I propose a public bathroom that contains a private sink in each stall. Users can wash up before touching their clothing, belt, jacket, coat, luggage, laptop case, etc. to leave the stall.

We wash our hands after using the toilet because our hands may have been contaminated by waste. We wouldn't handle food, shake hands with someone, or grab a door handle before washing (excepting a few particularly disgusting individuals who do all of the above). But we don't seem to have a problem tucking in a shirt, fastening a belt buckle, or putting on coat -- with the hands that we already recognize as dirty (else, why would we wash at all?) -- before we leave a public bathroom stall to wash up in the communal sink array.
-- Capt Skinny, May 19 2011

Every public restroom should have a scrub nurse and a circulator.
-- mouseposture, May 19 2011


... and a minibar and a masseur, comfy couch and hdtv... you know, like the ladies' bathrooms.

Anyways, you'd have to mount the sink on the door or something or each stall would take up twice as much room... and (in the mens') you still need a common sink for urinalists.
-- FlyingToaster, May 19 2011


Baked in the Philadelphia airport. Also in the handicapped stalls in my office.
-- MechE, May 19 2011


my former account i suggested a door know that when turned, would secret hand sanitizer the compelling everyone to leave sanitized, but it did not go over well because non-germophobes found it to be insulting.

It turns out that many hardware manufactures are producing metal finished doorknob (nickel?) and there are special properties within the metal tat actually kill most germs on contact!
-- bob, May 19 2011


[bob] why don't you repost your knob-sanitizer then... no wait <wince>.
-- FlyingToaster, May 19 2011


So you do your business then wash up, then open the stall door, recontaminating yourself, needing to rewash. Then you have to contend with the door to the restroom when you leave - should there be a sink outside to wash again? It all seems a little paranoid/germophobic.
-- tatterdemalion, May 19 2011


In Japan some of the toilets have little basins on top of the cistern with the cistern refill flow diverted through this basin. Thus, when you flush, water starts flowing out of the tap and into the basin on top of the cistern and through the plughole to refill the cistern. Quite a good idea, although you do have to lean over the toilet to wash your hands.
-- hippo, May 19 2011



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