Most people don’t think about handwashing until they’re standing at a sink that doesn’t work, waving fruitlessly at a sensor that won’t activate. For decades, these frustrations have been accepted as part of public life. But one man is challenging that assumption—and doing so on a global scale.
Tim Cromley, better known as the Clean Hands Man, has washed his hands on six continents, studied public hygiene failures firsthand, and dedicated his work to reshaping how the world thinks about handwashing.
“It started about 20 years ago,” Cromley said. “I’ve asked the question repeatedly: What is this social contract we have that public handwashing can be substandard, and we’re okay with it?”
For Cromley, this isn’t a minor annoyance. It’s a global design problem with real health consequences—and one the janitorial, hygiene, and facility industries must confront.
Before the global travels, before the videos, before the growing movement, Cromley’s story begins in Colorado with the support system that keeps him grounded. Cromley said his wife and sons are his “best sounding boards,” questioning his ideas, challenging his conclusions, and helping him refine his mission. Their honest feedback helps reinforce a central part of Cromley’s identity: his work is not about judgment—it’s about improvement.
A global look
Cromley has filmed more than 130 handwashing videos documenting the state of public restrooms globally.
His criteria for a proper handwashing experience include five essentials:
- Touch-free water.
- Touch-free soap.
- Warm water.
- A hygienic method for drying.
- A touch-free exit.
It sounds simple. Yet, Cromley consistently finds breakdowns. “When I was in Las Vegas a couple weeks ago… I reached for the soap, and it didn’t work,” he said. “If that were the only sink in the facility, I would have been out of soap.”
Cromley isn’t accusing the public of bad behavior. He says the real problem is design. “I don’t think we have a behavior issue,” he said. “I think we actually have a design issue.”
Consider Cromley’s analogy of selling a misaligned car.
“I want to sell you this car, and it’s never going to be able to be aligned,” he said. “Give me $40,000. And you say, ‘Yeah, that’s no problem. I’m going to put tires on it every three months. I’m going to learn how to drive just a little bit to the left.’ That’s ridiculous.”
Yet in restrooms, society accepts those compromises every day.
Cromley’s time at the ISSA Show opened his eyes to a deeper challenge: Fragmentation. Every manufacturer believes they offer the right solution. Every distributor believes they sell the right products. Every facility manager thinks they’re doing their best.
“But what became apparent in those conversations was there needs to be a bridge between the different segments,” he said. “There are facility managers who are part of the solution. Manufacturers are part of the solution. Supply companies are part of the solution. It’s a real challenge.”
His goal isn’t to blame any one group—but to unite them. “It gives manufacturers the opportunity to get the right fixtures in,” Cromley said. “It gives supply companies the opportunity to have good supplies in. And it also gives facilities the chance to bring it all together.”
When restrooms fail
Cromley has seen some of the best—and worst—restrooms in the world.
One video he filmed in Denver International Airport turned unexpectedly somber. Beautiful fixtures, high-quality materials—and nothing worked. “If you go in there in the morning, there’s so much light shining in that it doesn’t actually work… none of the fixtures work,” Cromley said. “The soap fixtures don’t work. They’ve mounted hand pumps to get foam soap.”
Newark Airport had similar issues. “There’s a tag on it (a dispenser) that says this will be fixed in 48 hours,” Cromley explained. “I could tell by how torn that was that it had probably been there since they installed it.”
These aren’t the restrooms of small roadside diners. These are major airports serving millions of travelers.
“That’s one of the compromises that I think we can do better with,” he said. “I’m quite certain we can do better.”
Cromley’s 100th handwash was at the Louisville airport—and for the first time, every element worked. “I went to another restroom just to confirm… and it did,” he said. “It worked.” It was a small triumph, but one that proved something important: Cohesive, consistent hand hygiene design is possible.
What’s next?
Cromley’s next step is ambitious: a nationwide index to measure public restroom handwashing performance.
“My 2026 plans include an index that I’m going to publish about handwashing,“ he said. “It’ll include surveys within the industry, surveys for the public. It’ll also include profiles of places that are close to getting it right.”
He is also developing:
- A Clean Hands Certification for facilities.
- Retrofit and new-build case studies.
- Industry partnerships to implement better design.
- Technical standards developed with experts.
“I have a technical team actually working on that right now… how you can become a clean hand certified location,” Cromley said.
The index, he believes, will be a catalyst—a way to spark conversation, unify stakeholders, and raise expectations.
For manufacturers, distributors, facility managers, BSCs, and everyone connected to hygiene, Cromley’s message is clear: The world can do better—and the industry has the knowledge and capability to lead the way.
“Maybe one of these days I’ll make it to Antarctica and get a good handwash in,“ he joked. But beneath the humor is a serious purpose.
“I’ve yet to run into anyone who says, ‘No, I prefer to actually have fecal matter on my hands when I eat my chips.‘ Everyone agrees this matters. We just need cohesion to bring it all together.”
