We’ve all been on an escalator, looked down and thought ‘what are those brushes used for?’.
I can recall one memory of being hoodwinked into believing its purpose was to clean your shoes, only to receive an oily, dirty, thick black line on my trainers which served as a reminder to not be so gullible.
In fact, for something so frequently used, there are few things commonly known about escalators – including why there are grooves on the steps, why the handrail is always too fast, and of course what is the purpose of these black nylon bristles.
Let me just clear up the first two.
Popular YouTuber Zack D. Films created a simulation as to why there grooves on the steps. In the video, he explains: “As the steps circulate, the grooves sync up with a comb plate at the top.
“This comb plate gets locked in by the grooves, which blocks items from getting sucked in.”
Yes, it’s so nothing squeezes through and breaks the mechanics, while the handrail is for a safety reason.
According to Deysse, a manufacturer of spare escalator parts, the reason that handrails are slightly faster than the steps is because it helps ‘bring the body’s center of gravity forward when getting on the escalator, and it can prevent the body from falling down due to the sudden increase of the speed under the feet’.
I mean, it kind of makes sense now but it is frustrating!
Now for the main event, why are those brushes found on the side of escalators?
You’d imagine it’s to prevent items from damaging the machine… but no. They’re actually called ‘safety brushes’ and of course they are their to prevent accidents from taking place.
Their purpose is to fend off shoes and clothing from getting caught between both the moving stairs and the balustrade skirt.
However, the design is actually more of a psychological deterrent rather than anything else, because when you brush up against them your natural instinct is to move away from it – meaning your clothes and shoes won’t be torn from you.
“One of the biggest reasons for escalator mishaps is people getting their clothes and bags stuck in them when they stand too close to the sides,” explained the TikTok account ‘Untold Facts’.
Which saw one user responding: “I got my floor length dress caught in an escalator and it left oil/grease stains on it that I could never remove.”
