Choosing the Right Commercial Toilet Paper Dispenser
From the color scheme and light fixtures to finding the layout that maximizes your space, designing your restaurant's restrooms can be an involved process. As critical as any other component, the right commercial toilet paper dispenser will help keep your bathroom clean and functioning properly. To decide which is best suited to your facilities, consider the amount of foot traffic it will see, the frequency with which your staff will be available to perform maintenance, and the size of the budget your business has set aside for this necessary investment. You'll also want to answer the following questions.
- Should your toilet paper be covered or uncovered?
The most basic commercial toilet paper holder looks similar to what you might find in a residential setting, with a spindle that is mounted to the surface of a bathroom stall. Usually made out of stainless steel, these sometimes include a hood to protect them from contamination but otherwise leave the toilet paper exposed. If you would prefer one of these more subtle toilet tissue holders but theft or vandalism is a concern, choose one that has locking capabilities to prevent tampering.
A covered dispenser provides a complete enclosure for the toilet paper and will offer better protection. Enclosed toilet paper dispensers are typically made from durable plastic and come in a variety of colors like blue, purple, and black. To make it easy for staff to monitor how much paper is left on a roll, they are usually transparent or include a visible gauge. A keyed lock will give staff and employees access to the dispenser while preventing tampering by unauthorized parties.
- Will you need a single- or multi-roll dispenser?
Restrooms with a smaller amount of foot traffic, will be frequently attended to by employees, or do not have space in stalls for anything bigger might be the best fit for a single-roll toilet paper dispenser. Busy restrooms should be equipped with a double- or multi-roll dispenser to prevent any stall from being without supplies. A multi-roll dispenser might fit up to four rolls, but commercial toilet paper dispensers that accommodate two rolls are more common. Some are designed so that a stub roll can be used in conjunction with a full-sized roll to limit waste when rolls are only two-thirds empty. Others will use two full-sized rolls, either placed side-by-side or one on top of the other so the top one can drop down when the lower roll is emptied. Some commercial toilet paper holders are designed specifically for jumbo rolls, which are oversized rolls of toilet paper that can benefit restrooms with heavy traffic.
- Do your customers want toilet seat covers?
In addition to the regular and thorough maintenance performed by your staff, toilet seat covers will provide your customers with the peace of mind that they are using a clean restroom facility. If you wish to provide toilet seat covers, you can choose a combination toilet seat cover and toilet paper dispenser. These usually have toilet seat covers at the top of the dispenser with two rolls down the side. They can either be surface mounted and recessed to save space or double-sided and mounted in a partition to serve two restroom stalls.
- Are there any special circumstances to consider?
If you have a customer base that observes Shabbat and might be prohibited from tearing toilet paper during that time, you can install a surface-mounted cabinet that is stocked with individual sheets of toilet paper. Because it requires customers to retrieve toilet paper individually, this type of commercial toilet paper dispenser also lessens the chance that paper will be wasted by customers portioning more than they need, which might be helpful for restrooms that children will often use. For women's restrooms, installing toilet paper dispensers combined with waste receptacles will ensure that disposal of feminine products is done properly.
