The 'Sink-Urinal' Saves Water, Encourages Men To Wash Hands | Hacker News Reader

The 'Sink-Urinal' Saves Water, Encourages Men To Wash Hands

npr.org

52 pointssethbannon45 comments

> When asked whether folks might find the sink and the urinal a little too close for comfort, Jursons says, "It is more suitable for hygiene than just a urinal and then guys who don't wash [their] hands."

Doesn't answer the question for those of us that DO wash our hands.

I used a water saving toilet in a holiday shack with a handbasin on the top which drained into the cistern below so the water got reused. Interesting idea but not convincingly useful. It lacked warm water for starters so it is a fairly casual hand wash and the water only ran while the cistern was refilling. As a water saving measure I am more impressed with no-flush or reduced flush urinals and dual flush toilets. Not sure on the hand washing aspect. Is walking a couple of meters to a hand basin really that hard?

I give it 15 minutes before someone pisses all over the faucet.

Exactly what I thought... Some tall, drunk, guy (me) will ruin it for everyone else.

That's probably why the faucet is "hands-free and sensor-activated" :)

I fail to see how that would prevent the problem. If I piss on the tap, how eager will you be to wash your hands using water that flows through the tap?

How often do people piss that far up a urinal? Doesn't seem common from my experience.

Found this in a hostel in SF: https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/13002145/toilet_sink.jpg

It's actually incredibly efficient, using the same water which is typically used to fill the reservoir tank for future flushes. Felt odd at first, but only a took a day to assimilate.

This sink would actually discourage me from washing my hands. I'm not going to handle my relatively clean schlong and then try to make my hands clean by using a sink that's splattered in yellow! This certainly would succeed at making me use less water though!

Well, if you read the article, the tap is sensor activated. You don't actually touch it at all.

Well, actually, urine is sterile. So cleanliness isn't really a factor in deciding not to use it.

It is pretty gross in an illogical way, though.

Fresh urine is sterile. It's a good breeding ground though, so it rapidly becomes less sterile.

> Fresh urine is sterile. It's a good breeding ground though, so it rapidly becomes less sterile.

Could you explain this a little for the biological layman?

There be no animals in urine from start.

But animals like urine, because urine tasty. So many animals come to urine ASAP!

It's sterile when it comes out of you. However, once it's out of you, and sitting there in a puddle, it is very easy for bacteria to grow in it.

I think this would qualify as one of these: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6000815

Urine in your bladder is sterile. It passes through your urethra on the way out, which is definitely not sterile.

I think automotive grease is roughly sterile as well, but I don't want to have it smeared all over my hands all the time. There are extremely practical reasons to not want urine on your hands other than the transmission of bacteria. And not illogical, either -- the smell is not pleasant, and it would certainly be a social impediment.

Why wash if you're only using the urinal? Your penis is cleaner than your hands.

Ummm... We wash our hands regularly to promote hygiene. Do you wash your penis as often as I wash my hands?

On the other hand you're touching dirty stuff (like keyboards, or doors in public places) with your hands much more often than with your penis.

One would hope.

Yes, and I wash my hands also. But consider that you don't often shake penises as a greeting. I presume the GP's theory to be that a penis doesn't need to be washed regularly because it seldom contacts foreign bacteria.

I don't urinate on my hands...

Typically you touch less things with it :)

Personally I think washing your hands should be done before and after :)

Agreed. If your "penis is cleaner than your hands", why are you contaminating it when your hands? Or, you could wash both after.

You have probably been in contact with lots of unhygienic stuff during the day, so why not wash your hands anyway?

Microscopic particles of fecal matter can be carried in your sweat from your anus onto your penis. You should wash your hands.

Awesome. And you can brush your teeth and pee at the same time too.

I have no problem washing my hands in normal restroom sinks. What's next, bidets for those who don't wash their asses?

(yes, I saw the article about Japanese toilets a few months back)

great concept, horrible product design!

...the sink should be above but somewhat connected to the urinal, as not to gross some people out by having them use a sink that's "in one block" with the bottom piece. It's the kind of very functional design that stays totally oblivious tot he psychology of users.

Combination sink-toilets are very common, a wide variety can be seen on Google images.

https://www.google.com/search?q=combination+sink+toilet&tbm=...

There are old toilets around here where the cistern lid is the handbasin - the basin greywater drains into the cistern.

I think this kind of urinal would have to be placed dependent on what kind of patrons you have.

What are you referring to? Where is "here"? Why so vague?

Melbourne.

Vague because it's not particularly important where the location is, just that the idea has precedent, and it gets tiring having to note your location for reference every few comments.

Most home toilets in Japan have a washbasin in the lid.

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