Touchless Soap Dispenser? Seriously?

[pelligrini]

I've seen a TV ad several times for some no-touch soap dispenser. Part of their marketing was something like "Handwashing is one of the most important..blah...blah...blah...you and your family will never have to touch a germy soap pump again."

The user is about to wash their hands, what difference does it make if there were even germs on the pump? They're going to get cleaned off in the washing.

Some of these products, and the advertising being used sure does seem insulting to me.

[smorris]

Several of us found it amusing that our CTO went off into a rant the other day about having to get these. The executives shouldn't have to touch the dispensers to get soap.

[cabinetman]

I've seen a TV ad several times for some no-touch soap dispenser.

I've seen that ad. I think it's more purposed to having a regulated output. They along with "no touch" paper towel dispenser, and the "no touch" urinals and toilets, the technology is out there in public restrooms.

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[Tom Slick]

"Touchless" fixtures have a place in public restrooms because less "touching" means less mess for the janitor and keeps the area cleaner. At home I'm not sure it really makes any difference.

[jaybee]

Too many times I've had my hands under the touchless water spout to rinse off the soap, and have more soap from the too closely placed dispenser be glopped out and wasted. NOT a fan.

[leehljp]

Many many public rest rooms (expressway-road side stops, restaurants or department stores here - Japan) have the touchless water and touchless soap dispensers in them. It has become so common that when I go into a public restroom without those, I think how out of touch that place is.

The self flushing, bottom washing toilet seats with auto seat raising and lowering are becoming quite common in homes, and quite a few public places have them also.

Japan often adopts technology things like that pretty fast. It is getting hard to find ordinary light bulbs here, including the screw in fluorescent bulbs. The LED light bulbs display area in home centers is nearly twice that of both the incandescent and fluorescent section - excluding the long tube type area.

I am going to miss the technology of this place come mid December!

[pelligrini]

I fully appreciate the touchless and automatic sensor technology, which is quite useful in the public sector. I was just a bit put off by the advertising for this specific product.

[Richard in Smithville]

One of the worst areas to touch in a public rest room has got to be the door handle as you exit. All that touchless soaping, washing, and drying, has all been for nought unless you get someone to hold the door for you.

[LCHIEN]

touchless toilets, touchless faucets, touchless soap dispenser, touchless air hand dryers or towel dispensers.

Would it not be easier if we just had machinery that would allow you to use the restroom without touching yourself?

[RAFlorida]

New tech and useful.

But as Richard noted, the door handle/knob is full of germs. Count those who do not wash their hands after using the bathroom. Viola, germs galore. When I wash my hands, I keep the paper towel and use it to open the door.

[Cochese]

Great way to get your kids to wash their hands.

[jackellis]

The LED light bulbs display area in home centers is nearly twice that of both the incandescent and fluorescent sectio

Hank, I'm curious. How much are 60 watt incandescents and how much iare equivalent LED bulbs? Yen or dollar equivalent, doesn't matter.

[phrog]

While I was in undergraduate school, my Micro class did an experiment where we tested a number of objects for germs. The soap dispenser in the public restroom came in as number one (of the objects we tested) for the number of germs. Would like to see germdoc comment on this.

[leehljp]

Hank, I'm curious. How much are 60 watt incandescents and how much iare equivalent LED bulbs? Yen or dollar equivalent, doesn't matter.

60 watt lumens equiv LEDs are to around $10 for the none name brand but name brand ones are closer to $15.00

Fluorescent screw-in bulbs have been in those price ranges for the past 5 years but last year began to come down to about $7.00 - $12.00.

Incandescent bulbs run about a $1.50 to $4.00 with the average being about $2.50.

I installed about 24 (@ about $12.00 each) fluorescent screw-in bulbs back in '04 and our electric bill dropped about an average of $120.00 a month from June through Aug and close to $100 in May and Sept. - which I contribute primarily to the AC not having to cool the heat from incandescent bulbs. There was a savings in the reduced use of electricity for the fluorescent bulbs, but the greatest was the less cooling needed. I have replaced 5 bulbs in 6 years, so I came out way ahead with that change. Also, in spite of rising utility costs, we have not reached the monthly electricity cost level that we had prior to 2004 for the summer months.

Concerning the LEDs, for chart comparison purposes they compare lumens. When I did compare the lumens equivalent of the LEDs and Fluorescents, the LEDs always showed about 20% less lumens for what they showed as equivalent fluorescent bulbs. And for watt usage - I don't remember exactly "how much" but it seems like the LEDS do use about a third of the electricity of the fluorescent bulbs. When it gets down to 12 or 10 watts vs 10 to 6 watts, it is not that much - for nearly the equivalent of a 60 watt incandescent.

I personally can tell there is a lumens difference (deficiency) in the between LEDs vs incandescent for those over here. It seems like flashlights are brighter. But the current fluorescent screw in bulbs do compare favorably with incandescents in terms of lumens. If they would only put about 10% to 15% more LEDs in a single bulb it would help offset this lumen's deficiency, IMO.

The prices listed above were for the local area home centers, not the dollar store bulbs.

[Kristofor]

It's interesting that your LED bulbs are so much cheaper but the incandescent are 6-10x the cost compared to over here. Is there a surcharge on non-LED/CFL bulbs?