
The 'Sink-Urinal' Saves Water, Encourages Men To Wash Hands - sethbannon
http://www.npr.org/blogs/alltechconsidered/2013/07/09/200367795/the-sink-urinal-saves-water-encourages-men-to-wash-hands
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peeters
> 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.

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shirro
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?

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

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

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jessaustin
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?

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

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

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beloch
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!

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sillysaurus
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.

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

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_pmf_
> 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?

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JanezStupar
There be no animals in urine from start.

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

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

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D9u
Ummm... We wash our hands regularly to promote hygiene. Do you wash your penis
as often as I wash my hands?

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krichman
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.

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D9u
I don't urinate on my hands...

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

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D9u
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)

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nnq
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.

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foobarbazqux
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=...](https://www.google.com/search?q=combination+sink+toilet&tbm=isch)

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vacri
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.

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

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vacri
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.

