THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, October 30, 1996 TAG: 9610300038
SECTION: DAILY BREAK PAGE: E3 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY LINDA MCNATT, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: 59 lines
LIKE OTHER women, Billie Purser of Gates, N.C., always has had to be careful when she sat.
But as she strolled out of the women's restroom at the Racetrac gasoline station on U.S. Route 58 just east of downtown Suffolk, she commented that things are looking up for those who sit down.
``Now, we can sit and still be clean,'' Purser said. ``It certainly is nice. A lot more sanitary.''
Purser was talking about Racetrac's Hygolet toilet seat. A protective seat covering, made in Switzerland and distributed in this country by a Florida company, it works like a typewriter ribbon:
A roll of thin plastic sleeving is in a cartridge at the back of the seat. As the used plastic rolls up, clean plastic continuously snakes around the toilet seat until the entire surface is sanitary again.
``It's fantastic!'' said Norma McDonough of Goldsboro, N.C. ``My husband is retired Air Force, and we do a lot of traveling. I've seen this before, but it's always nice to see it again. It makes you feel like the bathroom is spotless.''
The Hygolet seat - or Sanis Seat, as the company that distributes it locally likes to call it - has been in the United States for about two years, said Shirley Ketterman, site system administrator for Sanis of Richmond. It's used in both men's and women's restrooms.
It's been in local WalMarts for several months, and its plastic sleeves started creeping across the seats of Racetrac's commodes about two months ago.
``A lot of people don't know what it is when they first go in the bathrooms,'' said Marie Brown, Racetrac's co-manager. ``The first time I saw it was at one of our other stores. When it started moving, I jumped back and said, `Whoa! It's gonna bite me.' ''
Brown said Racetrac likely is one of the first gasoline station chains to begin using the sanitary seat covering because the company takes special pride in the cleanliness of its restrooms.
The seat - its mechanical parts are battery operated - is provided by and serviced by the distributor. One refill roll of plastic costs about $25 and lasts about a week, ``depending on how many people play with it,'' Brown said.
A sign on the seat invites users to press a large red button and tells them - in English and Spanish - that the plastic sleeve stops automatically.
Todd Artwohl, sales manager for Sanis' Hampton Roads district, said people like the idea that the used plastic sleeve is separated from the fresh plastic sleeve. There's no way germs can escape from one to the other.
That's important to a lot of people, he said, when there's so much concern about communicable diseases being passed through body fluids.
``It's selling extremely well in this area,'' Artwohl said.
Melissie Powers of Norfolk was chuckling when she walked out of the restroom at Racetrac.
``Oh, well, it's the first time I've seen it,'' she said. ``I think it's neat. I really like it. It's so clean.'' ILLUSTRATION: Photo by MICHAEL KESTNER/The Virginian-Pilot
Hygolet toilet seats are in Wal- Marts and Racetrac stations.
KEYWORDS: TOILET SEAT COVERS by CNB