The door handle inside public restrooms has to be among the dirtiest things in the world. That’s why it doesn’t matter how many times you wash your hands before exiting — you’re going to have to touch that filthy handle on your way out anyway. Unless you’re using a restroom equipped with the Toepener, that is.
Instead of forcing you to soil your hands in that likely germ-infested handle, the fitting lets you use your feet to pull the door open. Mounted near the bottom of the door, you just hook it with the tip of your shoe and pull your leg back. And your hand stays clean for just a little while longer.
The Toepener is a simple metal handle with a horizontal grip (so you can hook it with your toes) that can be screwed on any part of a wooden door (preferably near the bottom, though, since it’s for feet). While that sounds painfully simple, it solves a very real concern that most people have probably thought about at one time or another.
As an added bonus, the low-mounted handle means everyone can easily open the door, including kids, trained dogs and humans accidentally shrunk by a particle-altering laser beam. On the flip side, there’s a chance you can actually break an ankle here if you have your foot hooked and someone drunkenly pushes through the door. Ouch.
Of course, a product like the Toepener ($49.95) is best sold to establishments that have a public restroom in the premises. For your own peace of mind, we recommend carrying something like the Pocket Purifier for blasting germs off those door handles before touching them.
[Toepener]