Even though hand washing is the #1 defense against illness, fewer Wisconsin parents plan to talk to their children about the need to soap up, compared to the rest of the country. In Wisconsin, 78 percent of parents say they’ll address the topic before their children go back to school versus 86 percent nationally.

The top three messages parents plan to convey are: always wash your hands after using the restroom; always wash before eating; and hand washing prevents the spread of germs.

The findings come from a statewide Healthy Hand Washing Survey conducted by Bradley Corporation of Menomonee Falls, a leading manufacturer of bathroom and locker room furnishings, including sinks, faucets, hand dryers, showers and lockers.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is unequivocal about the benefits of hand washing, calling it critical in preventing infection and illness.

According to Jon Dommisse, director of global marketing & strategic development at Bradley Corporation, the Healthy Hand Washing Survey serves a valuable purpose. “We want our annual survey to call attention to the importance of hand washing and the benefits it delivers because hand washing is truly the first defense against germs.”

Room for Improvement

As a whole, Wisconsinites seem to be doing a good job of hand washing but there’s always room for improvement. The survey queried state residents on how often they wash their hands after using a public restroom. 67 percent say they always wash up, 30 percent say usually or about half the time and 3 percent say they usually don’t or never do.

The incidence of just rinsing is also on the rise in the state. 68 percent admit they’ve sometimes simply rinsed with water instead of soaping up for a proper cleaning (compared to 57 percent two years ago). In addition, 26 percent say they frequently see others leave a public restroom without washing their hands.

While 50 percent of Wisconsinites don’t do anything after seeing someone skip hand washing, others do take action. Respondents say they avoid contact with anything the non-washer touched, wash their own hands more thoroughly, mention it to a family member or friend and avoid the person in general.

The survey also shows that some state residents go to great lengths to avoid coming into contact with germs in a public restroom. They commonly employ such tactics as: operate the toilet flusher with their foot (53 percent do so); use a paper towel when touching the restroom door (52 percent) and faucet handles (31 percent); and open and close doors with their hip (41 percent).

However, in general, Wisconsinites are less likely to take evasive maneuvers than the rest of the country. For example, 64 percent of Americans operate the toilet flusher with their foot versus 53 percent of Wisconsin residents and nationally 60 percent use a paper towel when touching the restroom door handle versus 52 percent in the Badger state.

Public Restroom Dissatisfaction

Unfortunately, more Wisconsinites than ever before say they’ve had a particularly unpleasant experience in a public restroom due to the condition of the facilities (60 percent this year compared to 50 percent the last two years). The top complaints were: a really bad smell; toilets that are clogged or not flushed; and an overall appearance that’s dirty, unkempt or old.

For Wisconsin businesses an unpleasant restroom experience can translate into lost sales since 67 percent of state residents say they’ll either think twice about patronizing the location or will never frequent it again. That’s a significant increase from last year when 54 percent said they would be unlikely to return.

Wisconsinites Differ on Pit Stop Preferences

Finally, the survey queried Wisconsinites on their preferred pit stop location when taking a road trip. Unlike the rest of the country, state residents’ number one choice is to visit a gas station for a bathroom break (25 percent of the vote). Rest areas and fast food restaurants tied for second with each receiving 20 percent. In contrast, the rest of the country selected rest areas, fast food restaurants and then gas stations as their first, second and third choices.

The Healthy Hand Washing survey queried 307 Wisconsin residents Aug. 1-5 about their hand washing habits in restrooms. Participants ranged in age from 18 to 65 and older. The national survey was conducted during the same time with 1,015 American adults.