--- --- Nov 19, 2020 # The Portable Handwashing Station LIXIL Sato Tap by [TIME Staff](https://time.com/author/time-staff/) ## TIME Staff  Courtesy Handwashing is one of the most effective, and cheapest, ways to prevent the spread of COVID-19 and other viruses. But some 40% of the world’s population lack running water and soap at home. The U.N. says it will take years of investment in water infrastructure to solve that problem. In the short term, Japan’s LIXIL has created the SATO Tap, a portable, refillable handwashing station with a holder for soap. The gadget is expected to hit retail markets in early 2021 for between $3 and $6\. [LIXIL](https://www.sato.lixil.com/) is already working with public and private partnerships to roll out 500,000 units to households in need around the world in the next year._—_ _Ciara Nugent_ **Buy now:** [LIXIL Sato Tap](https://www.sato.lixil.com/satotap/) LIXIL Sato Tap: The 100 Best Inventions of 2020 ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"Article","@id":"https://time.com/collections/best-inventions-2020/5911414/lixil-sato-tap/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/collections/best-inventions-2020/5911414/lixil-sato-tap/"},"headline":"The Portable Handwashing Station","datePublished":"2020-11-19T13:51:43.000Z","dateModified":"2026-03-02T23:46:00.119Z","description":"","url":"https://time.com/collections/best-inventions-2020/5911414/lixil-sato-tap/","keywords":["list","franchise","best inventions","Best Inventions 2020"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltaf5438916ac8822d/698a1447db298727e226605d/best-inventions-of-2020-SATO-Tap-1.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"TIME Staff","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/time-staff/"}],"creator":"TIME Staff","articleSection":"","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltaf5438916ac8822d/698a1447db298727e226605d/best-inventions-of-2020-SATO-Tap-1.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/collections/best-inventions-2020/5911414/lixil-sato-tap/","name":"The Portable Handwashing Station"}}]}] ```