I-Like-To-Bike

Sure, but why only two uses? Why not save the used paper towel, let it dry and use it repeatedly/daily until it will no longer function for your drying/dusting purposes? Anyhow, if your method serves your purposes, keep up the good work.

I-Like-To-Bike

Ech yucky! I'd rather dry my hands on my pants leg.

acidfast7

Why? It gets rolled in the machine after it's been used. Think of it as an automatic paper tower dispenser with a cloth towel inside. The same surface doesn't get used more than once. When it's consumed, it gets changed out twice a day.

It's the most hygienic option.

I-Like-To-Bike

That is different from what I have previously seen in use, usually in older gas station/truck stop restrooms, hanging on the wall right next to the condom machine. Those Reusable Cloth Roll Towel machines kept the same cloth in play for multiple use. Usually they were well stained with grease, grime, and who knows what else.

The new sanitary models you describe sound OK.

RubeRad

No less hygenic than paper towels, fewer trees killed, but more energy and chemicals expended for manufacture and cleaning. There's also air dryers, which are more to manufacture and consume electricity, but no wasted trees or chemicals. It's not completely clear which option is more green.

But I don't see a large number of people willing to air-dry and reuse paper towels for bathroom hand-cleaning. I mean, if it's a hygiene issue to wash hands after the bathroom, then surely it's a hygiene issue to reuse those towels. So given fresh paper towels are used every bathroom trip, might as well also wipe a bike.

OK, that's way too much "energy" expended discussing insignificant details of OP's fundamentally good idea.

acidfast7

However, it is clear that those dyson airblade dryers are not hygienic at all, which defeats their purpose ... most air dryers are quite poor, from a hygiene perspective.

I-Like-To-Bike

Toilet paper - true

Paper towels- not so true.

Still think air or pants leg is best method for drying hands, rain for dealing with any dusty bike concerns. This is of course, as you pointed out, just silly fluff but fun, and it is better than a lot of wacky threads posted as commuting subjects.

RubeRad

Rain may clean bikes to some extent, but riding in the rain makes bikes dirty.

dscheidt

Nah, it's the same thing. Your gas stations were just too cheap to launder the things. Every (auto) shop I've worked in has had them for employee hand washing. (The one that didn't already got one the first week I was there.) They work great for grimy crud that will not come off without substantial friction. The shop laundry service did a good job of getting them clean. They only rarely had stains on them.

Booger1

It's great you recycle......If I caught you cleaning your bike at work,you would have plenty of time for bike cleaning.....at home.

mrodgers

Think of this. Mark steps out of the stall. Lets say he's not very neat cleaning up the deed. He doesn't wash his hands and just leaves the bathroom. What is the last thing he touches and what do you touch with your now clean hands upon leaving?

Ok, so let's say he does wash his hands. What is the first thing he touches after leaving the stall? He touches the faucet handle. What do you touch with your clean hands immediately after washing your hands? The same handle.

I recycle the paper towel twice. First to turn the faucet off and then to open the door. Towel goes in the trash as I walk through the door. I wouldn't touch the bike with it after using it on the door handle that Mark just previously smeared with certain matter that is now on the paper towel.

RubeRad

That's called germophobia. There are doctors that can help you with that.

mrodgers

Sorry, watching someone who just wiped their ass walk out and grab the door handle and leave the bathroom and not wanting to touch said door handle before I am heading back to my office to eat lunch isn't what I would call germophobia. People are disgusting. I don't care much about germs. I do care about someone elses sh*t on my hands when I'm eating lunch.

acidfast7

Who uses doors on their bathrooms? This makes no sense for the reasons you stated.

RubeRad

How about every other doorknob in the world, which is also regularly touched by some percentage of the population that insufficiently washed their hands after ****ting or sneezing or picking their nose or scratching their balls, or shaking somebody else's hand?

I-Like-To-Bike

How do you handle flushing the toilet at work or at any public facility? Do you wear a disposable glove?

RubeRad

I'm pretty sure the answer to that is to flush the disgusting handle, and then wash your hands. Or at least lick your fingers.

acidfast7

Do you guys actually have non-sensor toilets?

RubeRad

Yup, just paid a visit. Toilets and urinals all handle-flush. Sink area is all-hands free: faucets, foam-soap, and paper towels. 6-story office bldg was constructed maybe 7-8 years ago.

I-Like-To-Bike

Yes, but don't have roadside areas on major highways posted as rest areas where the only toilet facilities are to do it behind a unisex bush, or some with a structure enclosing a hole in the floor for the users to squat over or aim as best they can.

acidfast7

What wrong with the hole. It's easy to clean.

acidfast7

Understandable with old buildings.

RubeRad

I think this building is, relatively speaking, quite new. I'm sure most people work in buildings that are more like 25+ years old.

acidfast7

I guess, my last two places of employment were:

Brand new:





or roughly 1000 years old:



none of this in between crap like 25 years old

I-Like-To-Bike

No wonder you see no reason for doors in public bathrooms.

The outside bushes are even easier, especially since there is toilet paper to supply; the users either bring their own (or use whatever grass or leaves laying about) and take the used toilet paper with them or leave it on the ground to naturally degrade just like their bodily waste. Needless to say no water is available to wash up for those so inclined.