Easy Clean | Self Cleaning Faucet Concept

When designing a space for universal design, another issue to consider is if a person has difficulty gripping their hands. Doorknobs and other knob shaped controls can be difficult to grasp and turn. Accessible features such as lever door handles, loop cabinetry handles, and lever shower controls can help. Sink faucets are another area where alternatives to knob controls can be used. Single lever faucets are good because they can be used with one hand in a fist shape. You’ve probably also seen advertisements for faucets that can be turned on just by touching it. However that also means you might have to wash the faucet itself if your hands were really messy. There have also been studies that show that touch faucets contain more bacteria because of all the small mechanical parts within the faucet. What about a faucet that could be turned on with a touch, without small mechanical parts, and is self cleaning? Designers Wu Chi-Hua and Wang Li-Hsin did this with their  Easy Clean self cleaning faucet.

Their Red Dot award winning concept design is surprisingly simple and functional. The faucet is waterfall style with a long open mouth. To turn on, you simply tap down on the bottom of the mouth. Since you’re tapping down in the same area as the water flow, any dirt, grime, etc. will be washed away. Once your hands are clean, you can push the mouth back up to turn off. Creating a faucet that is simple and sanitary. I imagine that intensity of the water flow can  be controlled by how far you push the mouth down. Water temperature could also be controlled by swiveling left or right.

A nice design that can be used by people with arthritis, nerve damage, or other conditions that limit hand use. All while lowering maintenance and increasing sanitation.