Know Before You Gotta Go
What will restrooms look like in a post-COVID-19 world?
By Robert Kravitz
Photos: Courtesy Of Kaivac
Park and recreation facilities, anxious to get their centers open and operating—safely—may be interested in an article published in The Washington Post in May 2020.
The article, titled “The need to go is a big barrier to going out. Why public bathrooms are a stumbling block for reopening,” suggests one of the main reasons people are concerned about going out during this pandemic is restrooms.
According to the author, Marc Fisher:
Whether it's the mall, restaurants, concerts, ballparks, or even drive-in movie theaters, Americans are making it clear: They won't be ready to go out to their favorite destinations until they feel confident about being able to go.
To the bathroom, that is.
The idea of a return to life in public is unnerving enough for many people. But it turns out that one of the biggest obstacles to dining in a restaurant, renewing a doctor's appointment, or going back to the office, is the prospect of using a public restroom—a tight, intimate, and potentially germ-infested space.*
Do you think restrooms are on parents’ minds when they consider sending their children back to park and rec centers? It is likely one of dozens of considerations—or worries—parents have today.
However, as in any crisis, even one as serious as this one, there are some unexpected silver linings. One is that restrooms are likely to change. Restrooms of the future are expected to be safer and healthier, with infection-control measures in place.
Also, restrooms of the future are expected to be far more sustainability-focused and incorporate cleaning protocols that are more thorough, effective, and potentially faster.
So, What's On Tap?
When was the last time you saw a toilet with a lid in a public restroom? Twenty years ago? Thirty? Toilet lids were removed in restrooms decades ago. It helped reduce the cost of the toilet and provided one less thing that needed to be cleaned.
However, toilet lids serve an important purpose. They block aerosolized contaminants from being released into the air when the toilet is flushed. This is called “plume,” and this is even more critical now because traces of COVID-19 have been found in human waste.
On the drawing boards is a toilet that will not flush until the lid is in the down position. Some manufacturers are going a step further by making toilets with lids that when flushed close automatically. (See Sidebar: How Airlines Are Dealing With Toilet Plume.)
Other restroom changes to expect:
Urinals
Urinals also have plume issues. Plus, urinals typically have no enclosures, such as toilets do. If contaminants become airborne, they can easily be inhaled by anyone standing nearby, and the plume is likely to land almost anywhere in the restroom.
Most observers feel there are now two options to prevent urinal plume:
Enclose urinals in separate stalls, like toilets, or install floor-to-ceiling partitions.
Change to waterless urinals, which do not flush, so therefore have no plume.
Likely, both options will be used in restrooms of the future. Waterless urinals eliminate the need for water, which promotes sustainability, and tend to be less costly to purchase and install than traditional water-using urinals. Installing partitions around urinals is usually a moderate cost as well.
Paper
Studies have found that some people are washing their hands as many as 16 times per day since the beginning of the pandemic. This obviously means far more paper towels will be used, which can be costly.
Though they have drawbacks, restrooms will likely have electric hand-dryers. More will be designed with filtration systems that capture and trap impurities, preventing them from being released into the air.
However, if paper-towel dispensers are preferred, single-use, throw-away towels may prove more hygienic. If the user can pull a paper towel or if a dispenser is sensor-operated, there should be no touching, eliminating cross-contamination.
Touchless … Everything
Expect there to be no need to touch any fixtures or dispensers in restrooms of the future. Additionally, restrooms will likely be designed with doorless entries. We see these in airports and large facilities, but expect them in smaller ones as well.
Green Lights And Toilet Stalls
Expect toilet stalls to show a green light, indicating a vacancy, and a red light if occupied. This way, users do not need to press on the door to see if it is unlocked. Also in the works are foot controls that will open and close stall doors.
Sinks In The Center
Virtually every small to medium-sized public restroom in North America is designed the same way: toilets and urinals are on one wall, counters and sinks on another. However, in parts of Europe, counters and sinks are often located in the center of the restroom, with toilets and urinals around. Designers believe sinks in the center will allow for more sinks on each side of the counter and to be spread out. This will help minimize congestion and allow for more space between users.
Antimicrobial Coatings
These coatings inhibit microbes from growing on surfaces. In a restroom, antimicrobial coatings are often applied to counters, walls, and partitions, doors and door handles, and other high-touch areas, even HVAC vents. Some paint manufacturers add coatings to wall paint and primer products to further inhibit the growth of pathogens. (See Sidebar: Cleaning Surfaces With An Antimicrobial Coating.)
Cleaning The Restrooms Of The Future
No discussion of restrooms of the future would be complete without discussing cleaning. One of the steps managers in all types of facilities are currently taking is to use disinfectants—and lots of them—throughout their facilities.
However, this may be causing more problems than we realize. Disinfectants are not environmentally friendly; there are no “green” disinfectants in the U.S., and they are often not used properly. In most cases, surfaces must be cleaned first and then disinfected.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that effective cleaning is all that is needed (in most cases) to stop the spread of COVID-19 and other diseases. However, traditional cleaning methods—sprayers, cloths, buckets, and mops—will likely not work and become outdated.
What is expected to replace these methods are no-touch or spray-and-vac cleaning systems, as they are referred to by ISSA, the worldwide cleaning association. In most cases, these systems apply cleaning solution directly to surfaces, walls, counters, and fixtures, power-rinse the same areas, and then vacuum up the moisture and soil.**
The problem with the outdated tools mentioned above is they spread contamination as they are being used. Further, the efficacy of the cleaning solution and disinfectant diminishes with use. This has been known for decades, but with COVID-19, there is no option for risk.
There have always been concerns about how hygienically clean restrooms are. However, COVID-19 has taken these concerns to new levels.
Restrooms of the future will not eliminate all of these concerns, but certainly many of them will be alleviated. Restrooms will be cleaner and healthier—the unexpected benefit of the difficulties we are going through today.
* “The need to go is a big barrier to going out: why public bathrooms are a stumbling block for reopening,” by Marc Fisher, The Washington Post, May 18, 2020.
**The vacuuming component is not available from all manufacturers.
Robert Kravitz is a frequent writer for the professional cleaning industry. Reach him at robert.kravitz@outlook.com.
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Sidebars
How Airlines Are Dealing With Toilet Plume
Plexiglass covers, which are now being tested, must be closed for the toilet to flush. Referred to as “splash guards,” the covers essentially eliminate aerosols and water droplets from escaping.
Cleaning Surfaces With An Antimicrobial Coating
As soils build up on antimicrobialcoated surfaces, the effectiveness of the coating begins to diminish. As a result, these surfaces must be cleaned on a regular basis for them to work as designed.