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The Bathroom Test
The Restroom Test

How do you know if a business is taking your safety seriously? Many changes are subtle and may not be obvious. So what should you do?

Look in their bathroom! Here are 10 things businesses can do to show they're trying. We call it, The Bathroom Test.

1 - The Entry

A doorless entry is great for large buildings like stadiums and airports. But it's not possible for most small businesses. If they have a door, look for antimicrobial push plates, and antimicrobial door handles. (Antimicrobial materials are brass, bronze and copper. You can also see if they have labels indicating they are antimicrobial.)

2 - Toilet Seat Liners

Near the toilet, you want disposable seat liners to give you a barrier when you sit down. Wiping the seat with toilet tissue doesn't disinfect it.

3 - Toilet Paper Holders

Toilet paper holders should be open, so you don't have to touch anything to get tissue. Bonus if the toilet paper holder is made of a natural antimicrobial material like copper, bronze or brass.

4 - Toilet Lids

When you finish doing your business, look for a lid on the toilet seat and CLOSE THE LID. Viruses and bacteria have been shown to travel into the air from the force of flushing. It's called a toilet plume. Nobody wants to breathe aerosolized fecal matter, but a lid helps keep things a little more contained.

5 & 6 - Touchless Soap and Faucet

At the sink, you want touchless soap dispensers and faucets. There's a bonus if they have a touchless timer that tells you when you've washed your hands long enough.

7 - Touchless Paper Towels

Paper towels should dispense automatically or allow you to pull them out without touching anything other than the towel. Fancy stacked towels aren't ideal because it's too easy to drip onto the entire pile when you're grabbing one.

8 - Open Trash Can

A trash can should be close, and it should be open, so you don't have to touch anything to throw things away.

9 - Hand Sanitizer

It's really nice to have additional hand cleaning options, like hand sanitizer, outside any bathroom doors you have to touch.

10 - UV-C Germicidal Lights

For the ultimate in protection, look for bathrooms that use UV-C lights for 2-5 minutes after each person. That kills any lingering viruses and bacteria traveling with that aerosolized fecal matter.

It's unlikely you'll find all 10 things when you check. But the more protections you see, the more that business is doing to try and keep you safe.

At WeBeFit, we've been working out ways to keep things cleaner for years. Gyms can be breeding grounds for things like athletes foot, colds, flu and MRSA. We want our clients to get healthy, not sick. That's why our precautions are so extreme.


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10/21/2020
Updated 12/16/2024