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Sani-Stop

Helping to protect the public from the sight of you 'going about your business'
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Most sane people try to avoid using public bathrooms wherever possible, but occasionally everyone gets caught short away from home.

In some parts of the world bathroom hygeine doesn't pose a problem (you could eat your dinner off the mens room floor at rest stops on German autobahns if you wanted to prove the point in an unsavoury way), but elsewhere the idea that you shouldn't have to rest your feet in puddles of urine while you're on the crapper doesn't seem to have taken off.

Beyond the suspicious puddles, wafer thin toilet paper and unpleasant aromas that characterise the typical public bathroom, a common problem is the lack of a lock on the cubicle door - whether due to damage or design I come across non-locking bathroom doors in bars with alarming regularity.

It's not so much of a problem for guys (what with our ability to pee standing up) but for women, who may need to sit down in a cubicle several times over the course of a night in a bar, I'm sure it can be quite trying to have to pee while holding a foot firmly against the cubicle door to protect against accidental walk-ins, and I know from experience that a subtle cough to make people aware that the cubicle is occupied doesn't always work, with embarrassing results.

The idea

The Sani-Stop is a handy, purse-sized doorstop designed for use in unhygeinic areas. Essentially it's the same as every other doorstop you've ever seen, but it comes with a disinfectant filled dock to cleanse the rubberised base between uses. Once the Sani-Stop has done the job of securing your cubicle door you simply pop it into its dock and press the power button (if battery powered, or turn a small crank if not) to run a disinfectant-soaked sponge across the base to sanitise it.

Additionally, the Sani-Stop comes with a spring loaded base for use on cubicle doors with a few inches of ground clearance. Release the locking catch and the body of the Sani-Stop will rise on strong springs to meet the base of the door.

sambwiches, Oct 08 2008

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       The sometimes 12 inches of space under the bottom of the door is definitely the main challenge here. Maybe something that you jam into the side crack of the door to keep it from opening would be more effective?
phundug, Oct 08 2008
  

       Sure, it wouldn't work with *every* stall door. Perhaps for those occasional 12-inch clearance doors you could have some sort of L-shaped rubber contraption that would clip onto the bottom of the door and the stall wall. Most of the places I drink, however (old fashioned British pubs), have real doors that reach the ground.
sambwiches, Oct 08 2008
  

       //L-shaped...// clipped to top of the door and post. I was gonna post that but I couldn't figure out how to say "L shaped U shaped".
FlyingToaster, Oct 08 2008
  

       How about a cardboard sign that says "Occupied" in 20 languages, tape to outside of door :) Of course, that doesn't stop the brutes who don't read it.
phundug, Oct 08 2008
  

       One of those large rubber sucker devices, used for lifting sheets of glass ..... attach it to the side wall, with a hinged section that dogs the door closed.   

       For additional security, include an MP3 player that plays the sound of someone whistling whenever it senses the door being pushed.
8th of 7, Oct 08 2008
  

       A little speaker with sounds of diharreah to discourage the would-be walker-in.
Voice, Oct 09 2008
  

       //One of those large rubber sucker devices, used for lifting sheets of glass//   

       I really like that idea [8th]. At least it's keep the doorstop out of the urine pools.
sambwiches, Oct 09 2008
  
      
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