Toepener is a useful device that allows you to open doors with your foot.
L-shaped design makes it easy to use and remove your foot safely. It is a simple, germ-free option for exiting public restrooms. [order]
For more clever designs, check out: 12 Brilliant and Useful Inventions
Manpreet
Oh my goodness, I need to get this.
Seems especially useful if you’re carrying a mulitude of items or a large item with both of your hands.
Apr 9th, 2011
Fillibert
that’s how I flush public toilets. We have a restaurant that has a button on the floor to flush. Everything should be foot activated in there like step on a button to turn the water on in the sink.
Apr 9th, 2011
Ben
I worked at a place that had these installed in the buildings. They sucked. In the avg commercial building, the automatic closers on the doors are so strong that they make them very awkward to use. You found yourself pulling it forward and then throwing an elbow in the doorway to open it the rest of the way- it’s just not a very natural motion.
Apr 9th, 2011
Sarah
Thats so awesome! I hate going to the bathroom and having to touch the door afterwards, its so unhygenic
Apr 9th, 2011
Amm
Great idea! Easy and (probably) quite cheap to implement too. Surprised it hasn’t been produced commercially and used everywhere yet.
Apr 9th, 2011
Fattom
Nice solve, but isn’t the best fix having the door open out? I never understood why all bathroom doors don’t just open out…
Apr 10th, 2011
Cj
@Fattom… because then you hit the little kids who are running towards the bathroom as fast as they can
Apr 10th, 2011
c
why are those doors always so heavy?
Apr 10th, 2011
Mahmoud
great idea
Apr 10th, 2011
Doc
Why not just get rid of doors altogether. Some comfort rooms just use bending hallways to give the needed privacy. Would be good for cubicle doors though.
Apr 10th, 2011
Christian
Just what I was going to mention, Doc. The bending hallway is quite the hygienic innovation.
Apr 10th, 2011
Keith
So, what happens when you’ve got your foot on it and someone decides to come in from the outside?
Apr 10th, 2011
Veronica
I was just thinking about that @Keith
Apr 10th, 2011
Deanna
@Fattom
Bathroom doors don’t open outwards because of the fire code.
Apr 10th, 2011
Jahangir
It is ideal for “toilets” :)
Apr 10th, 2011
Nath
I am in a wheelchair… how do I open doors then ?
Apr 11th, 2011
woops
@ Doc and Christian
It must have to depend on the size of the bathroom itself. The larger the bathroom (like in airports or movie theatres), the less privacy is needed. But if it was a small office building with a 3 stall bathroom, I’d expect more privacy.
Apr 11th, 2011
ti @ cafe
@Nath
The door still have a regular handle like all other normal doors…
Apr 11th, 2011
Raf
This is a very old idea, and there are several almost identical solutions implemented already. Just google door+open+foot, or door+handle+foot and these kind of key-words.
Check out the StepNpull, as an example.
It´s just another case of extremelly lack of research before investing time and money on an “innovative” project.
Apr 12th, 2011
Jacob
For those saying just make all bathroom doors push out, that isn’t always possible. Building codes dictate whether that can be done based on the circumstances of what is outside that door, how much space, what doors are surrounding it, the purpose of the space, etc. It gets very complicated, and thus outswing bathroom doors are not plausible options most of the time. High traffic areas are not safe for outswing doors.
Also vestibule, or ear canal entries, or whatever you may call them, doorless winding entries are great solutions often used now, however most places don’t have the square footage necessary for this type of entry, or aren’t willing to spend the money on it, when they can simply put in a door. Cost supercedes user experience in many cases.
Handicap accessibility would be the biggest issue with the foot pull often.
They have created door handles that are charged I believe, that kill bacteria and are self cleansing for this purpose.
This is a straight forward, simple and cheap solution to a common problem. However there are many alternative ‘better’ solutions as well.
Apr 14th, 2011
cooper
Bathroom doors CAN swing out. They are only an issue with Fire Codes if the call way they swing into is not wide enough for minimum clearances, but that’s more an ADA issue, not fire. Door swinging and hitting people is the same issue weather it swings in or out – thus NON ISSUE…
Bathrooms should ALWAYS be designed with out swinging doors – and buildings i design (if space allows) I always have them swing out. Problem solved.
Jul 21st, 2012