WASHROOM HYGIENE
Washroomwoes
Using the washroom should be quick and easy – but a visit to a public toilet can be more problematical for some people than others. Lee Radzki from Tork manufacturer Essity looks at why this can be the case and considers how washroom access could be improved for everyone.
Using a public washroom is an everyday occurrence for most of us – and it should be quick, easy and seamless.
People with disabilities will inevitably find the process more difficult, particularly if they need to negotiate the washroom from a wheelchair. Fortunately, an increasing number of accessible facilities and changing places washrooms are now being provided across the country.
However, there are many other people for whom using the loo might be a struggle – whether temporarily or on a daily basis. Anyone carrying a suitcase or a heavy shopping bag may experience difficulties when navigating the entrance or opening the cubicle door, for example.
The same applies to parents with babies or young children, while a washroom user with a temporary injury – a sprained wrist or broken ankle, for instance – could also experience access and usage problems.
Young children and people with neurodiversities might find loud noises distressing. Elderly people suffering from arthritis or rheumatism may have problems when trying to operate door locks or use the handwashing facilities, while smaller children might not be tall enough to reach the sink.
It is not surprising, therefore, that so many of us feel anxious about using an away-from-home washroom.
40 | TOMORROW'S CLEANING
According to a recent Tork survey, 44% of people said they felt uncomfortable when using a public toilet while 73% felt unsafe when they were unable to wash their hands.
Meanwhile, 38% of respondents said they sometimes avoided eating or drinking to reduce their need for a public washroom when out and about. Around 26% admitted to having avoided a social event because of concerns about washroom availability, while 44% said they frequently planned their travel routes around toilet access. 17% said they had left a job because of a poor washroom on site.
Factors that people find challenging include a lack of privacy, loud noises and the inability to access soap and hand towel dispensers.
Today’s washrooms can pose multiple challenges for the anxious, the less able and for people with low hand strength. Some soap dispensers require a firm push of the button to access the soap aside, for example, while many paper towel and toilet paper dispensers require the user to fiddle around inside the unit to find the end of paper – a practice that can prove difficult for the less dexterous.
Where sinks are all mounted at the same height, it can be hard for shorter adults and children to reach them. Parents may have to lift their children to help them wash their hands, and this may prove difficult for the adult and
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