What makes a washroom unusable?

AROUND 54% of people experience some form of difficulty when using a public washroom. This staggering fact was uncovered in a recent Tork study which polled 11,500 people in 11 countries.

When washrooms may not fully meet diverse needs, people change their behaviour.They avoid eating, drinking or even visiting certain venues. This leads to missed revenue opportunities, lower customer satisfaction and reduced repeat visits.

Issues such as arthritis, skin conditions, chronic pain and incontinence can all make the use of a washroom either difficult or uncomfortable, according to the 2025 Tork Insight Survey. Temporary factors can also limit the mobility, balance or reach of the typical washroom user - and this can make standard facilities hard to navigate. 

If someone has a fractured arm, a leg in plaster, a heavy suitcase or a small child in tow they could struggle to enter and exit the cubicle, for example. They could also encounter difficulties when trying to wash and dry their hands.

People with paruresis (shy bladder syndrome) often face invisible barriers to hygiene in washrooms such as limited privacy, noise, or layouts that make it difficult to feel at ease. Similarly, those who use catheters or ostomy bags may encounter challenges such as restricted space or lack of appropriate disposal options. 

Public washrooms can be a challenging environment. Many of them feature hard, white surfaces and bright lights that create a glare, and this can cause difficulties for the visually impaired. A certain degree of dexterity is often required to use the dispensers for soap, toilet paper and hand towels.  This can put such facilities out of reach for those who have low hand strength or muscular or joint issues.

Wash hand basins tend to be situated at a uniform height which can be a problem for the very tall – who will be forced to stoop – and the very short who may not be able to reach them. 

Washrooms can also present barriers for people with hygiene concerns or for those who feel uncomfortable in small, shared spaces that do not meet their needs. And asmany of these barriers are invisible, countless users experience discomfort without others even realising. The Tork study revealed that 73% of respondents felt unsafe if they were unable to wash their hands when out and about, while 38% said they would avoid eating or drinking to reduce their risk of their needing to use a public washroom.

Feeling anxious or uncomfortable when using a public washroom can have a number of negative effects. People may decide to avoid going out and participating in social activities, for example. It can prevent them from enjoying food and drink in public, staying at a job and generally feeling safe.

Based on findings from the survey, Essity built an ‘unusable washroom’ to demonstrate the barriers many people face but others rarely notice. The facilitydemonstrated how a man with arthritis struggled to operate a standard soap dispenser, how abrasive paper towels aggravated eczema and how a loud air dryer felt ‘like pins in the ears’ to an autistic child. These examples highlight how everyday design choices can create invisible barriers to hygiene, and why adapting environments is essential 

The effects on washroom providers can also be highly negative. In an age whereincreasing numbers of people are working from home, employers are finding it hard to keep their staff members on site. But 15% of respondents said they would be inclined to work from home more frequently if they perceived their workplace to be unhygienic. Around 23% said they would avoid eating or drinking at work – and 5% were actually prepared to change their job rather than work in an unclean environment.

So poor office hygiene could lead to a less productive workforce, lower levels of productivity and a higher turnover of staff.

The effect on cafes and restaurants can be equally detrimental. A total of 23% of respondents to the Tork Insight Survey said they would reduce the amount they ate or drank at a hospitality venue to avoid having to use an unpleasant washroom while 15% said they would simply go elsewhere. And 19% would avoid using an unhygienic toilet even if they needed to do so. 

People who curb their eating or drinking – or who leave the venue altogether - represent a missed business opportunity for the hospitality outlet. And when a diner who needs to use the toilet refrains from doing so, their entire experience will be coloured by discomfort. This is then likely to have a direct impact on their satisfaction levels and make them less likely to return.

So, what can be done to remove barriers to hygiene and ensure comfortable access in away‑from‑home washrooms, so as many people as possible can use them with ease and confidence?

Easy-to-navigate entrances and automatic fixtures will make it easier to access the washroom and use the hand hygiene facilities. All dispensers should be intuitive to use and push-buttons for soap should cater for everyone, whatever their hand strength.

Hand towel dispensers that give out towels automatically or that self-present will be easier to use than an over-stuffed unit. The towels themselves should be sufficiently soft and user-friendly to avoid aggravating any skin conditions. And noise levels on air dryers should be kept as low as possible to protect sensitive ears.

One key “must-have” - mentioned by 67% of respondents in the Tork Insight Survey - was that toilet paper should be housed in a dispenser from which it was easy to extract the tissue.  Folded toilet tissue sheets or units that require the paper to be pulled out from the front will require less dexterity than a jumbo roll where the user may struggle to find the end of the roll inside, for example. 

The Tork SmartOne® toilet paper dispenser gives out paper from the front of the unit and the tissue is protected before use to prevent product contamination or spoilage.

Other must-haves for survey respondents included sufficient space to manoeuvre a wheelchair, which was mentioned by more than 60%, and non-slip flooringwhich was called for by 57%. More than a third felt that height‑adjustable fixtures such as sinks and hand dryers were essential to reduce barriers to hygiene, and many also highlighted the need for automatic doors along with visual or tactile cues to make navigation easier for everyone.

Awareness of the need to accommodate a wide range of requirements has grown significantly in recent years. This has led to more Changing Places facilities being included in public washroom designs. While these facilities remain essential, our research shows that only a 5% proportion of people with physical or cognitive conditions use wheelchairs. Today’s washrooms should therefore follow a universal design approach, making them easier and more comfortable for as many people as possible - whatever their individual needs.

Jeremy Bennett is sales manager HORECA and project manager Tork Paper Circle at Essity

For more information, visit www.torkglobal.com