Why do Public Toilets Open Inwards?

coolemon

Why the hell do builders/architects/carpenters/whoever design public toilet doors to open inwards?

It means to get out of the place I have to pull the door by the handle that has been touched by people who don't wash their hands. This makes washing your hands almost pointless.

Sometimes, to avoid touching the handle, I linger around the hand dryer waiting for someone to open the door and then wedge my foot in there to keep it open to get out, OCD style.

On the rare occasion that a door opens outwards then a firm push at the bottom with my foot does the job, avoiding any bacterial contact.

eamonnq

Because you could smack it into someone passing by if it pushed outwards ?

seamus

Two reasons:

1. So it's not possible to smack someone else with the toilet door by opening it.
b. So that someone standing or sitting in the cubicle can still keep the door closed even if they forgot to lock it.

Reason 1 is probably the most likely one though. Open cubicle doors would present an injury and fire hazard.

beyondbelief67

I use a piece of tissue to press the button to allow the door to be opened and then open the door with it too.

Menas

If a couple are riding in the cubicle against the door, less likely that the door will break if the door opens inways only.

PizzamanIRL

Train/plane toilets are the worst. Getting squashed against the sink just to open the door to get out.

coolemon

Easons on O Connell street is good. No doors at all.

keithclancy

coolemon wrote: »

Why the hell do builders/architects/carpenters/whoever design public toilet doors to open inwards?

It means to get out of the place I have to pull the door by the handle that has been touched by people who don't wash their hands. This makes washing your hands almost pointless.

Sometimes, to avoid touching the handle, I linger around the hand dryer waiting for someone to open the door and then wedge my foot in there to keep it open to get out, OCD style.

On the rare occasion that a door opens outwards then a firm push at the bottom with my foot does the job, avoiding any bacterial contact.

Stainless Steel handle has less shíte on it than your Keyboard

How often do you wash your belt ? You take a big steaming ****e and tie up your belt the whole time and wash your hands but never your belt.

whiskeyman

coolemon wrote: »

Easons on O Connell street is good. No doors at all.

That's a bookshop not a public toilet... the amount of paper available probably confused you.

May explain why you've been barred...

Wacker The Attacker

does it matter?

Boom_Bap

There's a serious amount of work that goes into door design. I spent hours in lectures learning only a fraction of it......and that was in a software course (it's realtive ) .

Oddly enough, in the USA, the trap door opens outwards.

Badly Drunk Boy

What I want to know is why litre cartons of milk open the opposite direction of the 500ml/330ml cartons. It's madness!!!

Egginacup

coolemon wrote: »

Why the hell do builders/architects/carpenters/whoever design public toilet doors to open inwards?

It means to get out of the place I have to pull the door by the handle that has been touched by people who don't wash their hands. This makes washing your hands almost pointless.

Sometimes, to avoid touching the handle, I linger around the hand dryer waiting for someone to open the door and then wedge my foot in there to keep it open to get out, OCD style.

On the rare occasion that a door opens outwards then a firm push at the bottom with my foot does the job, avoiding any bacterial contact.

Do you boot the door down of every shop/bar/office that you walk into after that? Do you have someone with rubber gloves push a bar stool under your arse and do you then pull a straw from a vacuum-sealed pack and insert it into your pint making sure not to touch the counter with your hands? Holding the handrail on the stairs or the bus must be the stuff of nightmares for you.

mocha please!

seamus wrote: »

Two reasons:

1. So it's not possible to smack someone else with the toilet door by opening it.
b. So that someone standing or sitting in the cubicle can still keep the door closed even if they forgot to lock it.

Reason 1 is probably the most likely one though. Open cubicle doors would present an injury and fire hazard.

I'm interpreting it that they mean the main door into the toilets, not the cubicle doors!

ceadaoin.

Just use a paper towel or bit of tissue to open the door. Usually the bin is close by, throw it in there afterwards.

crockholm

Honestly,can no-one think of a good George Michael based reason?

RayM

coolemon wrote: »

Easons on O Connell street is good. No doors at all.

Yes, but the UV lights make it really difficult to shoot up.

osarusan

Use your teeth if you don't want to get your hands dirty.

Stone Deaf 4evr

jaysis, people would really want to HTFU.

Valetta

Boom_Bap wrote: »

There's a serious amount of work that goes into door design. I spent hours in lectures learning only a fraction of it.......

Couldn't get a handle on it, eh?

jester77

Take off your shoe and use it to keep the door ajar, then hop to the sink, wash & dry the hands and hop out of the WC. Don't forget your shoe.

harry Bailey esq

Its considered unlucky among architects to have the door opening outwards.It goes back to Germany in the 20s.Its said that a brilliant young architect named Schmidt was tasked with designing modern,affordable housing for all the workers streaming into the Ruhr valley from all over Germany and beyond. The Fuhrer himself gave the nod its said, such was young Schmidt's reputation for innovative design.Schmidt delivered naturally, and it wasn't long before people took notice,most notably Hitler.In an age where using the toilet involved a trip down to the bottom of the garden for the average Joe, Schmidt introduced indoor facilities,on a mass scale.Due to design,the doors opened outwards.This made him a very popular man in Germany and it wasn't long before he was mixing in high society.His drinking buddies included stars of the stage and screen,wealthy industrialists and ominously, Hitler and his inner circle.Indeed,images of his work were often shown in newsreels as part of the nazi propoganda machine.So when the time came that Hitler decided he needed a personal space that could withstand anything the allies could throw at him,there was only ever going to be one man for the job.Hitler worked closely on the design with Schmidt,and the two became very close friends,so much so that hitler was godfather to Schmidt's daughter.When he heard the fateful news of Hitler and Eva Brauns death in the bunker,he was consumed with guilt.In his despair,Shmidt turned to alcohol and opiates,and one night overdosed,sitting on the toilet having injected morphine into his groin at his Zurich home.The man literally died on his arse.Since then,most architects will not have outward opening toilet doors,for fear of falling victim to ' 'Schmidt's curse' as its known.























*may not be true

The_Valeyard

Stop Zombies / junkies from flying out at you

coolemon

keithclancy wrote: »

Stainless Steel handle has less shíte on it than your Keyboard

How often do you wash your belt ? You take a big steaming ****e and tie up your belt the whole time and wash your hands but never your belt.

The difference is that its my steaming piss on my belt, and not someone else's steaming piss and ****e on a door handle.

seamus

mocha please! wrote: »

I'm interpreting it that they mean the main door into the toilets, not the cubicle doors!

Well then the same principle applies. You don't open doors out into corridors, because it stands to reason that people could be walking by. Doors should always open into the room.