By: Caitlin Dimalanta| August 23, 2022

Since 2020 our building management protocols have been rapidly evolving due to the ever-shifting nature of emerging healthcare needs. Terms such as “sanitize”, “disinfect” and “high-touch surfaces” have circulated through conversation more than ever. This new-found requirement for keeping areas clean and occupants healthy have called for facility maintenance teams to re-strategize and incorporate enhanced technology in efforts to keep our workplaces, schools, and communities safe.

Within a building the restroom is one of the hottest spots for germs and bacteria to be transferred due to the increased number of touchpoints throughout the area. The efficient and aesthetically pleasing design of touch-free dispensers significantly reduces the risk of spreading germs while leaving a positive impact on your customers, guests and staff.

Why Choose Touch-Free Dispensers?

A survey of more than 2,000 adults discovered that "...nearly three-quarters of Americans (74 percent) say dirty restrooms would cause them to have a negative perception of a business. More than two in three Americans (68 percent) also say restrooms with empty hand soap, toilet paper and paper towel dispensers would impact their opinion of a business negatively."

Let's take a moment to allow those numbers to sink in... Not only does restroom hygiene affect the health of your building occupants it affects a customer's perception of your business, school or workplace collectively. Touch-free dispensers boost the user’s restroom experience and foster a cleaner environment with these benefits:

• Modern design and function help to increase attention, and thereby increase hand hygiene
• Reduced contact points make restrooms easier to maintain and keep clean
• No-touch functionality makes the dispenser user friendly, especially for individuals who find it challenging to reach a dispenser from over a restroom countertop

• Standardized portion dispensing helps control costs
• Reduction in consumer waste

You may be wondering if there are so many advantages to touch-free dispensers then why don't all restrooms have them? One of the setbacks that leave facility managers hesitant to making the switch is related to battery maintenance. Replacing the batteries of each dispenser throughout an entire facility can be a time consuming and costly task. 

To alleviate this hardship, there are options like the KleenLine™ NRG™ No-Touch Foam Handwash Dispensing System that uses battery-on-the-refill technology. In other words each time a soap refill is replaced, a fresh new battery is included. By integrating the coin-cell battery with the soap refill itself this eliminates the hassle of either proactively or reactively changing out dispenser batteries by combining this activity with one your staff is already doing – replacing empty refills. 

Where to Start

These days there are multiple options for every price point, so going touch-free won’t break the bank and is affordable for everyone. There are SIX game changing dispenser options within a restroom that reduce biohazards while making it more efficient for your facility maintenance team to tackle the most challenging area in a building to clean:

1. Menstrual Care | Feminine hygiene shouldn’t be an afterthought in a touch-free restroom environment! Keep your facility compliant with local laws (if applicable) or upgrade your user experience by providing free sanitary napkins and tampons through touch-free menstrual care product dispensers.
2. Seat Cover Dispensers | No one wants to touch more things than absolutely necessary when in the restroom, especially in a restroom stall. When possible, automate it!
3. Automatic Flush & Automatic Faucet Accessories | Automatic faucets, flush toilets & urinals eliminate a major restroom touchpoint. Reliable and user-friendly, automatic faucets and flushers come in many different styles that suit any restroom design and reduce the possibility of cross-contamination from germs. They also regulate and reduce indoor water consumption in a building.
4. Hand Soap Dispenser Systems | Automatic wall-mount and counter-mount dispensers are available in finishes to match any restroom design. Sealed refills are available to prevent contamination from external elements, as well as handwashes formulated to be gentler on the skin. 
5. Paper Towel Dispenser Systems | Automatic towel dispensers cut down on touchpoints and towel size can be adjusted to reduce excess product waste. In addition, paper dispenser/receptacle combos can be placed near doors where the paper towel can also be used to open a door handle and then be immediately thrown away.
6. Hand Sanitizer | Double down on clean hands by installing touch-free hand sanitizer dispensers adjacent to a restroom door. This allows users to sanitize their hands one more time as they leave and means they avoid “sharing” germs from touching entry/exit hotspots such as doors, handles and waste receptacles.

WAXIE is committed to helping our customers keep their facilities cleaner, healthier, greener, and safer. That means creating customized cleaning solutions to meet your specific needs, and then providing the ongoing training and support to help you achieve a cleaner and healthier building environment with touch-free restroom solutions.  

Please contact your WAXIE Account Consultant today to schedule a consultation.  

Caitlin Dimalanta is WAXIE’s eCommerce Specialist. She enjoys researching and implementing various SEO (search engine optimization) strategies to enhance WAXIE’s eCommerce platform Web@Work. Caitlin has a Bachelor's Degree in Marketing from San Diego State University.