By: Billy BeerSlugger
You know I’m a fan of a lot of the new technology that has come out in the last couple years. I’ve applauded the likes of such bathroom innovations as the auto-sensing sink faucet and even the auto-flushing urinal. We’ve had motion sensing technology for awhile but it always takes a while to make it’s way into mainstream use.
One bathroom fixture I’m not particularly fond of is the auto-flushing toilet. Call me crazy or gross or whatever, I kinda want to know whats going on when I get up from the toilet. I want to bask in the glory of what I just birthed and see if there’s anything in there that’s not supposed to be or that I don’t remember eating. Now with the automatic toilet, you don’t have this luxury. As soon as you get off the toilet… WOOOOSSSSSHHHHH!, and it’s all gone. Plus the toilet may flush again inadvertently while your pulling your pants up or whatever other motion you may make which wastes water.
I don’t see why we couldn’t have just stayed with the old use your foot to flush the toilet technique in public and office building bathrooms. There’s some instances where new technology doesn’t necessarily mean an improvement of experience and this I believe is one of those cases.
Again I’m fine with the motion sensing sinks (for the most part) as well as the motion sensing urinals, I don’t have to use my hands and get nasty public bathroom germs on them, this is a good thing.
Another thing I wish more public bathrooms would have is the trashcan by the door. If you don’t have the trashcan by the door I’m throwing the paper towel on the floor near the door because I usually use this to open the door. If you think about it, pulling the bathroom door handle after washing your hands is essentially defeating the purpose. You wash your hands to get rid of germs but then reacquire them when you touch the door handle. In a perfect world we could use the honor system and believe that everyone washes their hands after using the lavatory but we don’t live in a perfect world.
A solution to not throwing the paper towel by the door is waiting for someone else to open the door or (again in a perfect world) all public bathroom doors would open out so as you would only need to push the door open (preferably with a sleeve covered forearm).
If you are someone who plans buildings or are custodian of a public bathroom, please heed these suggestions and I will stop throwing paper towels on the floor by the door.