Consider Background Music To Enhance Public Bathroom Privacy

Call it “elevator music for the public restroom.” It sounds simple, but background music in a public bathroom not only improves the ambiance for the customer, but it also provides a level of acoustic privacy; customers can hear less from their neighbors in adjacent bathroom stalls. But there are a few caveats: Background music in public bathrooms is more appropriate in some venues, such as restaurants, than others, such as airports, where sound systems are needed to announce flight information, or office buildings, where the music might permeate outside the restroom and distract workers.

Restroom Partitions Keep Urinal Users From Seeing And Splashing Neighbors

When designing a public restroom, keep in mind that the current international plumbing code mandates restroom partitions between urinals. Ideally, the partitions should be high enough to prevent eye contact and protect privacy, as well as containing urine splashes.

Consider Sight Lines In Public Restroom Design For Maximum Stall Use

When working on a public restroom design, especially a women’s public restroom, position the entrances in a way that allows those waiting in line to see all available stalls. This allows customers to determine as quickly as possible which stalls are available and which are occupied. Consider placing sinks and restroom hand dryers in an area separate from the stalls. This will move traffic away from the stalls and hopefully reduce crowding, especially in busy bathrooms.

Review Public Restroom Laws For Hot Water

Providing hot water in public restrooms seems like the right thing to do for cleanliness and customer satisfaction, but it may also be the law. Some municipal codes specifically require hot water in public bathrooms. Check your local regulations during the public restroom design process to be sure that you meet the necessary public restroom requirements.

Remember ADA Depth Requirements For Wall-Mounted Hand Dryers

When installing wall-mounted hand dryers in a public restroom that needs to be ADA compliant be sure to observe the ADA requirements for distance from the wall—a wall-mounted dryer cannot protrude more than 4 inches from the wall. The reason? Research has shown that if a fixture protrude farther than 4 inches from the wall, a visually impaired person is in danger of bumping into the unit. Several models of wall-mounted dryers meet this requirement, such as Mediflow models from Saniflow. Many manufacturers of wall-mounted hand dryers are sold with “recessed kits” to meet the regulations for distance from the wall in a public bathroom.

Review Door And Mirror Placement In Bathroom Floor Plans

Review a public bathroom floor plan with an eye towards avoiding inappropriately-placed mirrors that may provide a view into areas meant to be private, such as unshielded urinals. Conversely, a bathroom floor plan that includes thoughtful, appropriate mirror placement can enhance security, which is especially important in women’s public bathrooms, by providing a sight line from the entrance to the back of the restroom.

Public Restrooms In Airports Follow Cleanliness Requirements

A consumer tip: Wonder how often airport public bathrooms are cleaned? There are public restroom requirements for cleaning that vary from airport to airport, but here’s a sample of U.S. airports' cleaning schedules, according to research conducted by USA Today:

Atlanta: men’s bathrooms cleaned every 15 minutes between 7 a.m. and 11 p.m., women’s cleaned on an ongoing basis between 7 a.m. and 11 p.m., full cleaning of all restrooms after midnight

Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky: 3-4 times daily

New York JFK: varies by terminal, hourly during peak times

Honolulu: Hourly

Warm Air Hand Dryers Reduce Time Spent On Waste Management

Public restroom regulations related to waste management can be minimized with the installation of warm air hand dryers as an environmental, waste-free alternative to paper towels, because paper towels make up the majority of the waste in restrooms where they are available.

Data from manufacturers such as Sani-Flow suggest as much as 90% cost savings with warm air hand dryers compared to paper towels. This includes the waste management costs of collecting and disposing of the towels, which cannot be recycled once they have been used.

Safety Essential: Disconnect Electricity Before Servicing Electric Hand Dryers

Electric hand dryers don’t need much maintenance, but when they do, make sure the service personnel follow safety regulations to avoid severe shock. The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health mandates the following precautions before installing or servicing electric hand dryers or other public restroom electrical equipment:

• Observe all OSHA regulations
• Identify and label all potential hazardous energy sources and de-energize them before beginning work.

For more details, visit the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health website at cdc.gov/niosh.

Labyrinth-style Public Restroom Entrances Eliminate Door Contact

Bathroom stall doors are another point of cross-contamination in public bathrooms. Here's one public restroom design idea to solve this problem: Eliminate the doors. In addition to eliminating the bathroom stall door as a source of germs, a labyrinth-style entrance has other advantages:

• No danger of an outward-swinging door hitting someone. Although outward-swinging doors allow public restroom users to push them open without touching them, these doors require more space, and there is the danger of fellow customers being hit by swinging doors
• Less incentive for criminal activity. If there are no doors to close, criminals are deterred. Also, sound carries farther when no doors exist, and this may deter potential criminals as well.