I recently returned from a yearly trip to DisneyWorld, and as usual was perplexed at the powdered soap they have in the restrooms. DisneyWorld is the only place I’ve been to that has powdered soap, and I assume DisneyLand has it as well. The question is… why not use liquid soap like the rest of the world?
The soap does have a grit to it, which may make it more effective at cleaning, but it’s also much harder to rinse off since it gets in the crevices of your hand. The only reasons I can think of are:
Disney put in powdered soap dispensers 25 years ago, and it would cost to much to retrofit all the bathrooms.
The powdered soap is cheaper (who sells powdered hand soap anyway?).
Disney just doesn’t care and has other issues to deal with.
It’s because it is much easier to clean up when the cleaning staff do the restrooms. Powdered soap can be wiped away, and it’s not thick and sudsy like a liquid soap would be, plus the dispenser would not become thick with soap residue that has dried onto it.
Retrofitting is not a problem for Disney, with all the changes they make daily to rides, attractions, ticket prices, et al.
Stupendous man is likely the most correct. Powdered soap is easier to clean up when the tourists make a mess in the bathrooms (seen that happen firsthand, with a contingent of 50 people in one tour group.). Disney is very vigilant about cleaning, and has ‘shoppers’ who wander about checking whether the bathrooms are immaculate (as well as if the employees, er, ‘castmembers’ are Stepfordly-happy about their jobs).
And give us a warning when your’re in town next! There are a few Dopers in Central Florida.
I’m not sure powdered soap is less messy. What’s around the basin of restroom sinks? Water. It would seem that the residual powdered soap and water would glob together to make a mess that would be harder to wipe up.
If it was easier to keep clean, then why don’t we see more establishments installing powdered soap dispensers? Have the Disney folks stumbled onto something that everyone else is oblivious to?
From the unbiased information contained within several websites advertising Boraxo® Powdered Hand Soap, I gleaned that powdered soap containing Borax is, “a free flowing, hard-working, low soap high borate content hand cleaner that is completely soluble in water, will not clog drains yet is gentle to the hands.” The prevailing consensus is that this magical powdered soap cleans your hands and reduces unsightly drainage clogs. Nobody wants to see The Seven Dwarves toting a six pack of Drano.
On another note, think of the ease with which one might toss a handful of powdered soap into Mickey’s eyes
