MENOMONEE FALLS, Wis. -- When on a car trip, Wisconsinites chose gas stations as their preferred bathroom stop, and Kwik Trip topped the list, according to a statewide hand washing survey conducted by Bradley Corp., Menomonee Falls, Wis., a leading manufacturer of bathroom furnishings and accessories.
In Bradley's 2011 Healthy Hand Washing Survey, 27% of state residents said a gas station was their first choice for a restroom break. Kwik Trip was the gas station most commonly mentioned by name.
Coming in a close second as a preferred pit stop were state rest areas, which collected 25% of Wisconsinites' votes. Fast-food restaurants finished third, with 19%.
In the nationwide version of the survey, fast-food restaurants were the first choice for 26% of Americans (McDonald's was most frequently mentioned). Rest areas remained second with 25% of the vote, and gas stations came in third with 15%.
Click here for previous CSP Daily News coverage of the 2011 CSP-Service Intelligence Mystery Shop bathroom category results, featuring the winners Casey's, Thorntons and Jacksons. And click here to read the full mystery shop feature in the August issue of CSP magazine.
Whatever the location, the survey revealed state residents are diligent about washing their hands.
Wisconsinites wash up 90% of the time after using a public restroom, a statistic that mirrors the nationwide response of 90%. The survey did find a slight disparity in the use of soap. State residents said they use soap 84% of the time after using a public restroom, versus 88% nationally.
When asked if they were germaphobes just 5% of Wisconsinites admitted being obsessed with cleanliness and having a fear of germs or unsanitary surfaces. That compares with 11% nationally.
However, when asked what three surfaces they dislike touching the most in a public restroom, stall door handles, restroom entrance doors and faucet handles came in first, second and third for both groups.
Wisconsin respondents also registered their annoyance with restroom fixtures. A total of 85% found it extremely or very aggravating to find a toilet paper dispenser jammed or empty, 82% felt the same way about partition doors that don't latch closed and 76% couldn't stand a restroom that looked old, dirty or unkempt.
While Wisconsinites' responses closely matched the national levels at 87%, 83% and 80%, respectively, state residents were still overall less aggravated than their counterparts throughout the country.
The online survey of 304 Wisconsin adults was conducted August 1-3, 2011.
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