Can This Sink-Urinal Hybrid Get Men To Wash Their Hands?

[Liberal_in_LA]

People, in general, aren’t good at prioritizing. We blow off work to repeatedly refresh our news feeds and bookmark articles we don’t ever finish reading. We eagerly wait an hour for a cheeseburger we consume in under three minutes. Worst of all, far, far too many of us forgo washing our hands after doing our business. Why? Because 15 measly seconds of lathering and rinsing is just too much to ask.

Nearly ⅓ of Americans don’t wash their hands before exiting a public restroom, with men outpacing women in terms of overall grossness (duh). We don’t know what the figures are for Eastern Europe, but they must be similarly alarming. Latvian designer Kaspars Jursons was moved--presumably by disgust and genuine worry for humankind--to find a solution.





http://www.fastcodesign.com/1672996/can-this-sink-urinal-hybrid-get-men-to-wash-their-hands?partner=ps02102makingit#1

[MADem]

1. Or will it motivate smartasses to pee in the sink?

Time will tell....!

[msanthrope]

5. Okay--I admit I wanna see that---the dude would either have to be really, really, tall, or

possess equipment that is outside the norm.

[morningfog]

7. Trajectory and decent pressure would do it.

[msanthrope]

10. Not cleanly. I'd want to see a clean shot. nt

[MADem]

16. Oh dear...a janitor's nightmare...."The Urinal Games!!!" nt

[FSogol]

43. Not cleanly? When has that been a problem?

[msanthrope]

45. Not a problem for me as long as I don't have to clean it. nt

[hughee99]

86. If most men were concerned with doing things cleanly,

they wouldn't have to make a urinal/sink hybrid to encourage them to wash their hands.

[KentuckyWoman]

15. my first thought tooo

one only needs to clean public restrooms for a few days to see that coming.

[JVS]

2. No way am I going to have anything to do with a sink that is so close to the urinal.

[Sotf]

70. Suspicious water source is suspicious...

[jberryhill]

73. Whoever designed that should be shot

[madaboutharry]

102. My thoughts also.

[PotatoChip]

103. Lol!

[Recursion]

3. If the threat of cholera doesn't do it...

It's worth a shot

[Warren Stupidity]

4. It is shitting that is the problem, not peeing.

Unless there is something very wrong with your urinal tract, pee is not a huge health risk, it isn't even a minor health risk. Feces on the other hand, are a shitty situation.

[KittyWampus]

8. Ah, the conversations that happen on DU. It's why I never give up on this place

[jberryhill]

11. I don't pee on my hands

But the issue isn't urine. The issue is contact with things that live in dark moist areas.

[Hassin Bin Sober]

26. Yes, like the handles on bathroom faucets. Yuk.

[jberryhill]

33. Just don't

I spend a lot of time in hotel rooms, and someone started telling me about those once.

I don't want to hear it. Use a paper towel to turn the handle if you have to, but wash your damned hands.

[snooper2]

109. You will soon enough

You just don't have the right distractions

[MADem]

18. Pee is actually pretty sterile. They used to use it to "dry clean" togas back in the days of Ceasar!

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dry_cleaning

The ancient Romans used ammonia (derived from urine) and fuller's earth to launder their woolen togas. Fullonicae were very prominent industrial facilities, with at least one in every town of any notability, and frequently the largest employer in a district. These laundries obtained urine from farm animals, or from special pots situated at public latrines. The industry was so profitable that fuller's guilds were an important political constituency, and the government taxed the collection of urine.[1]

[nomorenomore08]

22. "Fuller's guilds"? Is that where the surname "Fuller" comes from???

:rof:

[MADem]

31. I dunno if it's "pee-specific"--it means "dresser of cloth." It does come from the latin, though..!

http://www.ancestry.com/name-origin?surname=fuller

Fuller Name Meaning English: occupational name for a dresser of cloth, Old English fullere (from Latin fullo, with the addition of the English agent suffix). The Middle English successor of this word had also been reinforced by Old French fouleor, foleur, of similar origin. The work of the fuller was to scour and thicken the raw cloth by beating and trampling it in water. This surname is found mostly in southeast England and East Anglia. See also Tucker and Walker.In a few cases the name may be of German origin with the same form and meaning as 1 (from Latin fullare).Americanized version of French Fournier.

[Hassin Bin Sober]

27. I thought I remember reading diabetic pee was more desirable.

[MADem]

29. A rose, by any other name, would smell as sweet, perhaps? nt

[Major Nikon]

41. Pee might be sterile but your dick isn't

Touching something that is in a warm, moist environment that is inches away from the back door is the problem. That's why you wash your hands after you pee.

[Warren Stupidity]

42. The actual health issue is E. coli. It doesn't come from your penis or your vagina.

It comes from shit. A penis is no more or less a source of food contamination than a finger. Actually it is probably less of a source than a finger, as it is fingers that get contaminated with shit, not penises, in the bathroom. The actual problem is that people do not wash after shitting. Putting a faucet on a urinal is stupid.

[Major Nikon]

49. So you're better off to stir your drink with your dick instead of your finger, yes?

And no, the only health issue isn't e. coli (as if that alone wasn't bad enough). There's hep A, other coliform bacteria besides e. coli including those that cause typhoid, and a variety of other pathogens which thrive in warm moist environments. There's no invisible force field between your anus and your genitals that prevents the spread of such things and they migrate quite readily given the close proximity and optimum environment even if you bathe daily.

I wash my hands after pissing. If you don't, be my guest, but please don't claim there isn't a hazard when the CDC and virtually every other health organization on the planet disagrees.

[MADem]

58. OK, that subject line is a total DUzy!

I realize you two are in a big argument about this particular issue, but damn, that is a funny subject line...the imagined visuals alone are hilariously horrifying!

[jberryhill]

65. I'm not sure Emily Post suggests either method

Are those really my only two choices?

[Major Nikon]

71. If you don't have pockets, you can always carry your spoon next to your junk

[jberryhill]

72. Teaspoon or table spoon?

[Major Nikon]

74. Depends on how big your junk is I suppose

Otherwise Mae West would be asking if you are packing a spoon instead of a banana.

[jberryhill]

77. Two lumps

[RC]

79. I would suggest not using it to stir the cream and/or sugar in your coffee.

[Warren Stupidity]

97. Depends on how much shit is on that unwashed post shit finger.

I'll take a few drops of urine over a fingernail caked with shit. But if you prefer the shit, be my guest.

[Major Nikon]

98. I prefer lemon with my tea, but to each his own

[Warren Stupidity]

100. Three doors. You have to choose one.

Door one: your food preparer didnt wash after shitting.
Door two: your food preparer didnt wash after peeing.
Door three: your food preparer didnt wash after touching her nose and mouth.

Which door do you choose?

[Major Nikon]

105. I don't have to choose, because I'm not going to play your game

We are not having a discussion on which is worse. We are having a discussion on whether failing to wash one's hands after peeing is a problem or not.

Your claim was, "It is shitting that is the problem, not peeing". That was what I challenged, not which one of your three options is better or worse. Your subsequent claim was, "the actual health issue is E. coli. It doesn't come from your penis or your vagina" and I further challenged both of those assertions. Furthermore on your last post you tried to claim urine was the issue after I already conceded/explained that urine was not the issue. So if you want to be disingenuous and feign illiteracy, go right ahead, but I'm not going down that rabbit hole with you no matter how much you wish I would. I'll give you two doors instead:

Door one: Support your own assertions with something other than strawman and red herring fallacies
Door two: Go piss up a rope (and hopefully wash your hands afterward)

Cheers!

[onpatrol98]

104. Unless you need a fecal transplant...

http://articles.latimes.com/2013/jan/17/science/la-sci-fecal-transplant-20130117

[cascadiance]

6. Looks more like a PUKE & PEE station... NO THANKS!!!

Just wait until the drunks hang out at these...

[MADem]

30. That was awful....awfully FUNNY, I mean!!!! nt

[jberryhill]

34. Regular urinals work fine for that

[peace13]

9. Cool drinking fountain! N/t

[Liberal_in_LA]

78. ugh

[rug]

12. I don't see soap.

Unless there's a little cake in the urinal.

[Brigid]

13. This thread may be destined for DU immortality.

[RedCappedBandit]

14. Gross.

[Tien1985]

17. So many kids

And probably a good number of adults are going to try and see if they can reach the sink.

They better have real sinks because left with no sink or pee-sink, I'll take no sink.

[brewens]

19. I learned to always wash my hands from an old Irishman. He'd descibe himself that way.

He was an unlikely type to be a hand washing fanatic but that he was. As a young man, he was a semi retired guy I worked with at a beer distributor. We'd be sitting around the "courtesy" room after work drinking beer and if one of the guys went into the bathroom and didn't wash his hands, he'd call them on it! I mentioned that to our assistant manager that had worked with him for many years and he told me that he was always like that. He would point out to other people who it was that didn't wash their hands even if he didn't call you out on it. I didn't want him saying that about me, and while I wasn't too bad about it to begin with, he really got me in the habit of always washing.

He was really one of the overall great guys though. He was a treasure trove of limmericks. After he passed away several of us wished we'd sat down with him, drinking and recording those. Some of you, wouldn't appreciate many of them.

He was married to an Italian woman who was a great lady. While I never heard him ever say anything racist really, he would antagonize an Italian asshole we had working with us, refering to Italians as colored people! I guess you had to be there. It was really kind of funny. A seriously steriotypical Irishman, getting all over an Italian guy like that!

That man was born in north Idaho logging country and was a young man before WWII and times were hard. He and his buddies all joined the national guard to make a little money. Shortly after that they were all drafted. He ended up doing two years of nightmare on New Guinea. His name was Layton Gallagher.

[jberryhill]

35. Thank you

The next time I think of dashing out without washing my hands, I will try to remember Layton Gallagher, and I will do it for him.

[winter is coming]

37. I have a friend who also washes his hands *before* urinating.

His rationale: "I know where this has been. Who knows where these (his hands) have been."

[Egalitarian Thug]

20. In the Navy, they teach us not to piss on our hands. n/t

[MADem]

61. Haven't heard that joke in YEARS....! nt

[TreasonousBastard]

21. Ecxellent idea, and I will use them as soon as they appear here..

You see, I always wash my hands before peeing.

My hands have spent the day touching things and subject to everything that flies around in the rancid air. Mt privates, on the other hand, have been protected behind several layers of thick cloth and really don't need to be contaminated by whatever my hands have touched.

The only problem I see here is that it seems to require at least three hands if used the way it seems to be intended. It is possible to hold your thing with one hand (yes, even a large one) but no one I know has mastered the art of washing with one hand. I suppose you could put the thing away before washing, but that adds some inefficiency to the mix.

And, yes, as someone brought up, the real problem is taking a dump. I'm a big fan of bidets, and it might not be such a stretch to adapt a bidet to handwashing.

[Demo_Chris]

23. Terrible idea. nt

[Liberal_in_LA]

106. after reading some of the responses, i agree. sink too near urinal for cleanliness

[Xithras]

24. It's not a great design.

If the urinal is low enough for the sink to be used comfortably, it will be right in the splash zone and will end up unhygenic very quickly.


If the urinal is higher to protect the sink, the sink will be too high to wash your hands easily. That would force the man to stand closer, which risks breaking one of the most important rules when using a urinal..."Never ever, under any circumstances, allow your pants or body to touch the urinal...because you KNOW what's all over it".

Besides, it also undermines one of the greatest features of the urinal...speed! Get in, take your piss, and get out. If some arsehole is occupying a urinal while he pees AND washes his hands, he's going to make a lot of enemies very quickly. It could be argued that this urinal would make men LESS likely to wash our hands, as social pressure will push us to clear the urinal as quickly as possible.

[PD Turk]

25. Eh, it's nothing new

Anybody who's ever been in the slammer has seen something like this

[kentauros]

85. And anybody that's read about efficient use of water

has seen this kind of idea:

[MiddleFingerMom]

28. After a few beers, this older woman at the bar starts trying to bet the bartender...

.
.
.
... that she can pee higher up on the bathroom wall than he can.
.
He tries to ignore her, but she's so persistent that finally, out of
annoyance if nothing else, he takes her up on her $100 bet.
.
.
When they get into the bathroom, she daintily removes her panties
under her skirt, does a handstand -- bracing herself parallel to the
wall with her feet, and proceeds to pee a little over 5 feet up on the
wall.
.
.
When she's done, the bartender laughs, says "Not bad, but I can
still do much better than that", steps up to the wall, unzips and gets
ready to start when the older woman shakes her finger at him and
says...
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
"Nuh-uh!!! No hands!!!!!"
.
.
.

[Ian David]

32. I wash my hands. What I need is a way to keep my undies cleaner...

Oh, look! This might help!

[jberryhill]

38. There is a technique to get the last drop out

And, no, it doesn't involve shaking or dancing.

[Paulie]

39. Centrifugal force?

Watch out for bystanders at the trough...

[jberryhill]

40. Okay, make that TWO ways...

...but the most effective and discreet way involves applying pressure further upstream.

[FSogol]

48. In the neck area?

[lumberjack_jeff]

69. Rofl

1) Pee 2)shake, 3) make like Sonja Henie.

[Ian David]

50. I had a guy offer to do that for me once. n/t

[RB TexLa]

36. I didn't know there is an issue with people washing their hands after using the restroom

[FSogol]

54. Depends on location.

At my office building, hand washing is about 95%. At the local pub, it is about 60%. At the ballpark, 25% (just my observations, don't ask for the stats.)

[B Calm]

44. Who pees on their hands?

LOL

[FSogol]

46. Professional athletes for one

"Why Athletes Pee on Their Hands
Does urine really toughen the skin?

In a recent interview with ESPN's Gary Miller, Chicago Cubs outfielder Moises Alou revealed that during baseball season he urinates on his hands to toughen them up. Alou, one of the few major leaguers who doesn't wear gloves while batting, is backed up by Yankees catcher Jorge Posada, who says, "You don't want to shake my hand during spring training." Even Cubs hurler Kerry Wood mentioned on a local radio show that he's tried the technique to remedy blisters on his pitching hand (though he wryly added that there's also a well-known clubhouse cure for headaches: "crapping in your hat&quot . Does urine really toughen the skin?"

http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/explainer/2004/05/why_athletes_pee_on_their_hands.html

[B Calm]

51. Damn, what did you do Google that? LOL

[FSogol]

53. No, I remembered Moises Alou saying it.

And then I googled for it.

By conwinkydink, Boing Boing also posted an excerpt from Dennis Eichhorn's graphic novel, "Real Life." Last week's episode involved firefighters peeing on their hands to help blisters.

http://boingboing.net/2013/07/19/real-stuff-the-meaning-of-lif.html

[Gidney N Cloyd]

93. For that fact alone you'da thunk Bartman would have jumped the hell out of the way...

[FSogol]

94. LOL. n/t

[OneGrassRoot]

47. So many DUzies upthread (and surely to follow), so little time. n/t

[demwing]

52. Obviously not - we men never wash our hands

that's just a girl thing.

[LanternWaste]

55. Between this thread and the "I don't smell so I don't take showers regularly" thread

Between this thread and the "I don't smell so I don't take showers regularly" thread, I'm beginning to get the impression that hygiene is simply not a priority to far too many people, and there's a horde of filthy little troglodytes running around.

Yeesh. At least carry wet-naps with you, people... :shrug

[hedgehog]

90. Speaking of wet naps....

http://www.theatlanticcities.com/technology/2013/08/how-glob-fat-size-school-bus-got-stuck-london-sewers/6437/

[Deep13]

56. I already wash my hands. Besides...

...it's the other kind of toilet that really needs this.

[Buns_of_Fire]

59. By the way, the NSA already knows who that 1/3 is.

And here you thought those little things facing you were sensors to tell when to begin the flushing action? HA! They're CAMERAS! (By the way, they also know who shakes it more than socially acceptable to try to get that last drop off.)

[Fumesucker]

60. Has the designer ever actually been *in* a men's restroom?

You're dancing from foot to foot having rented too much beer and the asshole in front of you is washing his fucking hands.

[RC]

83. A female designer, maybe?

No sane man would be serous in designing something like that. Maybe it started as a joke?

[DirkGently]

62. Needs a flatscreen and a beer fridge. n/t

[Chan790]

63. Great, now can we address the actual problem.

Namely that the door-handle of the public restroom is the filthiest surface known to man...and it stands between you with your freshly-washed post-urination hands and freedom! What needs to happen is that the sinks need to be outside the restroom, next to the water fountain. Not molded to the top of the pee-catcher.

To recap:

pisser...sink|freedom. Bad design.
pisser|sink...freedom! Good design.

| is a door.

[badtoworse]

64. I can just see this at half-time at the football game.

[Dreamer Tatum]

66. That's not a sink, that's a challenge that many men would accept.

I wouldn't stick my hands anywhere near there.

[badtoworse]

68. Nothing would surprise me in that department.

We had to close the sauna in my health club for a few days after someone pissed on the hot rocks.

[JRLeft]

67. I wash my hands every time and sanitize which is why I do not get sick.

[Fumesucker]

87. And then you grab the handle to the restroom door on the way out

Since of course the door opens inwards so there's no choice but to pull the handle to get it open.

Some people keep an extra paper towel to avoid having to touch the grab handle but not all restrooms have paper towels now.

[JRLeft]

89. I use the paper towel to do it.

[Gidney N Cloyd]

75. It would have to grab you by the dick and not let go until you start the water running.

[Blue Owl]

76. I thought this was a Rinse Penis thread

n/t

[liberal N proud]

84. RNC Chair?

[liberal N proud]

80. Why bother washing your hands...

The guy that just took a crap walked out of the bathroom after whipping his ass and didn't wash.

Always take a paper towel with me when I leave a public rest room to open the door. Bless those establishments that have placed a trash can close to the door so I can throw the towel away after opening the door.

[KansDem]

81. Too confusing...

I might pee in one and wash my hands in the other and it might not be the right ones...

[JustFiveMoreMinutes]

82. I have to wash my hands after touching my penis, but would you mind fellating me? (eom)

[kentauros]

88. While this is one idea for efficient use of water

there are also waterless urinals.

Personally, I'd rather see vertical dividers that go to the ceiling so I don't even have to talk to the chatty guy next urinal over, much less make eye-contact. That, and the continuous playing of gurgling creek sounds to facilitate a relaxed state of mind (and ureter.)

[hedgehog]

91. The sinks should be installed just outside the door,

where everyone can see who walks past without washing!

[tjwash]

92. Heh - "...with men outpacing women in terms of overall grossness..."

Yeah right - I did a hell of a lot of janitorial work in my younger days, and the women's bathrooms were consistently 10 times as disgusting as the men's rooms were. No matter were we were cleaning them.

The seats were always grody from the "hovering" action, the damn floors always were covered with different sort of garbage; like seriously - just drop it where it lies why don't 'ya...the extra effort to walk 2 more feet to the trash bin might kill you or something. And don't get me going on "the bucket."

[adirondacker]

95. I'm thinking that it will only exacerbate problems with overspray...

[sakabatou]

96. Hehehe

[Vashta Nerada]

99. One thing I don't understand about washing hands after peeing.

I don't pee on my hands when I pee. If I don't pee on my hands, why wash them?

I'm a man, btw.

[Liberal_in_LA]

107. you are kidding, right?

[Vashta Nerada]

110. Do you pee on your hands?

[DrDan]

101. sad that it has come to this - but . . .

what makes me more concerned are those that leave the stalls without washing their hands . . . I just don't get it

and this is not a rare occurrence, but one I frequently see

[Liberal_in_LA]

108. i saw this yesterday

[Behind the Aegis]

111. Good boys wash their hands after peeing; smart boys don't piss on their hands!

[olddots]

112. i never relieve my bladder because it'so un tidy