Summer is nearly upon us with its much-anticipated longer days and warmer weather. But what extra challenges do washroom providers have to contend with in the warmer months? And how do these compare with the problems they face in the winter? Lee Radzki from Tork manufacturer Essity discusses the issue.
We are now heading into the summer, when everything seems to be easier. Getting out and about becomes more appealing when we no longer need to layer up before leaving the house.
Those longer days and higher temperatures also help to keep down the crippling costs of heating and lighting. From a cleaning viewpoint, the floors of our homes and public buildings are less likely to become soiled with the mud, grit or slush that we inevitably traipse in from the wet and the snow. And the risk of catching a cold or flu also becomes lower as the weather heats up.
In the washrooms, too, certain elements of provision and maintenance become easier for facilities managers to cope with. For example, washroom floor-cleaning tends to be less of an issue when people’s shoes are not as wet or muddy. The fact that people are wearing fewer clothes also helps to speed up queues and facilitate washroom throughput compared with the winter, when everyone is wrapped up in coats and scarves. And people are more inclined to practise good hand hygiene in the summer, since immersing one’s hands in icy water holds little appeal in the colder months.
However, there are certain issues that washroom providers need to bear in mind as the weather warms up. For example, large crowds are likely to head to tourist resorts, town centres and visitor attractions in balmier climes and this will place extra pressure on the public washrooms in those areas.
Summer is also the season when street food stalls pop up everywhere and when people enjoy picnics and ice creams al fresco. As a result, many people will be seeking somewhere to wash their hands before and after eating - and this will further impact on the toilets.
Parents are also likely to take their children to the beach during the summer, or to venues such as zoos and petting farms. Hand washing will be important after children have been playing in the sand, and essential after coming into close contact with animals since there is always the risk of contracting an Ecoli infection at a petting zoo.
Odours become more noticeable in the hot weather, and warm air dryers have a tendency to blow those smells around. These dryers are also likely to make the atmosphere even warmer which will make the washrooms particularly uncomfortable during heatwaves.
So what can be done to ensure that public toilets are kept clean and pleasant-smelling during the summer months? And how can the larger crowds they attract be successfully managed?
It becomes more acceptable to open the washroom windows in summer than in the winter, when keeping out the cold is the top priority. This means it is easier to ventilate the premises effectively which will help to reduce the infection risks while also blowing away bad smells. A fragrancing system such as the Tork Constant Air Freshener will further help to reduce those warm washroom odours because the system uses propellant-free technology to neutralise odours and the fragrance lasts for up to 90 days before needing a refill.
Queues will quickly form in washrooms where the facilities are slow to use or where the soap and paper supply has been allowed to run out. So in a washroom where summer crowds are likely to gather, managers need to install intuitive, ergonomic and high-capacity systems to speed up use and to reduce the risks of the units running out between maintenance checks. All dispensers for toilet tissue, hand towels and soap should also be easy to use for everyone.
The Tork SmartOne© Twin Mini Toilet Roll System works well in a busy summer venue because the paper is drawn out from the front, avoiding the need for the washroom visitor to insert their hand inside the unit to hunt for the end of the roll. The system also helps to prevent run-outs because a new roll can be inserted at any time to ensure a continuous supply.
Tork Foam Soaps provide a good hand washing solution because each long-lasting cartridge serves up to 1650 visitors. The sealed cartridge can be replaced in seconds by the cleaner, and a particularly low push-force is required to operate the dispenser which makes it easy for everyone to use while also speeding up access to the soap.
Hand dryers can lead to long queues in a busy washroom since they require visitors to stand and wait for their hands to be thoroughly dried. They might also heat up the atmosphere unacceptably during the summer. Hand towel systems make no difference to the washroom temperature and a high-capacity dispenser will allow visitors to take a towel and move on, drying their hands as they go while freeing up the unit for the next user.
The Tork PeakServe® ContinuousTM Hand Towel Dispenser caters for more than 1000 guests between refills and delivers each towel in just three seconds, reducing the user’s waiting time. The dispenser has been designed to give out sheets of paper singly to avoid over-consumption, which means the supply will last for longer.
Digital technology can also help to reduce the risk of washroom runouts. Sensors placed in washrooms allow staff members to monitor usage and check on dispenser refill levels remotely via a smartphone or tablet. They can then target those washrooms where they know the soap and paper supplies to be running low or where excessive usage makes the need for cleaning more likely. Systems such as Tork Vision Cleaning remove the need for cleaners to make multiple physical checks on the washrooms, saving them time and effort walking to and from each facility.
While it may be true that washroom floors need more cleaning in winter to remove the visible dirt and mud tracked in on shoes, the risk of insect infestations becomes higher in the summer. Therefore cleaning needs to be carried out just as scrupulously – even though the dirt may not be so visible – in order to remove any soiling on which bugs and pests might feed.
So while the challenges may be different in the summer, washroom needs are basically the same all year round. These facilities need to be clean, hygienic, pleasant-smelling and efficiently run to allow for a quick throughput of users and to ensure that everyone can practise hand hygiene whenever they wish.
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