There are also several sites available for people who have no desire to rate toilets, but who simply want to find one in a hurry. The Flush app, for example, lists more than a quarter of a million washrooms worldwide and includes details on which facilities are wheelchair-accessible and whether or not a fee will be levied. The Toilet Finder app provides information on more than 120,000 public toilets globally.


The Great British Toilet Map is a free interactive street map which includes toilets available in local businesses, bus and train stations, shopping centres, libraries, leisure centres and hotels. Members of the public are invited to improve the app by adding new locations or flagging up toilets that have closed.


Such sites provide another way of making our washrooms ‘transparent’ – by making it easier for us to find hygienic, attractive and accessible facilities when we want one and to avoid less-than-adequate toilets.


It has become all too easy to share our toilet experiences in real time because, according to various online polls, around three-quarters of us now use our smartphones in the toilet. Having a phone camera conveniently to hand when visiting the loo enables us to take pictures of impressive washrooms, as well as the more insalubrious surroundings we come across.


So, it’s no surprise that washroom providers are smartening up their facilities to ensure that they receive high ratings and good publicity. Some are going for the ‘wow’ factor such as the ladies’ toilets at London’s Annabel’s club, which features gold swan taps and pink oyster-shell basins. Camden’s Shaka Zulu restaurant is doing the same with its life-sized safari animal models.


Others are upgrading their fixtures to provide a smarter, but less outlandish image. Systems such as the Tork Image Design Line can help to do this because the dispensers


www.tomorrowscleaning.com


combine brushed stainless steel with a black trim to create an attractive and cohesive look.


No matter how ‘instagrammable’ a washroom might be, it will quickly earn bad publicity if it fails to offer the basics of a good standard of cleanliness plus a plentiful supply of paper and soap.


Long-lasting systems that prevent the issue of run-outs between maintenance checks will ensure that the soap and paper supply need never run out. For example, the Tork PeakServe Continuous Hand Towel caters for more than 2000 guests per refill, in order to avoid any breaks in service in busy facilities.


Many washroom providers are turning to technological solutions to ensure that their washrooms are kept clean and that they will not run out of consumables during busy periods – something which could easily attract bad publicity on social media sites.


For example, Tork EasyCube ‘connects’ washrooms and allows cleaning and maintenance staff to remotely monitor visitor traffic and check dispenser refill requirements.


This data-driven cleaning system frees up time that the cleaner would otherwise have spent manually checking washrooms. It also monitors washroom use so that cleaners can respond swiftly and carry out extra checks when a particular facility is attracting high visitor numbers.


Transparency is a good thing since it drives up standards and leaves poorer facilities with no room to hide. By equipping washrooms with smart systems that minimise run-outs and help to keep the premises clean and hygienic, washroom providers will ensure that they receive good publicity and high ratings in today’s transparent world.


www.tork.ie WASHROOM HYGIENE | 11


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