Washrooms are no longer a touchy subject...

Initial says no-touch range will improve washroom image
September 28th 2006

“Washrooms are no longer a touchy subject,” quipped Initial Washrooms Solutions head of marketing, Una de Boer at the launch of its extended no-touch washroom range earlier this month. Building on the success of its no-touch sanitary bin, the Sanitact Disposal Unit (launched in 2003 and currently outselling Initial’s manual version), the no-touch range now includes a Paper Towel Dispenser and Soap Dispenser. Initial now offers a service and refill package to support the new range.

Before bringing the products into the range, the company commissioned extensive market research into consumer attitudes towards pubic and workplace washrooms – and their behaviour once inside the ladies or gents.

After sampling 2000 people, the research found that people have an aversion to touching surfaces, and that overall, women particularly do not want to touch anything. “It was reassuring to find that I’m not a freak,” said de Boer. “Apparently its normal to think about where you touch the door handle!”

The report also found that the public has a perceived ‘pecking order’ of washroom expectation. For example, restaurant and hotel washrooms are expected to be first class, whereas fast food outlets and hospitals are low down on public expectations. According to de Boer, “Women certainly mention whether a place has nice toilets to each other.” A straw poll of the female members of Cleaning Matters’ support staff confirmed this opinion.

In terms of business premises washrooms, the research also confirmed what the washroom industry has been saying for some time: that poor facilities do cast doubt on a company’s professionalism and overall image.

The new additions

The latest no-touch additions are straightforward: wave a hand in front of the battery powered paper towel dispenser (Lotus Professional's enMotion dispenser) and a single sheet is dispensed. Only when that sheet is removed will the machine reset ready for the next use, preventing wastage. The sensor beam can be set to wide or narrow and the unit can also be set up to auto-dispense a sheet ready for the next user. Towel sheet size can also be adjusted and a new roll can be attached to the old to provide continuous changeover. The unit is guaranteed for seven years.

The soap dispenser is also battery powered and operates in much the same way: wave a hand across the sensor beam and the unit dispenses a dose of soap. The amount can be pre-set to dispense either 1, 2 or 3 ml according to preference. The company recommends using antibacterial handwash but does stock other alternatives.

Using standard AA batteries, the paper dispenser battery life is around 30 rolls, the soap dispenser depends on the size of the dose, but will last “at least 6 months” according to Initial’s technical team.

The company says regular service visits take away the worry of maintenance away from a business which, alongside the expanding no-touch range, give customers a washroom to be proud of.

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