Bathroom Stalls

[Stitch_lover_Sith]

OK This is going to sound really wierd but does it bug anyone that bathroom stalls open towards the toilet instead of out from the toilet. This makes it so you have very little room to move around. I notice this in almost every bathroom I have been in including Disney. Does anyone else see this design flaw?

 

[Aidensmom]

I'm with you on that, especially when you are trying to fit a preschooler into the stall with you!

 

[Lizzybee]

I never noticed that, but I'll tell ya what, after 2-3 days at Disney I'm just happy to sit in the bathroom...just to be able to SIT.

 

[CleveRocks]

If they opened out we'd be complaining of getting biffed in the face by doors every now and then rather than the inconvenience of getting out! Next time, disengage the door lock, then walk backwards out the door -- it's the same way you walked IN and it's a lot easier. I've finally found a use for my expertise.

-- Eric

 

[AJKMOM]

They open toward the commode for safety reasons. Someone else could get hit every time a door opened if the user wasn't careful. Imagine a youngster using the facilities and pushing the door into traffic!

Then, what if the user forgot to lock the door? It would be wide open into the rest room while they are "doing their business".

 

[kaabost]

OMG! I'm glad that I'm not the only one who has noticed and wondered about this! It's no big deal if the bathroom stall isn't incredibly small but alot of times it is. Being a toilet-phobe, I bend my body in all sorts of strage ways to get past the door without touching the toilet. I suppose CleveRocks has a good point about doors hitting people on the other side (should they be hinged in the opposite direction) but I think I would rather discourage people from hanging out directly outside my stall door anyway

 

[DebbieB]

I was thinking about that yesterday when I was in the airport. I had a rolling bag, a small bag and my purse, it was hard to get in there! On the other hand, I could see the problem if they opened out, people would get hit.

 

[BonnieA]

I can just see it now. People walking down the aisle to get to an open stall and BAM, a door right in the face. Yep, too dangerous to open outward. Guess we have to deal with the inconvience.

 

[SueM in MN]

I'm with you on that, especially when you are trying to fit a preschooler into the stall with you!

OK, let's say you are in the stall and the door opened out.
If your preschooler decided to fiddle with the lock or just touched against the door and the lock didn't hold the door would open, possibly hitting someone plus displaying you still on the throne. What are you going to do about it?

Now, think of the same situation with the door opening in.
Your preschooler fiddles with the lock and since the door opens in, you have an opportunity to hold the door shut with your foot or tell your child to stay right wherre they arre and the door won't open any farther.

It's not a design flaw. It's a safety feature for many reasons.

 

[MommyPoppins]

OK, let's say you are in the stall and the door opened out.
If your preschooler decided to fiddle with the lock or just touched against the door and the lock didn't hold the door would open, possibly hitting someone plus displaying you still on the throne. What are you going to do about it?

Now, think of the same situation with the door opening in.
Your preschooler fiddles with the lock and since the door opens in, you have an opportunity to hold the door shut with your foot or tell your child to stay right wherre they arre and the door won't open any farther.

It's not a design flaw. It's a safety feature for many reasons.

I'm sure the OP meant more that the flaw is having the door open in and not making the stall large enough to fit inside and shut the door. I imagine that this ticks people off who aren't tiny. Disneys are small and boy so are Toys R Us. Try fitting into one of those disney stalls with 2 preschoolers and being pregnant. You practically have to stand on the toliet to shut the door. No, what really gets me is the force that the toliet flushes if you don't jump back and press yourself against the door you get sprayed.

 

[Aidensmom]

OK, let's say you are in the stall and the door opened out.
If your preschooler decided to fiddle with the lock or just touched against the door and the lock didn't hold the door would open, possibly hitting someone plus displaying you still on the throne. What are you going to do about it?

Now, think of the same situation with the door opening in.
Your preschooler fiddles with the lock and since the door opens in, you have an opportunity to hold the door shut with your foot or tell your child to stay right wherre they arre and the door won't open any farther.

It's not a design flaw. It's a safety feature for many reasons.

I was just making a lighthearted comment on how it impacts the size of the stall. I'm sure a lot of thought was put into the design, I have no intentions of starting a petition to change it.

 

[Stitch_lover_Sith]

This has become much bigger than I intended. I was jsut wonerding if others noticed this to. There can't be that much of a safety issue because all the stalls at my school open outward and we never have any problems. I think if it was what people are used to there would not be any issues. No I am not campaigning to change it. As I said just wondering if any else noticed this phenomion.

 

[maxsmom]

Too funny! Last yr when I was pregnent was the 1st time I noticed it. There were a few stalls I didn't think I was getting out of. The real problem came when they also put the toilet paper on the same side as the door latch. If it's on the opposite then it's behind the door when it's open. When it's not behind the door and the stall was really small became a problem. Needless to say I started using only the handicap stalls.

 

[DizBelle]

We have one restaurant here where the doors open in and the stalls are so small that the door is stopped from opening by the toilet. You can get in but you have to go in, stand next to the toilet, close the door, and then move to in front of the toilet. There has to be a better way.

 

[SueM in MN]

I was just making a lighthearted comment on how it impacts the size of the stall. I'm sure a lot of thought was put into the design, I have no intentions of starting a petition to change it.

I was posting quickly this morning and also meant to be lighthearted. I should have put a couple of these
and these
and these
in my post.
My youngest DD uses a wheelchair, so I've spend a lot of bathroom time in stalls that open out......
When she was little, she thought it was hilarious
to threaten to open the door on me.
More than once I had to decide whether I could trust her not to do it again
or quickly get her out of there,
hope no one noticed
and then come back into the bathroom by myself.

Oh, why did I ever think it wass a good idea to teach her how to release the brakes on her wheelchair?