sight, I realized that it had… “remnants” on it. Not to mention a hair.
Now to be honest, this didn’t gross me out as much as it would have, say, a year ago. Working in a hospital changes your definition of gross drastically. That being said, it was much more “reality” than I was prepared to deal with today (I had an awful case of ‘The Mondays‘).
But it gave me an idea.
How awesome would a toilet with foot pedals be? There’d be a pedal to raise the seat, one to lower the seat, and one to flush. You’d never have to come in contact with any part of the toilet. I think it’d be awesome. And it could be extended to the sink as well. Touch-less bathrooms. Ahhh… it’s a germaphobe’s dream come true.
I probably shouldn’t say this for fear of being hunted down with torches like Frankenstein… but I already use my foot to flush public toilets. A toilet with flushing pedals would just make it less icky for the person behind me.
This could already exist. But if it does, my people need to talk to their people about marketing… ’cause I haven’t heard about it. And as a certified germaphobe… I’d love to see this put into widespread use.
Ya know… to avoid finger-ick in the future…
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April 17th, 2007 at 3:33 pm
I think it’s a great idea! I’m not a “germaphobe” but I use my foot to flush toilets, too! I also use paper towels to shut off the water and open the doors, cuz…eww..
April 17th, 2007 at 8:10 pm
Yes… paper towels on the knobs and door handles is a must. In fact, the hospital requires a very strict set of steps for employees using the bathroom:
Go to the bathroom
Turn water on and let it begin to flow
Get paper towels ready (hold under your chin, arm, etc)
Wash hands for at least 15 seconds while applying friction
Leave water running and dry hands with pre-prepared paper towels
Use paper towels to turn off water and open door
That’s why you’ll find garbage cans outside every bathroom in the hospital.
May 9th, 2007 at 11:53 am
There are actually no touch toilets and no touch faucets. The toilet flushes when you stand up, or move away from the toilet You just run your hands under the faucets and they come on, take your hands out, the water stops– also paper towels that are automated based on motion sensors. I’m not sure where you live, but these are pretty common in lots of places around here, such as airports, amusement parks and even some gas stations. It doesn’t help you with the lift the seat problem, but I guess you can’t have everything :)
May 9th, 2007 at 7:24 pm
I’ve seen those no-touch toilets and faucets. Unfortunately… we don’t have them at work. I even saw a no-touch hand dryer at a gas station once! And to top it all off, it blows hard enough to remove skin. I love it!!!! :D
There’s a completely touchless rest station between here and where I used to live in Texas. It’s a wonderful oasis of sanitation… and I wish all public bathrooms would take note.