WASHROOM HYGIENE Wellbeing, health and toilets
Becky Wall BEM, Organiser of the Loo of the Year Awards, looks at what’s happening with public toilets, and why they are vitally important.
We all need to use toilets, whether we’re at home, out and about, on holiday, overseas, on a coach, on a train, in an airplane. Loos are important for us all, yet it’s still amazing to me how some venues and businesses don’t take this important facility more seriously.
This year though, more than 1,550 businesses have done just that by entering our latest Loo of the Year Awards, and many of those businesses will attend our January day of celebration when we talk and celebrate all things ‘loo’.
Yet there’s so much more to do in raising awareness around the importance of good, clean and thoughtful toilet facilities for everyone. Here are some facts which should make anyone pause for thought when it comes to loos:
• Since the pandemic, public toilets are closing faster than ever. It’s estimated that next century there will be no public toilets at all in London.
• Since 2019, the number of public toilets available across the UK has fallen by 14%.
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In Cornwall, 94% of the public toilets are no longer maintained and it's 92% on the Isle of Wight, 80% in North Ayrshire.
In Wiltshire, there’s only one public toilet managed by the local authority – in the picturesque village of Castle Combe – all others have been delegated to become the responsibility of town or parish councils.
• Local councils cite cost and anti-social behaviour as two main reasons why they are not keeping public toilets open.
The problem with this is that it means many people rely on using toilets provided by businesses in town centres, high streets and out and about – even if those people are not entering these premises with the intention of buying. Indeed, some businesses will not let anyone just walk in and use their toilets without being a customer.
This lack of toilets also discriminates heavily against women, small children and also against people who might need to use a toilet quickly for medical reasons or those who may need an accessible toilet due to a disability or mobility issue.
For example, around 500,000 people in the UK have a form of inflammatory bowel disease – that’s one in every 123 people. The most common forms of this are Crohn’s and Colitis. For this reason, at our annual event this year we’ll be raising funds and awareness for Crohn’s & Colitis UK, which is a charity to support those affected by these conditions.
Yet there’s another way of looking at this ‘problem’ – having brilliant ‘loos’ could be a key selling point and marketing asset for any business. It stands to reason that if more people are entering your premises – perhaps it’s a garden
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centre, a café, a restaurant or hotel – the more likely it is that they will buy from you. If those unexpected visitors are made to feel welcome, it’s even more likely. If your loos are sensational, in the age of social media, some welcome reviews might be forthcoming.
In the workplace, it’s clear that wellbeing is of increasing importance. Indeed, it’s even mentioned in health and safety legislation and there are laws around toilets that staff must have access to. Yet taking more time and care around providing good washroom facilities can aid any business which takes the wellbeing of staff seriously. While it might be a stretch to think that outstanding facilities will help you retain staff – it all adds to the mix of being a good employer.
If you want to find out where the best ‘away from home’ toilets are in the UK, then visit our interactive map here.
www.loo.co.uk twitter.com/TomoCleaning
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