Perfecting the washroom environment from design to completion

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Brett Craddock

Washroom Renovation: Hospitality Washroom On A Budget

A well-designed functional washroom can significantly influence the customer’s experience and satisfaction in the hospitality industry. Restrooms are often not given the level of importance they should be when compared to other amenities, but according to a survey made by Formica Group in 2019, your patrons expect better comfort and experience compared to what they are commonly offered. Therefore, it may be time for a commercial washroom renovation. According to another study completed by tourism review in February 2020, almost two-thirds of people consider washrooms as the most essential features of hotels. With washrooms being so essential, it may be time to consider a washroom renovation.

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Brett Craddock

Washroom Experience – 6 Tips For a Commercial Washroom

Washroom experience of the users has a lot to do with their overall perception of your establishment. We often overlook the importance of providing users with a comfortable washroom experience in public washrooms. But it shouldn’t be. Given that a lousy washroom experience can cost you your customers, prestige, and damage your brand image. Various researches have identified the impact of bad washroom experience in different sectors.

  • Were in an era when most offices are designed with a human-centric approach. However, office spaces are not the only place that helps carry out human-first ethos in design. More employees believe that below standard washrooms demonstrate a lack of care from the owner for them. Although it’s minimum, washroom experiences also impact employee retention.
  • People don’t spend much time exploring the store in the retail environment if the washroom doesn’t offer them an experience at the level expected. In the worst cases, unclean and unhygienic toilet facilities will turn customers away.
  • Bad washroom experience can cost loyal customers in the hospitality business because people associate the hygiene of the washrooms with the cleanliness of the kitchen in hotels and restaurants.
    In schools, students who don’t feel safe and clean avoid the restroom totally, which not only reduces their attention levels but can also hugely impact negatively on their health.

Providing an excellent and comfortable washroom experience to the users in public facilities isn’t just about better cleaning or better design. Understanding the users and their behaviours will also allow you to offer them a better washroom experience with simple improvements to your facility.




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Brett Craddock

Public Washroom: Transforming In COVID-19 World.

Experts suggest that public washroom designs are not given the level of importance they deserve. However, the way we use public washrooms has transformed in recent years with innovation and the advancement of technology. As different sectors are identifying the psychological influence of washroom use and incorporating them correctly to suit various types of people, modern restrooms have been providing users with better experiences.

The current scenario, however, has reminded us to reconsider the importance of safe
washroom spaces.

As businesses are making new safety codes mandatory while resuming the operations after months of closure, keeping our public washrooms safe and free from transmission of microorganisms can be a challenging job.

A COVID-safe environment is only possible when washrooms are given the highest priority while accommodating the health & safety advice and regulations. Failing to do so will risk restrooms, becoming a hotspot of virus transmission.

As our understanding of the importance of safety and social distancing discipline has reached the next level since the global pandemic, public washrooms, along with all the other public spaces of the future, will never be the same again.

The Safety Protocol

Although medical science hasn’t figured out a vaccine for COVID-19 yet, various facts behind its transmission and infection have been identified, and more are to be acknowledged very soon. Businesses around the world are now queuing up for a restart relying on the safety protocols and health requirements provisioned. Preventing virus transmission relies on two major disciplines: cleanliness and social regulation.

Some offices have already incorporated the new safety protocols for their office spaces, maintaining social distance among employees, reducing common touchpoints, and introducing new cleanliness practices as a few of the basic rules. But we haven’t heard much about maintaining similar safety protocols in a public washroom.

Running the washrooms according to the latest health and safety advice may look like a tough job, given that they entertain more people per square area than any other places. However, if we understand what influences these rules, we will get one step closer to building a safer public washroom. Since COVID-19 transmits through respiratory droplets of an infected person through direct contact or contact with contaminated objects or surfaces, maintaining a comfortable distance and avoiding common touchpoints is crucial in all public spaces, including washrooms.

Public washrooms of today should be able to provide users with a comfortable as well as safe space. Implementing the new safety protocols in public washrooms will require smart use of design, technology and cleanliness practices so that a minimum number of people interact physically - through direct contact or via touchpoints.

Design for Public Washroom

While implementing safety codes for COVID-safe public restrooms, space can be one of the challenging factors. Now is the best time to put smart space planning into action because maintaining a social distance among the users is the uncompromisable safety code for transmission-free public spaces.

Since washroom designs don’t usually attract adequate importance, space planning in most public washrooms that exist today doesn’t even satisfy the pre-COVID era requirements. The right space planning not only ensures the safety of users but also secures the maximum efficiency of the space. Utilising the maximum space is even more critical today, given that washroom will be able to accommodate significantly fewer people in their area because of new safety codes.

Achieving an accessible public washroom with a single entry and exit points is crucial in maintaining a safe washroom. The primary purpose of washroom or toilet partitions on previous occasions had been managing the privacy of users. These barriers can now play a vital role in hindering the transmission of microorganisms from one person to another. Installing appropriately designed partitions can be critical in solving space issues in public washrooms.

Technology And Tools

Advancement in technology has been crucial in providing users with better washroom experience over the years. Now is the time for technology to create a safer washroom space. Technology can be pivotal in delivering a touch-free experience in public restrooms and eliminate frequent touchpoints.

The most common touchpoints in washrooms include doorknobs, taps, flush switch etc. Automatic doors, touch-free sinks and automatic flush are not new concepts. It’s just they haven’t been widely introduced in washroom facilities. With timely upgrades, these technologies have become better than ever. Using them in public restrooms will play a vital role in keeping the area safe to use.

It’s not possible to automate everything in the washroom, as some doors need to be locked manually. To address this, companies have recently introduced knobs that can be pushed and pulled with hips and arms. Such tools are essential in all washrooms of today.

Cleanliness for Public Washroom

Cleanliness has never been this important in public spaces, let alone public washrooms. Implementing advanced cleaning routines and ensuring clean surfaces should be the primary priority of public washrooms of today.

There have been suggestions that natural antimicrobial surfaces like copper and silver will make their comeback in public restrooms post-COVID, but there is nothing more effective than frequent cleaning.

Clean air is as essential as a clean surface in a confined space like public restrooms. Recent studies have shown the probability of airborne transmission of COVID in enclosed areas. So proper and frequent circulation of air is crucial for public washrooms.

Also Read: Tips to Improving Commercial Washroom Experience

Discipline

Following the safety protocols and maintaining discipline matters, especially in a public washroom. People incorporating habits, whether it be washing hands frequently or social distancing, ensure a safer environment. Using reminder marks on the visible spots can help people recall the discipline that is worth following.

Brett Craddock

Washroom Colour: How to get the Right Colouring

It has been long believed that colours can dramatically affect human mood, feeling and emotions. Colour is a potent communication tool that can influence human reactions, switch moods, and persuade to take action. This extends to washroom colour as well.

Different studies have suggested that colour has a severe psychological effect on human beings. It can influence performance and even affect a consumer’s buying behaviour. A few existing researchers have found that colour can impact people in a variety of surprising ways such as:



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Brett Craddock

12 Essential Elements of A Modern & Efficient Locker Room

A well-designed locker room can positively contribute to the health of the members of your health club or an athletic facility. Aesthetically pleasing and functional Locker rooms create a great experience among all members.

The first thing your members do when they enter your premises is they go to the locker room to store their belongings, change their outfit, and use the washroom. The design of your locker room reflects the first impression of your service to your patrons. It is essential that your members are provided with enough space to get changed, sufficient sitting facilities, and a locker enough to safely store all of their belongings.



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Brett Craddock

Human Psychology Behind Restrooms And How It Might Affect Your Organisation

Surveys have identified general complaints about workplaces among the employees of different organisations around the world. Unsurprisingly, most employees have been complaining about the restrooms of their organisation time and again. Although different organisations have worked hard to improve them, the negative comments about restrooms aren’t going anywhere. Is it about cleanliness and comfort? Or it has something to do with something we feel ashamed to talk about? There is human psychology related to the use of restrooms, and it is way above just cleanliness and comfort.



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Brett Craddock

Difference Between ’18mm Vertiboard MR’ and ’13mm Compact Laminate’

As more people ask about the difference between high-pressure and low-pressure laminates, you may want to look at different aspects of both materials to make it easier for you to decide what laminate to choose for your washroom systems.

When choosing material for your washroom, you need to consider how much abuse the face of the panel will receive and what amount of money you are willing to spend on the panels. In this article, we will discuss the differences between 18mm Vertiboard MR and 13mm Compact Laminate.

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Brett Craddock

The Ultimate Green Washroom – Does an eco-friendly washroom in service businesses attract new customers?

Green practices are becoming more and more of the norm. Companies are realising the impact of incorporating ecological and sustainable practices on their business.

From economic savings to influencing customer perception towards your company. There are loads of benefits for making your business more eco-friendly. An eco-friendly environment also improves employee and customer satisfaction.

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Brett Craddock

Tips to Improving Commercial Washroom Experience

Most commercial washrooms are uninspiring and cluttered with no considerations made to take care of customers. A clean washroom can make or break customer service experience, especially if your company is in the hospitality or service sector. A positive washroom experience plays a vital role in shaping your business brand with visitors. You’ll want to create a welcoming space for your customers when they visit your commercial facility.

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dark grey centurion toilet partition
Brett Craddock

Benefits of Compact Laminate Toilet Partitions

Compact laminate is a go-to material for high traffic environments. Suitable for many applications, this material is both durable and appealing.

Its distinctive black core is not only a feature that separates it from other materials, but the whole high-pressure manufacturing process makes the material durable from the rest.

Compact laminate is a high-pressure structural laminate built by dipping multiple layers of kraft paper in resin and drying it. These layers are then baked between the laminated top and bottom sheets. Similarly, the process of polymerisation fuses the layers, creating a solid-core panel that is strong, supporting, water-resistant and requires low maintenance.

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