What are loo priorities?
August 1st 2005

Much has been written in these pages about the required standards and facilities in away-from-home washrooms. Manufacturers naturally extol the virtues of their own systems over those of other companies, while bodies such as the British Toilet Association discuss what we should expect from washrooms of the future.

But what do the pubic themselves actually want? Do they really care what type of system is provided in their away-from-home washrooms, or is it something they barely notice? In fact they care very much, according to a study we carried out into washroom users’ preferences. We at SCA asked 100 people at random what they wanted from their public loo. The strength of feeling we encountered surprised even us.

Respondents reeled off a list of pet hates such as flooded floors and washbasin units; cramped cubicles; warm air dryers that blow cold, bad smells, and push-button taps that splash or run scalding hot. They also complained about graffiti, queuing, poor lighting and having to pay.

Our survey revealed a strong preference, too, for disposable towels over other hand drying options, both for reasons of hygiene and convenience. Sixty-eight per cent of respondents preferred disposables while 23% liked warm air dryers and nine per cent preferred textile towels.

This, in fact, echoed the findings of a larger study commissioned by SCA in Germany earlier this year. Of nearly 1000 German people questioned, 54% preferred disposable towels while 24% preferred warm air dryers and 11% liked textiles, the rest being undecided.

Also interesting to note was the relatively small number of people willing to wait for warm air dryers to take effect. Only 23% said they would use a warm air dryer for as long as it took to dry their hands thoroughly, while 38% confessed to shaking their hands dry and 39% admitted to wiping their hands on toilet tissue or even on their clothes.

Our respondents offered several suggestions for making away-fromhome washrooms into more appealing places. These included: background music to mask washroom sounds; more congenial surroundings; automatic doors, and antiseptic wipes for door handles.

Other people asked for extra cubicles in Ladies’ loos; more low-level urinals in the Gents, plus greater number of basins and hand drying facilities for children.

But the overwhelming feeling was that people wanted their awayfrom- home washrooms to be clean above all else.

Seventy-two per cent of our respondents said that clean, functional fixtures and fittings were what they most liked to find in a public loo, compared with 21% who looked for automatic systems and seven per cent who were impressed by “extras” such as fresh flowers and hand creams.

When asked what they found most off-putting abut public loos, 74% gave the answer as dirty or blocked toilets.

Twelve per cent hated to find no soap or loo roll, while others listed bad smells and broken locks as pet hates.

A minimum hygiene standard for washrooms is one of the main planks of the British Toilet Association’s campaign, and director Richard Chisnell frequently speaks out about the state of Britain’s washrooms.

But how does his vision for tomorrow’s washrooms compare with our respondents’ wishes? Mr Chisnell says that in his view, society attitudes will have a major impact on tomorrow’s public washrooms.

”We are going to see more public loos using automatic lighting, flushing systems and automatic seat wiping systems - anything that enhances hygiene,” he said.

“With the increase in single parent families – where sometimes the father is the main carer – there will be a growing need for family-orientated washrooms rather than just mother-and-baby facilities.

We are also going to see a ‘blurring of the edges’ between male and female facilities.

“As the male grooming market grows and men become increasingly fashionconscious, it will no longer just be the ladies loos that have the mirrors and fresh flowers.

“Historically, too, male and female facilities have been kept apart in Britain, but male loos are intimidating for young boys and have associated problems. We will therefore see a trend for more unisex toilets and I also think the urinal has no future since it offers problems of smell, spillage, and lack of privacy. “ However, when asked how they would like to see the washrooms of the future, none of our respondents – around half of whom were men – asked for the urinal to be phased out. Only two per cent called for unisex toilets, and none of the seven per cent who asked for more fresh flowers and hand creams were male.

Mr Chisnell’s prediction that automation will increase was, however, borne out by the 63% respondents who called for highly automated systems requiring no hand contact whatsoever. And nine per cent echoed his call for more family washrooms.

Another 13% of respondents, however, simply asked for tomorrow’s washrooms to be clean.

For all those washroom managers looking to enhance their premises with expensive extras or quirky styling, the demand for cleanliness above all else should be a wake-up call. According to our survey, any extra money would be better spent on more frequent maintenance checks and a better cleaning regime. As one respondent put it: “A lot of restaurants and clubs seem to be going all out to provide more attractive washrooms but if the basics aren’t there, what’s the point? “We just want everything in the washroom to be clean, hygienic and in working order. Nothing else matters.”

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