Which Automatic Restroom Equipment Do You Need?
Automating restroom equipment is a logical way for foodservice businesses, office buildings, and other operations to decrease the potential spread of germs and illness – and it comes with added operational benefits.
Restroom automation decreases labor, inventory, and utility costs while encouraging facility cleanliness, personal hygiene, and proper use. Installing equipment with convenient touch-free operation and regulated usage leads to cleaner bathrooms and less waste, helping your employees reduce high-traffic touch points that can harbor bacteria and germs.
The Benefits of Automatic Restroom Equipment
Any business or space that offers restrooms used by employees, visitors, or members of the general public can profit from the use of automated equipment. Restaurants, retail spaces, office buildings, community centers, and healthcare facilities should consider the following benefits.
- Sanitation: Adding automatic equipment in bathrooms reduces the spread of viruses and bacteria by encouraging proper use and lessening the possibility that germs spread beyond the restroom or linger on frequently used surfaces. Toilets are always flushed, automatic faucets and dispensers remove the need for guest contact, and paper towels are dispensed without guests touching a lever or button.
- Convenience: Whether your restroom is visited by a handful of employees or numerous guests each day, automation gives them a quick, easy bathroom experience. Automatic operation saves valuable seconds otherwise wasted on turning knobs off and on, trying to tear off the right number of paper towels, and other tasks that become laborious during a busy day.
- Decreased costs: Because automated faucets and hand dryers run only when they're in use, operations that install them will see lower utility bills. Dispensers that provide a predetermined length of paper towel or amount of soap help control inventory, lower maintenance requirements, and encourage guests to leave restrooms cleaner by using less soap and fewer paper towels.
How Restroom Automation Works
Automatic restroom equipment may be battery- or light-operated or powered by an external source. Units use passive or active sensor technology to activate the equipment.1
- Active: An active sensor, also called a radar-based sensor, sends out radio waves. When the waves return to the sensor, it can detect a shift in frequency caused by movement. If the movement occurs in a preset area, the equipment activates. These sensors may be used to dispense preset amounts of soap, hand sanitizer, or paper product when motion is detected.
- Passive: A passive sensor uses infrared technology to detect heat. Automatic hand dryers or faucets may use this type of sensor to activate when a person's hands are under it, deactivating when they are removed. A passive toilet flush sensor detects if someone is seated in front of it and activates the equipment when the person is no longer within a set distance.
Types of Automatic Restroom Equipment
Toilet and urinal flushers
Automatic flush toilets and urinals require less maintenance than traditional flush toilets because of decreased wear and tear on the handle, lasting longer than a traditional mechanism. Flushes after every use maintain presentability and decrease odors. Automated flushers can be retrofitted easily and quickly onto existing toilet flush valves.
Faucets
Automatic faucets eliminate touch points and conserve water and energy by preadjusting temperature and shutting off immediately when guests remove their hands. Encourage proper handwashing by staff or guests by offering a timer for use with your automatic fixture.
Soap dispensers
An automatic soap dispenser decreases the collection of bacteria by eliminating touch points. Operators can set the amount of soap or sanitizer released each time, saving money on inventory. Automatic soap dispensers are available in wall-mounted and countertop designs.
Hand towel dispenser
An automatic hand towel dispenser discourages guests from overusing product by portioning a preset number of towels, leading to less waste on the floor. It also eliminates the need for employees and guests to dispense towels manually, which can contaminate recently cleaned hands.
Hand dryers
Automatic hand dryers eliminate traditional push buttons, which may harbor bacteria from users who didn't wash their hands properly. To prevent bacteria spread further, healthcare facilities and other operations with sanitary concerns should consider buying an automatic dryer with ionized air or a HEPA air filter.
Air freshener dispensers
Automatic air fresheners use motion sensors or timers to deodorize your bathroom, creating a pleasant environment without the hassle of relying on manually operated devices.
Hands-free door openers
Adding a foot- or wrist-operated hands-free door opener supplements your restroom automation by further preventing the spread of germs via door handles.
