Tuesday, April 8, 2008

Restroom Rant



Who the heck gave men permission and materials to build women's restrooms??? They have no clue what they are doing! I can't even tell you how many pulbic restrooms I've been in where it was like a 6 year old designed them and a 5 year old put them together. Here are a few of my gripes:

1) The most obvious is doors that won't stay shut or locked. First you have to build the pieces so they are parallel to each other. If you put the sides up at an angle that leans in towards each other, the door won't close. Hmmm. Tough one, I know. And it doesn't seem like it would be that hard to design a bathroom door lock that would hold the door closed and also last longer than a month. But it seems like 50%+ of bathroom doors are either missing a lock, have a lock that doesn't work, or worst, has a lock that works but doesn't line up with the other half of the lock! Who put that one together? Daffy Duck?

2) I hate it when there is nowhere to hang or set your purse. We are WOMEN. Women=purses. So there has to be a hook, shelf, or something for your purse. Otherwise you have to pee with it on your lap because you are sure as heck not setting your purse down on that filthy floor.

3) I hate it when you open the door to the stall, and the toilet paper dispenser is right there inside the door. So as you try to squeeze your way in between the toilet and the wall so you can get the door shut behind you, you bash your thigh against the toilet paper dispenser. RETARDED. Freaking put the dispenser on the opposite side of the stall where it is out of the way!

4) I also hate it when the dispenser is put in a stupid spot. The most common stupid spot is when it is approximately 6 inches off the ground. So then when you unwind the roll to get the toilet paper off, it trails all over that disgustingly dirty floor. You could try to hold the end of it with one hand as you unwound it with the other hand, but you can't because your free hand is being used trying to keep the purse on your lap from falling in the toilet. Other stupid spots include behind you where you have to be a contortionist to reach it and not fall off the toilet, and too far in front of you to reach without being Elastigirl.

5) It bugs me when someone has put a sign up that says "Please deposit your sanitary napkins in the recepticle." Who has ever in their whole life called them "sanitary napkins?" Just say "pads" since that's what they are.

6) Now lets move on to the sink area. My biggest pet peeve here is when there is no paper towel dispenser. Hand dryers are loud, slow, and ineffective. And it would be extra nice if the paper towel dispenser would dispense more than a 3 inch strip at a time.

7) I don't understand how so many people can be so messy at the sink. Ever tried to set your purse down next to the sink? Not possible. There is a huge lake next to each sink. Are people sponge bathing in these sinks? What's up with that amount of water next to each one?

8) It makes me roll my eyes when the sink's water is turned on by an automatic hand sensor, but then you have to put your dirty hands on the dirty soap dispenser to get the soap out. That makes sense.

9) Lastly, it irritates me when the papertowels are only on the ends of the sink row where only the people washing their hands in those two end spots can get to the paper towels. The rest of us have to stand there behind them with dripping hands, patiently waiting for them to finish while not trying to seem like we're rushing them.

You wouldn't think, after people have been using public bathrooms since public everthing has existed, that it would be so hard to create a bathroom that makes sense. But evidently, all the men in the bathroom building profession have never actually used one before, nor do they know any women who have ever used one. They're a bunch of single guys, sitting around, who suddenly say to themselves one day, "I'm good with Lincoln Logs; I think I'll go build a bathroom!"

What are your restroom pet peeves?

11 comments:

Chelsea said...

I LOLd while reading this, it's so true! What are they thinking? My biggest pet peeve these days is when there's nowhere to change a diaper. I always end up changing poopies in the trunk of my car. Not so convenient.

Mindi said...

you know you can scroll thru those songs and find the one playing--judging from your profile it was maybe an 80's?? thanks for the comment anyway. turn those speakers on a little more....(i know, touchy subject in the blog universe.)
what chaps me the most about bathrooms is the fact that we should have 2 bathrooms to every 1 for men. whenever i go to a concert or arena, line out the door for chicks, guys walk right in. wrong on so many diff. levels.

CaraDee said...

Boy are you ranty lately. Did you use a sanitary napkin today? ha.

My biggest pet peeve is the small gap to get in when the toilet is THIS close to touching the door when it's opened. What do fat people do? I mean, when I have to contort and bend a little, just to get in and close the door, I want to scream. My second is the no hook on the door. Drives me crazy. Especially when you're trying to help a little person (a kid, not a dwarf or midget) potty train. It's like, okay, we can't fit in here together, and I have to help you go while holding my purse. ARGH

Kristine said...

Oh my gosh this is so funny! I agree with every word!

tiburon said...

I couldn't agree with you more! I have nothing to add. You covered it all. :)

Hildie said...

The all time grossest bathroom are the tubes in the playland at McDonalds. From the smell of it, every kid at McDonalds is peeing in them.

Cara said...

Hey, I got to your blog from a link from Kristine's and just had to put in my two cents...What is up with the HUGE space between the door and the "wall". Anyone can easily watch everything that is going on in the toilet area because those doors are made too small to fit in the space. Know what I mean? I'm always telling my kids not to look through the cracks at the strangers going to the bathroom. Also, I'm totally with you on the automatic sink but not automatic soap. I've thought that same thing a thousand times. I went to a bathroom once (I think it was some random airport we were passing through) that had automatic flushers, automatic soap, automatic sinks, and automatic paper towels. It was the most amazing bathroom I've ever seen!

Joni said...

Funny but true. Amen to the purse comment. How hard is it to add a hook to the door. Geez.

Omgirl said...

Cara (and Barry), I agree--the space between the stalls is ridiculous too! In Germany, the doors go 8 feet high down to the floor and have actual walls on the sides in MOST public bathrooms. It's so nice to feel a little privacy when you go potty!

Jiles Pfamily said...

i thnk i have a solution. . . the pampered chef people need to design bathrooms. you know?

alex dumas said...

1. Men pee in front of each other. They don't care.
2. Your purse belongs in your back pocket.
3. I'm not clever enough to argue this one.
4. I actually hate this too. The designer should be required to test the space before it's approved.
5. People still use pads?
6. You're right. Not well designed. And I love when the towel dispenser doesn't work and you're forced to drip dry.