My (trivial) rant for the day - McDonald's wipes dispensers

[bcla]

Not sure if this is around the US (or even outside) but at least in my region almost every McDonald's has a dispenser that contains hand wipes. This is the design around here:

Sounds great, although there were a few things I find a little weird. First is the design. The wipes have to be threaded through the little cross-cut hole on the top. Sometimes when one is pulled the next one falls back in. If nobody has pulled one out in a while, up to maybe three of them will dry out since it's about 8 inches to where they come out of the bag, while the ones still against the package will still be wet. So I'll pull out the dry ones and toss them. And I'll open it myself it's not threaded through the hole, but it can hurt trying to open it up since there's a really tight mechanism and the edges aren't rounded to make it easy on the hands. It's not exactly razor sharp, but it can hurt to open it.

I wasn't sure about what's in the wipes until I opened one up and found it was empty. They look like rayon wipes, and the bag says it's a benzalkonium chloride solution. They have no strong odor. I don't mind using them, but I'm wondering if they could do a better job of dispensing them.

 

[ronandannette]

I have never in my life seen anything like this at a McDonald's nor would I bother to use them. I'd be more impressed if they had paper towels in the washrooms instead.

 

[disneychrista]

I've seen them but like the one pictured above they never seem to have wipes. I guess this is so we can wipe our own tables now, since they never seem to have someone in the lobby/dinning room to do it any more.

 

[PrincessShmoo]

I'd be more impressed if they had paper towels in the washrooms instead.

YES!!!!

 

[bcla]

I've seen them but like the one pictured above they never seem to have wipes. I guess this is so we can wipe our own tables now, since they never seem to have someone in the lobby/dinning room to do it any more.

McDonald's were universally the first places I remember that had hand dryers. I remember the traditional hand dryer since at least the mid-70s. I haven't seen a McDonald's in the US that had paper towels.

 

[Kitty 34]

Sorry I'm one of those bad pollutants.....I only use the drive thru the few times in the past few years I've gone to McDonald's.

 

[tvguy]

I haven't seen them in a McDonalds, but the local chain grocery store chain and Neighborhood Walmart have something similar for wiping down the shopping cart handles.

I can't speak to every McDonalds in the U.S., but I have been in two in the past month had no hand dryers, just paper towels. But, I am in California, and given all the bad press hand dyers have gotten in recent years for spreading bacteria, that could be because employees have to wash their hands in the restroom too, I wonder if state health code requires paper towels.

 

[disneychrista]

But, I am in California, and given all the bad press hand dyers have gotten in recent years for spreading bacteria, that could be because employees have to wash their hands in the restroom too, I wonder if state health code requires paper towels.

I'm in California and have never seen one with paper towels.

 

[Flowers12]

They are here and always empty

 

[ronandannette]

I haven't seen them in a McDonalds, but the local chain grocery store chain and Neighborhood Walmart have something similar for wiping down the shopping cart handles.

I can't speak to every McDonalds in the U.S., but I have been in two in the past month had no hand dryers, just paper towels. But, I am in California, and given all the bad press hand dyers have gotten in recent years for spreading bacteria, that could be because employees have to wash their hands in the restroom too, I wonder if state health code requires paper towels.

I have seen those here too and it's not a bad idea. As for McDonald's - what is one supposed to wipe? @disneychrista mentioned the tables but I think that's a bit much. It might make more sense if they had hand sanitizer like on cruise ships.

 

[PrincessShmoo]

I have seen those here too and it's not a bad idea. As for McDonald's - what is one supposed to wipe? @disneychrista mentioned the tables but I think that's a bit much. It might make more sense if they had hand sanitizer like on cruise ships.

I think the idea is the hand sanitizers that dispense liquid can actually be touched by others, possibly negating the point. The paper wipes, generally, will mean only the person using them will touch them. Of course, if someone actually opens the dispenser and feeds the wipes up through the feeder hole, then all bets are off.

 

[bcla]

I have seen those here too and it's not a bad idea. As for McDonald's - what is one supposed to wipe? @disneychrista mentioned the tables but I think that's a bit much. It might make more sense if they had hand sanitizer like on cruise ships.

Depends on what it is. Some are just alcohol based, while some are more like household disinfectant wipes. I'm not sure what brands you would have, but I'm thinking like Clorox or Lysol wipes. The ones at McDonald's around here have a broad-spectrum antimicrobial active ingredient and are meant as hand wipes. However, there's no sign saying exactly what it is. For a while (until I saw the inside label) I though they were just basic wet cleaning wipes that one could use to wipe off ketchup.

The ones I see are basically medical wipes. There not labelled as such, but I've read that they have a residual disinfecting property.

https://www.ecolab.com/offerings/disinfectant-wipes/quaternary-disinfectant-wipes

 

[RedAngie]

Restrooms could always revert to these sanitary things.




And these. Both were common when I was a kid and teen.

 

[disneychrista]

As a kid there was a pizza place that had that towel thing. Thought it was so cool. So gross as an adult.