You are in the zone. Every inch of you is at the threshold of pain, your breathing burns, but the rush of dopamine is numbing the pain, you know you can keep going but your body tells you to stop. You push through, your vision clears and you look at your watch to see where you are at and, checking against your personal best, you stop. The very next thing you do might stop your next week’s worth of gains. You take your hands off the equipment, pick up your towel and wipe yourself down. What did you touch just before you picked up your towel?

Sitting at 30,000 feet I am drawn towards wondering about travelling and hygiene. In my past I have done it all. From the sneaky, walking as bold as brass through reception for a 5 star wee through to disappearing to the far side of a Russian furlong on the Mongolian Steppe to dig a hole just metres from my travelling companions to do my business. This is not, however, about that. This is about the average modern journey of the like that many of you will take with your loved ones this summer to escape the eternal British rain…..in July….and onwards.

Ah, that innocuous sign. Something we see almost every day of our lives but, for many, one that doesn't have a lot of meaning. Indeed even in facilities management it can be hard to get this washroom solution right. What are the issues? Why is it so hard to provide a decent accessible solution? What can we do better?

My childhood was spent watching my family run their outside catering business. Periodically we’d be blessed with a visit from the health inspectors. That episode of Fawlty Towers is far more accurate than people realise. We had, at the maximum, 16 cats. Don’t remember how, we just did. Worse still, I’m allergic to cats?! Anyway, I digress. The doorbell would go, my Mum would wander to the door, see the health inspector then...

"If you sprinkle when you tinkle, be a sweetie and wipe the seatie!". Right, that does annoy me. Not the wet seat (OK, that does too) but more the rhyme. I'm a copywriter and my job is to pursue the highest standards of written English. Not only does this ensure I feel good but it also ensures that you, my consumer, understands my intent and can enjoy my articles. But I’m off target here….and that is the other point, isn’t it?