One-third won't go back to a restaurant with a dirty bathroom

PHOENIX, June 30 (UPI) -- Almost 30 percent of U.S.adults say they will never return to a restaurant with a dirty bathroom, a survey indicates.

Elliott Greenberg, owner of www.TouchFreeConcepts.com said a recent survey conducted by Harris Interactive for SCA Tissue North America found 50 percent of restaurant patrons who have a negative experience with the restroom -- bad odors, grimy soap dispensers, dirty toilets and other cleanliness problems -- will discuss it to friends and family.

Every restaurant wants to provide customers with a clean, hygienic restroom, but they can become soiled quickly. Traditional soap dispensers require hand pumping, spread germs; and they also tend to leak, resulting in an unappealing congealed blob on the sink, Greenberg said.

Toilet levers notoriously spread germs and restrooms don't always smell good, Greenberg added.

Touch-free systems offer a solution to all these problems, and more restaurants and businesses are adopting them as are hospitals, health clubs and churches, Greenberg said

"We're getting a lot of orders," Greenberg said in a statement. "People are concerned about spreading germs, so they get touch-free faucets, touch-free auto soap dispensers and automatic flushers."

Touch-free flushers and faucets also reduce water consumption, she said.

"We live in a world that is consumed with hand sanitizers and green living. The consumer is acutely aware of those things that cause the spread of germs and bacteria," said Donna Santoro, senior product manager of the washroom solutions global business team for Rubbermaid Commercial Products. "And it is all about touching."