At the Hand Wash

A well designed wash area will not leave you wet. But many patron bathrooms (I use this term instead of public restrooms, which are usually larger, and free to non-customers and customers alike), even when amply supplied with drying devices, cause an irreversible water flow ("Water Trickle") onto the arm.

Here’s how:

1. Wash area is in small 'one man' bathroom, as you might find in a restaurant.
2. Wash area uses paper towel dispenser (it is irrelevant how the sheets are dispensed).
3. Dispenser sits on the wall next to sink, about shoulder to head high.
4. User is wearing a long sleeved Oxford shirt.
5. After washing, user raises arms to retrieve paper sheets.
6. Position of arms (vertical) causes water from hands and wrists to trickle down, under the sleeves of shirt.

The problem is the location of the paper towel supply. It is too high. A smart user knows to arrange drying material before starting the wash. That is, to pre-pull or pre-prompt (depending on manual or automatic). The effect is to minimize the post-wash 'wetfetch' period.

But despite this planning, the user is penalized because the very act of collecting the pre-pulled towels causes the Water Trickle. A user can get around this, if there is a place BELOW chest-level to place the towels. If a restroom is small, of the restaurant one-shooter variety described above, then it should:

1. Set some loose (freed) towels on a low-level, near the sink.

If such a bathroom neither has a ready supply at low-level, nor has ample space on or near sink for the user to place pre-collected towels, then the user may avoid Water Trickle:

1. Manually or auto ready a good stretch of sheets.
2. After washing, reach for the towels avoiding raising arms.
3. Tack horizontally, hands first.
4. OR: One efficient maneuver is to press hands together as in prayer--ELBOWS OUT.
5. Then raise hands toward towels, like a pincer.

Good luck.

Home bathrooms have it right regarding the level of the towel. The rack is positioned at just the right height, allowing for a quick dry-off....so long as there is a clean towel to which the user believes he is entitled to use.