WASHROOMS FOCUS
JUNE 2019 45
cleaner. For example, dogleg partitions
at the entrance of a washroom will
remove the task of cleaning door
Paper hand towel dispensers save
time because they allow the user to
take a towel and move aside, freeing up
space and reducing the risk of logjams.”
handles and push panels from the
cleaner’s agenda. Similarly, highcapacity
dispensers that may be
topped up at any time will cut the
number of maintenance checks
required while allowing the cleaner to
refill the unit at their own convenience.
Many modern dispensers feature
refill indicators that allow the cleaner
to see via a window how much
product remains inside. While these
are designed to speed up washroom
maintenance, many cleaners open
the dispenser anyway to doublecheck
the level and perhaps to cram
in more paper to postpone the next
maintenance check.
All dispensers should therefore be
quick and easy to open, either with
a universal key or via a push button
if pilferage and vandalism are not an
issue. An even better solution is a system
that remotely monitors refill levels, since
this will remove the need for timeconsuming
ad hoc manual checks.
Soap should be supplied in
cartridges since these are quicker
and easier to replenish than bulk-fill
options. And automatic taps will
require less cleaning than manual
versions, while self-presenting hand
towel dispensers – besides speeding
up hand towel delivery for users – will
attract fewer fingermarks and further
lighten the cleaner’s load.
Another positive e ect of hand towel
dispensers is that they reduce the
floor-cleaning burden. As air dryers
blow water away from the hands this
inevitably leads to puddles on the
floor. And if visitors tramp this water
around with muddy feet, the floor will
need to be cleaned more frequently.
The floor and wall coverings should
also be considered carefully during
the design stage of any washroom.
Large tiles, or better still a continuous
surface, will reduce the number of
grout lines and crevices where dirt
will collect, and this will speed up
cleaning.
A combination of intelligent design
together with the right products and
systems will help to minimise the time
visitor and cleaner alike spend in the
smallest room – freeing up many hours
for more rewarding pastimes.
AIR POLLUTION
Chris Brown, Head of Public Sector at
hygiene services provider phs Group,
suggests ways that public venues, and in
particular the washrooms, can be kept
sweet smelling and germ free.
Every public venue has a cleaning
regime as standard practice – in fact,
it’s a legal requirement. But while the
hygiene of your facility is routinely
managed, there’s another aspect that
is all too o en overlooked, despite
its potential for carrying germs and
allergens.
This is the quality of the air, to
which every building user is exposed.
Every time a building occupant takes
a breath, they are breathing in a mix
of invisible pollutants, contaminants,
allergens, germs and odours. And
the more people in the space, the
more the cocktail of contaminants
expands. Consider how quickly
germs can spread within a school, a
hospital or any other public space.
The impact of indoor air on health and
wellbeing is well evidenced. When you
consider that a single cubic metre of
air contains up to 15,000 flu viruses,
you can understand why. In addition,
just 437 grains of dust contain
nearly 42,000 living dust mites, each
expelling 20 faecal pellets every day
into the air you breathe. It’s not a
pleasant thought.
Indoor air pollution is a hot topic.
While air pollutants are o en
generated outdoors, their
concentration levels are magnified
by up to five times indoors. A recent
school study revealed children were
exposed to higher levels of damaging
air pollution inside classrooms than
outside, putting them at risk of
lifelong health problems. The Mayor
of London has recently announced a
pilot scheme introducing air purifiers
into city schools, which physically
clean the air and reduce children’s
exposure to pollutants.
While this study is specific to
schools, the e ect is the same within
any building. And it isn’t unique to
London – a Friends of the Earth report
found almost 2,000 locations across
England, Wales and Northern Ireland
with levels of air pollution that exceed
safety limits (3).
With this in mind, it becomes
intuitive for organisations to seriously
consider their indoor air quality and
take steps to improve it. The statistics
suggest that measures such as air
cleaning aren’t a luxury, they’re a
necessity.
Air purifiers physically clean the air
within a building, enabling occupants
to breathe air that is cleaner and
healthier, protecting them from
the risk of pollution and reducing
exposure to germs such as colds and
flu as well as allergens.
Any public building owner has a
responsibility for the health and safety
of its users. We’ve seen first-hand the
rise in demand for air cleaning across
all sectors, from schools, hospitals, GP
surgeries and dentists to care homes,
o ices and leisure centres. All seek
to improve air quality to protect the
health and wellbeing of their building
users. When you weigh up the risks
and review the e ectiveness of air
cleaning, we believe that air purifiers
will become the new must-have for
any public building.
REFERENCE NOTES
(1) www.unilad.co.uk/featured/this-is-how-much-of-your-life-youve-spent-on-the-toilet/
(2) https://stories.swns.com/news/wait-in-line-nearly-a-year-of-our-life-is-spent-inqueues
24514/
(3) https://friendso heearth.uk/clean-air/results
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