How to Build a Tippy Tap
Diarrheal and respiratory infections kill over 3.5 million children under the age of five every year. Hand washing with soap is the most effective and an inexpensive way to prevent these deaths. It can save the lives of 1.2 million children every year. The tippy tap is a low cost, low tech, low water, hands-free device to promote hand washing with soap.
Fast & Easy Hand Washing
Tippy taps are affordable, low-tech hand washing stations. They're easy to build and provide an excellent way to wash your hands - contact-free! They also conserve water and are simple to use. With more than a decade of experience with tippy taps and ecosanitation through our international work, WMG is pleased to offer this one-stop-shop webpage of resources for the Tucson community and beyond.
Casa Maria Soup Kitchen
"The homeless people that eat at the soup kitchen don’t have places to wash their hands, and now they have a place to do so thanks to Watershed Management Group. [Tippy Taps] are really easy to use and enhance the quality of life for people at the bottom." - Brian Flagg, Casa Maria Soup Kitchen
Community Gardens of Tucson
"The opportunity for the public and our gardening community to wash hands and ensure personal hygiene during these challenging times brought on by COVID-19 is a service that will 'go the distance' for weeks and months to come! Your support and assistance to CGT speak volumes to the power of partnerships in building a stronger, more vibrant, and healthy Tucson!" - J. Scott Feierabend, Director, Community Gardens of Tucson
Second Street Children's School
"Our school has a very large playground and we spend a lot of time outside. Going indoors to wash hands is complicated with a group of young children. We are excited about using the tippy taps as an opportunity for the kids to learn about water conservation since we will be using the runoff gray water to water our trees on the playground. We also appreciate the foot pedal design of the tippy taps which avoids multiple hands touching a handle." - Jenny Douglas, Director, Second Street Children's School
Sister Jose Women's Center
The tippy tap at Sister Jose Women's Center gives the clients ready access to a hand-washing station at any time they need it. Just a gallon of water is enough to wash thirty pairs of hands!
Documentation for Building Your Tippy Tap
Our step-by-step guide and handy how-to-use bilingual sign are everything you need to get started on your Tippy Tap project.
How to Use a Tippy Tap
Joaquin Murrieta-Saldivar explains how to use the wonderful tippy tap.