Just use the paper towel you used to dry your hands to open the door
this post was submitted on 20 Nov 2025
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This is an additional reason I hate places that use air driers instead of paper towels
after you've peed on your hands, open the door, then quickly wash your hands and run out. the wind will dry your hands.
Why the unnecessary steps? Just pee on the door handle.
this is why i usually pee on my friends hands. then they have to open the door
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I’ve noticed a lot of places now have a trash can conveniently located by the door for this.
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And some places are smart and put a garbage can by the door, for the reason.
If the trash is not close enough to the door, that paper towel goes on the floor. I know it's a bit rude, but every public restroom should have it close enough to do this.
I've settled into a routine of pulling the door open with the paper towel, flinging the paper towel into the nearest trashcan, and darting out quick enough without having to keep the door open with my foot or anything. Not necessary, but fun
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Theoretically, if everyone did the Yes, the But wouldn't be that big of a But.
Sadly, I'm well aware not everyone does the Yes. Going into a men's public bathroom is disgusting; it's disgraceful how many men I've seen leave without washing.
My favorite was a guy in college who came in, used the urinal, used the hand dryer, and left.
Do you expect him to leave with wet urine on his hands? Those dryers are made specifically for drying urine and blowing away the smell. That's clearly what the little picture on them means.
i hate this so much
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I know where my dick has been. Usually.
Edit: Why so serious?
I genuinely don't even know what you're trying to say with that comment.
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My hands harbor far more bacteria than my dick. And so does that door handle, the grossest part of the whole business.
In my country it is illegal to have bathroom doors open to the inside. Same with doors leading outside. It was weird to move abroad as I couldn't get used to them opening the other way.
It’s unsafe for doors to open into hallways, so you need to design alcoves for every entrance otherwise, so far more space is wasted.
Also, use paper to open the door, and a lot of places have foot pulls now, easier for handicapped people as well.
The best entrance, especially for handicapped people, is a maze entrance, but uses even more space.
On the other hand doors opening to the inside are less safe in case of an emergency. In my country, all doors in public places must open towards the exit of the building.
That’s due to a panic response and people pressing against the doors so you can’t pull them open. That only happens after a certain amount of people. The couple dozen max in a bathroom or most office and conference rooms won’t have that issue. But all the doors from the hallways out will swing towards the path of egress though.
Codes stipulate the occupancy amount that requires it, I believe the model building codes of NA and most of Europe calls for 100 people occupancy. Unless it’s been changed in the last few years.
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I’ve seen a lot of places add those foot pull handles to doors since COVID. Not the best, but it’s a solution
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Use a paper towel to open the door and toss it into the next garbage you see outside the bathroom. Or toss it into the trash as you leave.
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Many places put these on the bottom of the door for this very reason. Granted they only help people able to use them.
Most general public bathrooms (ie. not ones found within stores/reataurants) in Australia don’t have doors - but rather an S-shaped path that provides privacy, without the necessary “stickiness” of having to touch a door handle.
Is this not common elsewhere?
That's what most airports, schools, and such seem to have in my experience. (U.S.)
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Nothing like losing your balance or getting your foot jammed when someone slams the door open from the other side. I prefer the wheelchair buttons
Best I can do is a Palantir face recognition device that verify your identity before allowing you out of the bathroom
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Recently saw a door with a little tab at the bottom to put your foot on and open it that way, surprisingly functional.
I absolutely love those things. I don't understand why they aren't everywhere. I've seen maybe half a dozen in my lifetime
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As everyone has already said, use the paper towels. Some doors are also equiped with a small piece of metal at the base of the door which you step on, and pull with your shoe
That foot thing is an awful design IMO. Rather than a step-on to pull, it should be a design that allows you to flex your foot up and hook it under something to pull. The step-on kind necessarily requires you to put weight on it, letting off pressure on your other foot thereby causing instability. This can be difficult to manage for lighter people or on doors requiring a heavier pull force to open. The hook under kind would stabilize the person trying to open the door.
Edit: there have been some good arguments for why the step-on kind has advantages. Clearly the only answer is for bathrooms to have two doors. One with a step-on and one with a hook-under.
But realistically the hook-under could easily have a top portion allowing step-on utilization as well.
Counter argument: having to hook your foot runs the risk of damaging the tops of your shoes (often softer material) or your foot if you're wearing sandals. You can be sure that the bottoms of everyone's shoes are designed for at least minimal impact protection.
I like the foot step and use them when I can, but it helps to reinforce that the paper towel with a well-placed trash can is the best method imo.
Handicapped people can press down, but not lift up, especially those in a wheelchair.
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There are a good reasons for this:
Inward opening doors pull air into the bathroom area and both contain the smells and germs, (the opposite is true for outward opening doors) but also bring additional fresh air in.
Doors that open outwards into hallways (where public access toilets are most commonly found) is a huge hazard to people passing the door.
Not to mention foot pulls and automatic door openers are becoming more common so you dont have to touch the handle as often.
Lots of newer public toilets (at least in australia) are designed with an s-bend entrance to eliminate doors completely (however require constant exhaust).
Toilets in commercial buildings often have ante-chambers where doors open both ways into the chamber so you have to touch a handle regardless of direction of travel. (Common in offices and hospitals)
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That door closer is installed on the wrong side of the door if its a pull, it's actually a push.
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My toilet is cleaner than 99% of my ancestors cooking tools.
For a hundred thousand years your ancestors people's population never broke a million either.
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Easy. You take one of those paper towels and keep it between you and the handle to open the door. Then you hold the door open with your foot while you try to toss the paper towel.
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Trick question. That door doesn't work. Someone installed it like an idiot.
I don't get it bro, the hinges, door closer and handle all are formatted properly to open inward.
Educate your heathen friend here.
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Foot pulls are a part-solution. Accessibility button as well.
The way people behave in airport bathrooms bothers me. The bathroom gets cleaned 5 times a day and people still use a mountain of tp on the seat and flush the toilet with their foot like a bunch of homo zombies with norovirus just rode the handle.
But if you must do the above, in any restroom with soap, wash your hands afterwards. You'd want your doctor to.
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IDGI
You clean your hands but then you have to touch a probably dirty handle to open the door.
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