10 Things Every Office Bathroom Should Have

Sharing your office bathroom with employees and customers can be far from a pleasant experience. Fortunately, with the right bathroom setup, you can keep your office bathroom clean, sanitary and tidy. Here are 10 things to ensure you include in the bathroom’s commercial plumbing system.

1. User-friendly features: Make sure your office bathroom accommodates all people who need to use the facilities, including those in wheelchairs and with babies or small children. Specific user-friendly features include handicap-accessible toilet stalls, child seats in each stall, diaper-changing stations in both men’s and women’s restrooms, and full-length mirrors.

2. Wall-mounted toilets: With no leg support attached to the floor, wall-mounted toilets in public restrooms are easier to clean. In fact, the design is even available in residential bathrooms simply to accommodate easier maintenance.

3. Trash cans near the sink: The ideal location for trash cans in an office bathroom is between the wash area and the door. The paper towel dispenser should be installed right above the trash can to help prevent litter from being left on the floor. Close proximity to the door gives bathroom-goers the chance to pull on the handle with a paper towel before tossing it in the trash. This hygienic technique helps keep bathroom germs in the bathroom.

4. Double-roll toilet paper dispensers: Having two rolls of toilet paper available in a public restroom allows the custodian to replace rolls only when they fully run out. This decreases waste and reduces how often the custodian must check the toilet paper supply.

5. Disposable toilet seat covers: Some patrons feel uncomfortable sitting directly on a public toilet seat. To accommodate these people, make disposable toilet seat covers available in each stall. Without them, people are more likely to cover the seat with toilet paper, which results in more waste.

6. Electronic products to minimize hand contact: To improve hygiene in your office bathroom, install motion-activated toilet flushers, faucets, soap dispensers, paper towel holders and hand dryers. The ability to touch fewer surfaces means fewer germs can hitch a ride out of the bathroom.

7. Futuristic wall coverings: Choose durable materials for the wall. New graffiti-resistant wall coatings keep the restrooms looking clean and professional. Odor-trapping wall coverings also absorb unpleasant smells that generate in the bathroom. These wall coverings are cleanable, resistant to staining and long-lasting.

8. Non-slip floor surface: For safety reasons, the floor of your office bathroom should be slip-resistant to help maintain traction even when the floor gets wet. Popular flooring materials that provide this quality include non-slip natural stone, terrazzo and ceramic tiles.

9. Automatic air fresheners: No one wants to be assigned the cubicle closest to the restroom because of the smells that often waft out of there. Fortunately, automatic air fresheners that spray perfume at certain intervals help with this problem. If you use this feature, you should install the air freshener in an inconspicuous spot and make sure it sprays upwards away from the direct path of bathroom-goers.

10. Clear signage: This is especially important if you share your office restroom with customers. First, place signs in the lobby pointing out where the facilities are located. Then clearly label each individual restroom door – men’s, women’s and family/gender neutral – with words, images and Braille so every customer can easily distinguish which door to enter.

If you want more ideas for optimizing your bathroom, be sure to check out these five low-cost items to make your bathroom safe. For more information, or for help making changes to your office building’s commercial plumbing system, please contact Mr. Rooter® Plumbing today.