Elevator hack: Pressing the right arrow saves you time

Elevators play a key role in daily life, especially in multi-story buildings. They save us from the struggle of climbing stairs, which is particularly important for the elderly or disabled. Elevators are also indispensable during travel—in hotels, they allow for quick and convenient movement between floors, saving time and energy. Elevators make transporting luggage much simpler and less strenuous, increasing travel comfort.

An elevator operates on the principle of vertical transport. Its operation involves moving the cabin in the shaft using a system of ropes, counterweights, and motors. When a passenger presses the floor selection button, the control system sends a signal to the motor, which drives the cabin to the correct level. Sensors and safety brakes control the speed and position of the cabin, ensuring smooth and safe stopping on each floor.

Unfortunately, as reported by T-Online, many people are unaware of the correct way to operate an elevator. Jan Steeger from Schindler Deutschland, a company specializing in elevator production, points out one important detail that can significantly affect the elevator's comfort.

We often stand on the ground floor, wanting to go up to the fifth floor, while the elevator is on the tenth floor. In such a situation, we might intuitively think we should press the down arrow, suggesting the elevator come down from the tenth floor to the ground floor.

However, as Steeger emphasizes, we should always press the arrow that indicates our direction of travel.

This means that regardless of the elevator's current location, we should press the arrow indicating the direction we wish to travel. If we want to go up, we should press the up arrow. If we want to go down, we should press the down arrow.

This way, the elevator journey will be much faster, and we will avoid the elevator going in the wrong direction.

It's worth remembering that not all elevator tricks work. Various tips and suggestions circulate online, allegedly making the elevator arrive faster and not stop on other floors. One such trick is pressing both arrows simultaneously, supposedly speeding up the elevator's arrival.

However, as Jasmin Fischer, spokeswoman for Thyssenkrupp, explains, this alleged trick is nonsense. According to her, such shortcuts would have to be pre-programmed, which is not the case in most instances.