The Sinks in a McDonald’s in Japan Have Phone Cleaning Devices

Japanese McDonald’s Restrooms Have Phone Cleaning Devices Built Into Their Sinks

By Regina Sienra on December 12, 2022

The Sinks in a McDonald’s Restroom in Japan Have Phone Cleaning Devices

Photo: Screenshot from Twitter

Hand washing is taught from a very young age, and the recent height of the pandemic really reinforced its importance. But we don't give as much thought to the cleanliness of our phones, even though they pick up bacteria easily and can be 10 times dirtier than a toilet seat, according to scientists at the University of Arizona. To combat this spread of germs, and therefore disease, some public places have phone washing stations. Recently, a tweet featuring a phone cleaning station embedded in the sink of a McDonald's in Japan went viral, as it sanitizes the device in seconds.

The tweet, posted by user Sho Sawada (@shao1555), reads “At McDonald's nowadays, not only do they have a place to wash your hands but one to wash your smartphone as well.” The tweet is accompanied by an illustrative video, showing exactly how this feature works. In the video, we can see the user placing the phone in a narrow slot. The device is lowered automatically and covered, as a light shines through the lid of the cleaning station while the phone is disinfected. Once it's ready, the machine ejects the phone slowly, ready to be taken by its owner.

This nifty system is called WOSH, and was developed by Japanese company WOTA. Its wonders go beyond the phone cleaning device, as it also boasts that it reuses more than 98% of the water it uses. To clean the smartphone, WOSH relies on a hydrological cycle system and deep ultraviolet lights, offering a sterilization of up to 99.9% in just 30 seconds.

While seeing WOSH in action definitely has a futuristic vibe to it, it would be ideal for such technology to be adopted around the world. If the reaction to this video—which has over 5.2 million views; 63,400 likes; and 11,900 retweets—is any indication, it would be a welcome addition to restrooms around the world. After all, adding this extra layer of hygiene is another way to take care of our global health.