WASHROOM HYGIENE
The pressure on washrooms at Christmas
Christmas is coming and everyone is looking forward to celebrations and gatherings. Unfortunately, this time of year coincides with a variety of winter bugs, such as colds, flu and the winter vomiting bug Norovirus, as well as new variants of COVID. Paul Mulready, Marketing Manager of Northwood Hygiene Products, talks about how washrooms can help to enhance the visitor experience and also reduce the spread of viruses at a time when we all want to enjoy ourselves.
The Christmas dinner is planned, the tree is decorated and all the presents are all wrapped; the last thing anyone wants is an illness to put a downer on the festivities.
As temperatures drop, indoor get-togethers are more likely. While this is great for keeping us warm, there is less air circulating inside, which can lead to illnesses spreading. The risk of catching a virus is higher at Christmas when there are more people crowding at parties and in bars and restaurants, which allow germs to spread more easily from person to person.
There are also some particularly unpleasant viruses circulating this winter, which could floor even the most seasoned partygoer.
The winter flu season began five weeks earlier than usual this year, and the UK Health Security Agency urged people eligible for the flu vaccines to get protected. Two of the worst winter flu seasons in the last decade have been in the last three years, partly because of the rebound of the virus after COVID restrictions were lifted when immunity was low. Last year, nearly 8,000 people died from flu and in 2022- 2023, there were nearly 16,000 deaths.
Then there’s Norovirus – the winter vomiting bug – which affects nearly four million people every year, with 12,000 people being admitted to hospital with it.
Furthermore, with numbers of two new strains of COVID – Nimbus and Stratus – rising earlier in the season, and the criteria for free COVID boosters having been tightened to over 75s only or those with a weakened immune system, more people will be vulnerable to the virus.
Nobody wants to fall ill over Christmas, but this can be more challenging as we frequent busy retail and leisure outlets at this time. With more people shopping and socialising, the washroom is an essential asset, helping to keep visitors safe.
40 | TOMORROW'S CLEANING Avoiding bottlenecks
Public washrooms do become very crowded at Christmas with people making more frequent trips to the loo after consuming more food and drink. A higher footfall can put cleaning teams under greater pressure to continually replenish soap and paper dispensers to keep the washroom well stocked. Furthermore, these teams must be able to maintain the facilities quickly and efficiently to avoid congestion or queues forming in the washroom.
Frequent and thorough handwashing and drying is still one of the best ways to combat infection and maintenance teams must be prepared for high usage of paper and disposables over Christmas. With washrooms busier than ever, managers need to control the use of disposable products, such as soap and towels, which are likely to deplete very quickly.
Keeping dispensers well stocked is essential, so providers should look for controlled-use dispensers that restrict the use of consumables. Preventing overuse not only helps to reduce costs, it also reduces waste and is therefore more environmentally sustainable.
Streamlined solutions
Tackling washroom congestion can be challenging at this time of year. High-capacity washroom solutions are a must – not only do they curb overconsumption, they also help to overcome the problem of run-outs between maintenance visits, which are frustrating for visitors and add extra pressure onto already stretched janitorial staff.
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