A restaurant owner has developed a device intended to embarrass patrons into washing their hands after using the toilet.
Go deeper with GlobalData
Discover B2B Marketing That Performs
Combine business intelligence and editorial excellence to reach engaged professionals across 36 leading media platforms.
Gus Vlahos’ patented invention is a small electrical device that emits an audio message triggered by the frequency of a flushing toilet. The machine nags people in the washroom, saying, “Please wash your hands. Stay healthy, wash your hands.”
Vlahos explained to the Chicago Tribune: “I’ve been in the restaurant business for 40 years, and there’s one thing that always bothered me – people who don’t wash their hands after using the washroom. How can they ignore that?”
He added: “I’m in the bathrooms, what, 100 times a day? And what do I see? Customers, educated people, professional people, business people, even doctors, clergymen, using the washroom. But they use the toilet and they hit the door without washing their hands. They should know better.”
Vlashos said that the new device should shame offenders into staying clean: “People ignore signs, but with this one, they pay attention, and if it’s a larger washroom and others are in there, it will embarrass them into washing.
US Tariffs are shifting - will you react or anticipate?
Don’t let policy changes catch you off guard. Stay proactive with real-time data and expert analysis.
By GlobalData“The machine says, ‘Please wash your hands! Wash your hands!’ What can they do? Pretend they didn’t hear?”
