Three Thisters Guide to Toilets, Sinks, and Hand-drying Options in Public Restrooms

We were showing some friends from out of state around town a few weeks ago and visiting a public restroom here and there in the process. I became very aware of all the many methods there are for using the toilet, washing, and drying your hands. I wondered if any of our readers could be perplexed by all the options available from restroom to restroom and decided to present a guide here that I hope can be useful to you. Most people generally use the restroom in three stages, the toilet, then handwashing, then hand-drying. Each of these stages offer either a manual or motion-activated form of use, each of which I will cover here.

Toilets:

Some have a lever you push or pull when done. Some have a button. And some are motion activated and everything's taken care of almost before you can realize it's gone.

Sinks:

Some have a manual faucet. Others have a motion-activated sensor. And some dang things require you to push with one hand while you wash the other. Heh. Try doing that with a baby in your arms.

There is a small sub-category here, Soap dispensers:

Some you push manually, some have a motion activated sensor.

Hand-drying options:

Paper towels: Some you pull down manually. Some are motion activated by a wave of your hand.

Hot air blowers: Some require you to push a button. Others are motion activated, again by a wave of your hand.

As I outlined this information for our readers, I started to pick up on a trend. Each stage of the restroom experience is either manual or motion-activated, and can be recognized in the following ways:

Manual:
Most manual options will have a lever, or something to push or pull. In some cases, "PULL" will even be inscribed on some dispensers. This is not to be confused with a picture of a waving hand, which is solely for motion-activated paper towel dispensers.

Motion-Activated:
Sometimes the unit will be labeled "motion-activated." It is also possible that you will be able to locate a red, laser-like sensor. Stand in front of the sensor. In the case of toilets, whether or not it is labeled, all you must do is stand up.

I have included a printable here. Please download, print, and distress the edges with either a brown ink-pad or soaking with tea-bags and drop it in your purse as an easy reference the next time you or a little one has to go.