A washroom that you can share with confidence is good for your business. Your customers feel appreciated and keep coming back. Your employees and guests stay well and refreshed. Friendly washroom solutions are all about sensibility. And sensibility is about the details: details, which are important for everyone from washroom guests and cleaning staff to washroom designers and builders. With so many products on the market knowing which products and systems can help you achieve this is not easy. This Blog is intended to point out some of the most efficient and cost effective solutions currently available and also point out some of the pitfalls you may face. 

5 Ways to Save Money and Improve your Customers Washroom Experience.

1. Hand Drying

The electric hand dryers found in thousands of public toilets across the country can dramatically increase the number of bacteria on people’s hands after washing them and contaminate the washrooms and other users up to 2 metres away.

Scientists at the University of Westminster discovered the shocking findings during a study in which they compared the numbers of bacteria on subjects’ hands before and after they had washed them and then dried them in a public washroom using paper towels, a traditional warm air dryer or a new-style jet air dryer. See http://goo.gl/ZX4Js

Using interleaved paper towels has many advantages over traditional C-Fold towels. Large cost savings can be achieved because interleaved towels hang below the bottom of the dispenser and are presented singly with the entire surface of the towel visible.

 

C  Fold Hand Towel

 

This means the drying area available to the user is greater than that of a C-Fold towel where the user has to reach inside the dispenser and ends up with a clump of towels that have very little of the surface available for dying. Tests have shown that interfold types towels have an average use per towel per visit of just under 3, whereas C-Fold towels are over 5. Changing to an interfold type towel can cut costs and help to protect the environment, to say nothing of the reduction in cross contamination due to not having to touch the dispenser.

2. Soap Systems  

Avoid ridiculously high prices on some big brand names. No matter how much you hype up the product, the quality, the smell the cost in use, we are still talking about soap. I hear constantly about contractors who are being forced to drive down costs, look for savings, and cut staffing levels or staff hours. But some clients are still prepared to pay an unbelievable price for soap, because people like the smell? They like the Dispensers? They have always bought that particular brand?  

Foam Soap is one way of getting better value; trials suggest that foam goes up to 3 times further than the liquid equivalent and costs about the same to produce. Not only can the usage be cut but there are some amazing savings to be had by choosing the right brand I am aware of a trail at a well know airport where costs were reduced by a staggering 60%. Your target price should be sub £3.50 per litre and less for large users. See http://goo.gl/6nVNe

3. Aircare Units

Look out for new Aircare Units that take 2 separate refills with 2 different fragrances which can be alternated for a better customer experience.

These units only need refilling on a 3 monthly basis rather than monthly as with traditional Aircare dispensers, this can cut down rental service costs.

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4. Uric Scale and Bad Odours  

Most long-term bad odours problems in gents’ washroom areas are due to bacteria that form in the uric scale in waste pipes. 

Auto Sanitizer’s are highly cost-efficient, saving you money by reducing the need for other cleaning products, including toilet cleaner, limescale remover, bleach, sanitizer, deep cleansers, and blocked drain cleansers, by offering you a series of all-in-one, easy to maintain systems to choose from.

A proven solution which breaks down uric-scale build up and prevents further build up from occurring, a major cause of bad odours in washrooms, especially where urinals are infrequently flushed or water saving systems are in operation. A descaler removes and prevents limescale and hard water deposits which cause leaks in trap washers forming. See http://goo.gl/A4Fm9

5. Toilet Tissue Systems

Most modern commercial buildings tend to opt for system toilet rolls rather traditional products, which are not suited to high usage washrooms A good system will restrict the amount paper that can be dispensed and prevent free flowing and therefore over usage and waste. It’s a good idea to check that the system you choose has an option to do this.

Although sheet for sheet systems are generally more expensive they can work out more cost effective and more convenient than traditional toilet rolls. Some older systems designed for high usage areas are in my opinion messy and inefficient. I am not a fan of Bulk Pack systems which tend to be wasteful with a large amount of paper ending up on the floor. This system uses individual sheets that are tightly packed together and usually results in clumping and can lead to blockages in pipes.

Bulk pack products are normally packed in case that contains about 9000 sheets. My preference would be something like the Katrin System roll. A box of this product contains 36 rolls each of which has 801 sheets making a total of 28,836 sheets per case; some 3 times more than bulk pack.

The Katrin System consists of a two roll dispenser where the rolls sit one on top of the other, when one roll runs out the other drops down. This is more efficient than the Jumbo or Mini Jumbo systems where the cleaner normally ends up throwing away the stub roll every morning for fear of running out during the day.

Another reason for choosing the Metsa System is the availability of Free on Loan dispensers which in some cases come with free fitting included.

About Gary Fage

Gary Fage has been Managing Director of Janitorial Express, since 1991, he is a Director of the Jangro Group and Council Member of the CHSA. www.janitorialexpress.co.uk