Public Restrooms

I am a huge advocate for saving water. Having lived in a desert or in a drought all my life, I know the value of water.  However, I find that public restrooms solutions to conserving water can not only be frustrating but a waste of water.

I don't know how many times I've gone to the bathroom at a public restroom and the toilet flushes before I am done.  One time it flushed 3 times before I was done.  I know it is disgusting when someone doesn't flush the toilet when they are done, but flushing 3 times for one person is a little excessive don't you think?  My favorite is when I am done and the toilet refuses to flush on it's own and then I have to find the button to flush it.  One time I couldn't find it.  I pressed everything, I waved my hand everywhere.  Nothing.  Frustrating.

Now, let's talk about the sink.  Sometimes they have the faucets that you press down and the water pours out for a predetermined period of time.  Sometime it is way too short and I have to press it more than once to get all the soap off my hands.  Other times, it keeps running long after I have finished washing my hands.  Then there are the motion sensor faucets.  Those are fun.  I often find myself waving all around the sink trying to figure out where the motion sensor is so that it will finally turn on.  Other times I get it to turn on but if I move my hand into a different position it will turn off.  Sometimes it will turn on but will run for a predetermined period of time and will turn off in the middle of my washing and I have to wave my hands around to get it turn on again.  Then some of them have the opposite effect, I am done, but the water is still running.

On to paper conservation.  .  .  Really?  Who really thinks that that small piece of nonabsorbent pre-cut piece of paper towel will dry my hands?  Do you know what I am talking about?  Those paper towel dispensers where you pull down on the paper towel or you wave your hand in front of the dispenser and a predetermined size of paper towel tears out.  If you actually washed your hands thoroughly one of those pieces really isn't going to do it.  However, I did notice that one was plenty for my 2 year old daughter.  My adult hands though need about 3 of those to collect all the moisture from my hands.

I know theses measures are not strictly for conserving water.  It also poses as a safety precaution.  I am grateful I don't have to touch things that others may or may not have contaminated due to not washing their hands.  I am a huge fan of efforts to not spread germs.

However, I find it ridiculous when only some efforts are made to prevent me to touch the germs of others but not every way.  Here is an example.  I can go into a bathroom where the toilet automatically flushes, the soap dispenser automatically dispenses the soap, the water automatically turns on, and there is an automatic hand air dryer to dry off my hands.  Then, when I go to leave the bathroom, there is a door exiting the bathroom in which I have to pull the door open, touching the handle of a door, in which someone could have come along, used the bathroom, not washed her hands and now I get to touch the same door she did.  Hmmm, so much for all that automatic "hands free" stuff I just went through.  Sometimes I am lucky and it is not a hand air dryer but there are paper towels and I can open the door with a paper towel in my hand.  The best restrooms are the ones where you push on the door to leave.  I can stand my back up to the door, push on it by walking backwards and turn to leave, without ever having had to touch the door with my hands.

I believe that if we can send a man (or woman - I like to refer "man" as in "mankind") into space, if we can take pictures of things in space hundreds of light years away, if we can make telephones that work like a mini computer, if we can store gigabytes of information in something no bigger than my fingernail, then why can we design a bathroom that effectively conserves energy, water, and stops the spread of germs?