Public Bathroom Obstacles to Overcome
As states start to open back up, many people are eager to get back to some sense of normalcy and start venturing out of their house again. But, one barrier that is keeping them from embracing this new freedom is the fear of the public bathroom. Have you thought about the changes you will need to make in order to help your customers feel confident that they can visit your business and answer the call of nature if needed? Here are some ideas on public bathroom obstacles to overcome and ease your customers’ fears.
Go Touchless
Have you thought about all the different touch points that occur while in a public bathroom? First the door to enter. Then, the door to enter the stall and to lock it. A hand may rest on the toilet paper holder. If there are assistance bars, those will be touched. If it isn’t an automatic flush, the handle has to be pushed. Receptacle lids have to be pushed open. Then there is the faucet, the soap dispenser, the paper towel dispenser and then door one last time. That is a minimum of 12 touch points for an adult. If you have a child, you might as well multiple that by 10. Going touchless will help things tremendously. From a foot bar to open the door to automatic everything, finding ways to reduce the amount of surface touchpoints is important. Then, add more sanitation outside the bathroom as well. A hand sanitizer dispenser placed beside the door can be added for one measure of germ defense.
Reduce The Capacity Limits
Trying to keep 6 feet apart in a bathroom with sinks that are just a few feet apart just isn’t going to work. If your restroom allows for multiple people, you may need to reduce to one or two people at a time for a while. This may in-turn cause longer lines, so you will need someone in place to monitor lines and to ensure proper social distancing protocols are in place if lines get to be too long or too close together.
Keep the Air Clean
Many public bathrooms have open toilet seats with no lids. High pressure flushes can then escape into the air and droplets can linger in the air. Toilets with automatic lids would be a great solution to this problem. Another huge liability for air cleanliness is the air hand dryer. Not only are these pulling in the air full of toilet droplets, but they heat them and push them out directly onto your hands and back into the air. Remove the dryers and replace them automatic paper towels.
Routine Cleaning
Your customers will expect to see this area of your establishment pristine clean. So that will require more man power to clean them on a very routine basis. Some businesses are vowing to clean their restrooms every 30 minutes, like McDonald’s. Customers will want to see proactive action being taken to keep the bathroom clean. Posting a cleaning schedule for patrons to see will help ease worries as well. The CDC has listed out how to keep your areas, not just the bathroom, clean. Use this to get your plan together for how you will ramp-up your cleaning protocols.
If your business is starting to reopen and you plan on keeping your bathroom to accommodate your customers’ needs to go, you may need to create a plan for how to keep it cleaner and safer in the eyes of your customers. If this involves a renovation plan, we’re here to help. We can provide you with the financing you need to give your business the best pubic bathroom your customers have ever seen. Receive your offer in a few minutes by completing a no-obligation loan application. A local loan consultant will then contact you to get you the funds you need.