Maybe I should date a bathroom.

The photo caption reads, "Restroom areas should be warm and attractive, as well as clean and convenient."

This is in an article titled "Germ Wars" by Kris Alderson in the February 2009 issue of American School and University magazine.

The article also mentions, "A survey conducted by papermaker Kimberly-Clark found that some school restrooms are so uninviting and even repellent that one out of five students refuses to use them. Another study found that more than two out of five middle school and high school students avoid using bathrooms."

I'd like to see the questions on those surveys. I don't think the problem is with the restrooms themselves (and I have examples from my own life to support my argument). In junior high, I didn't use the school bathrooms because there were no doors on the stalls. In high school, I didn't use them because they were populated by smokers (but they had doors).

I thought of an alternative. Tell me if you think it will work. I've noticed that some airports eliminated doors to the restrooms (but keep them in the stalls), using switchback or curved entrances instead. My guess is that this is for the convenience of travelers carrying purses, briefcases, or other carry-on bags. How about installing them in high school bathrooms, so that cigarette smoke won't be contained behind a closed door? Get rid of the denizens that make the restroom unfavorable, and students might not be afraid to use them any more.