Trending in the washroom
All kinds of external pressures have shaped our public washrooms over the past 20 years – sustainability, austerity, increasing technology use, growing calls for equality and, of course, COVID-19. Essity’s Stuart Hands looks at how public loos have reflected these changes.
Society and attitudes have altered dramatically over the past 20-odd years. The world has arguably become a more caring and inclusive place since the start of the millennium. We’ve also begun to wake up to the importance of saving the planet, and have embraced sustainable practices as a result.
Meanwhile, technology has developed at a rapid pace, with smartphones ensuring that we are all constantly ‘connected’, but times have been tough. The economy crisis, austerity and Swine Flu all served to make life difficult for many of us, and in 2020 our worst pandemic fears were realised when COVID-19 struck and the world virtually ground to a halt.
All these occurrences have had a major impact on society – effects that have trickled down to every corner of our lives, and the washroom is no exception.
Yesterday’s public toilets would be almost unrecognisable to today’s washroom users. Smelly, smoky facilities with wet floors and graffiti-covered walls were once commonplace, and the toilet paper supply would consist of a stack of loose rolls piled up on the cistern. This meant they could easily become contaminated with germs and aerosol spray.
Rolls from this stack would frequently topple off, ending up on the damp floor or down the toilet, which would then become blocked.
Handwashing facilities would consist of a cracked bar of soap or a bulk-fill container resulting in slimy deposits of liquid soap on the basin. Roller towels were usually supplied for hand drying, but they would frequently jam, meaning all washroom users were forced to dry their hands on the same wet length of textile.
In the rare cases where paper towels were provided, they would either be left lying loose on the units or housed in an over-stuffed C-fold dispenser. Loose towels would quickly become soiled and soggy, and it was almost impossible to withdraw a single towel from a C-fold dispenser. Visitors would take out clumps of towels and leave any unused ones on the units. Wet towels would then end up strewn on the units or on the floor.
By the start of the millennium things were already beginning to change, however. The Loo of the Year Awards – inaugurated in 1987 – began to attract more entrants and organisations began taking more pride in offering clean and hygienic facilities.
At the same time, concern for the environment meant that people were becoming keener to prevent overconsumption and waste. Issues such as discarded hand towels and soaked loo rolls began to be unacceptable.
Meanwhile, demand for equality between the sexes led to the introduction of ‘parent and child’ and ‘family’ washrooms in place of traditional ‘mother and baby’ facilities. This focus on equality also resulted in an increasing number of gender-
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neutral toilets plus more ‘changing places’ facilities for the less abled. The indoor smoking ban in 2007 also heralded the end to smoke-filled washrooms, strewn with ash and cigarette butts.
The year 2007 also contained another breakthrough: the launch of Apple's iPhone. Smartphones quickly became widely used and people began taking their phones into the toilet with them. Suddenly there was no hiding place for providers of dirty, unhygienic facilities, because they could now be photographed and uploaded to the internet. This meant that venues now had a vested interest across providing smart, upmarket facilities that would create a talking point in the ‘Twittersphere’.
The financial crisis of 2008 prompted a nationwide cost- cutting exercise which spawned a growing demand for washroom systems that reduced waste and prevented overconsumption. The emergence of Swine Flu in 2009 focused everyone’s attention on hygiene and the urgent need for handwashing. A growing number of washrooms installed touch-free taps, automatic flushes, and sensor- operated dispensers while the provision of hand sanitiser dispensers also became common.
This focus on hygiene re-emerged on a massive scale when the COVID-19 pandemic struck in 2020. Many washrooms closed down completely at the start of the pandemic and when they reopened, entry was restricted and alternate sinks and cubicles were taped off to facilitate social distancing. The use of hand towels became more prevalent among washroom users because people felt more comfortable turning on taps or opening doors with a clean hand towel acting as a barrier.
So, how have these changes impacted on the types of products and systems used in the washroom today?
Providers have increasingly begun to understand the importance of systems that cut costs, reduce waste, and offer hygiene and sustainability benefits while also enhancing the appearance of a washroom.
Enclosed, hygienic dispensers that provide a smart, cohesive look while also protecting the product inside have become increasingly popular. For example, the Tork Elevation range of washroom dispensers are made from wipe-clean plastic and have an elegant design to enhance the look of a washroom while also protecting the product from contamination. The range includes the Tork PeakServe Continuous Hand Towel Dispenser which gives out towels one at a time to provide hygiene and cost benefits.
‘Inclusive’ systems that can be used by everyone from small children to the frail and elderly have become more prevalent in our new, kinder society. The Tork Skincare Dispenser, for example, has been developed to require a particularly low push-force to increase accessibility. The Tork Skincare Dispenser is drip-free to avoid the issue of slimy soap
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