Washrooms are an important aspect of the design of your building. A Harris Poll survey found that 86% of people are more likely to return to an establishment with a clean and pleasant smelling washroom, so it is imperative that your washrooms represent your business too.


FIRST IMPRESSIONS There are many elements to consider when designing a public washroom. Every aspect must be carefully considered, from the start of the user’s journey, right until the very end. From the moment the user walks through the door they will form an opinion about the washroom and establishment it’s located in. A washroom with toilet paper strewn over the floor and empty soap dispensers will not create the best first impression.


Firstly, a washroom needs to be well lit. Lighting in a washroom is key to creating the right atmosphere, whilst also being functional. Accent lighting should be used to enhance the washroom and its features, as well as ambient lighting as this acts as fill light, illuminating the whole washroom and showcasing the design.


Washrooms should look clean and streamlined. Consistency in fixtures and colour schemes will give a sense of luxury and style. Automatic air fresheners are also recommended to keep the washroom smelling fresh constantly throughout the day.


The right design and décor can also make a small washroom look spacious and practical. Good lighting, bright colours and clever storage all create the illusion of more space. Small washrooms should not be crammed with facilities; less is more. A clever solution would be a behind mirror system such as Dolphin’s Alavo range; this reduces the space needed for dispensers, giving a much more streamlined look and feel to the washroom. Positioning mirrors in the right place also reflects light and visually increases the space.


CUBICLE Designing washrooms in a way that promotes seamless movement of users around the space is recommended. Designers must take into account the location of toilet stalls from the entrance and allow room for queuing.


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Room within cubicles must not be cramped; ensuring users have space to close the door without being forced to lean over the toilet. Hooks should also be provided so that the user can hang their belongings, rather than have to put their coat or bag on the floor of a public washroom.


It is suggested that in public washrooms, a double roll toilet tissue dispenser or a system that holds multiple rolls should be installed. This ensures there is always enough toilet tissue and the cleaning operative is not constantly replacing empty dispensers. Spare toilet tissue rolls can also be kept in the cubicle on a shelf on the back wall or on a holder.


If possible, infrared technology should be used within the cubicle in the form of a flush valve. This technology reduces bacteria cross-contamination, due to its non-touch function when flushing the toilet.


VANITY There should be a clear path from the cubicle to vanity area, limiting the overlap of pathways for users. Ideally, at the vanity every basin should have a correlating set of facilities including taps, soap dispenser, hand dryers or hand towel dispensers and bin.


Task lighting at the mirror of the vanity is critical and should be mounted at eye level to provide shadowless illumination, creating the best light for checking appearances and makeup application.


An ideal solution for the vanity area is our Alavo system. Alavo offers a complete behind mirror hand wash system, which is fully accessible just by unlocking the mirror flaps. The Alavo range by Dolphin Solutions is available in a choice of up to eight wash station units, which include the taps, soap dispensers and dryers. This gives design flexibility to create a complete solution where excellent, outstanding or platinum ratings are being sought. The Alavo range addresses usual public wash station issues such as water mess on the floor, queuing to dry hands and general clutter.


SINKS, TAPS AND


DISPENSERS If a modular system is not being used, taps should be mounted on the splashback of the vanity to avoid


creating small corners and spaces that are difficult to clean.


Infrared taps, soap dispensers and hand dryers are becoming more popular than ever as they help to maintain hygiene levels, as users don’t touch the facilities with dirty hands. Instead, hands are placed in front of the device meaning bacteria is not passed between users. Infrared taps also stop users from wiping soapy hands over facilities, which can mark units, making extra work for the caretaker.


In high traffic environments, facilities not only need to be long lasting and durable but also have to resist misuse and vandalism. All of Dolphin’s Excel range dispensers are vandal resistant while looking stylish and offering great value for money. In addition, all of our dispensers are manufactured onsite, giving us the capacity to customise your products with logos and branding.


DRYERS The use of high-speed hand dryers is worth considering. Users will not only gain the advantage of increased hygiene but their time in the facility will be minimised, allowing for higher footfall and reducing queue time. Dolphin’s Velocity range consists of 21 high speed, high performance hand dryers and is a great consideration for a busy public washroom. However, water can be blown onto the wall below the hand dryer; this must be considered by either installing a splashback onto the wall below or locating the dryer above the sink.


If paper towel dispensers are used, bins should be positioned close to any dispensers to encourage waste disposal, preventing towels from being discarded on the side of the vanity or the floor, which makes added work for the cleaning operative.


END OF THE JOURNEY After drying their hands, the user may want to check their appearance for a final time. It is recommended that full-length mirrors are installed on the way out of the washroom so the user can do this without having to cross paths with those washing their hands at the vanity. Narrow spaces, such as corridors, should be avoided as this can cause queuing and disrupt the user’s exit pathway.


www.dolphinsolutions.co.uk WASHROOM HYGIENE | 45


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