How to maintain your school washrooms
No student wants to use dirty or faulty washrooms, and nor should they have to. Every child, no matter their age, should have access to safe, clean and usable school toilets.
Despite this, a study from Unilever found that 30% of students report feeling discomfort and finding it hard to concentrate at school because they actively avoid going to the toilet.
Not only this but 12% say they deliberately avoid eating and drinking at school and a very distressing one and 10 admit to skipping school entirely so they don’t have to use the toilets.
Those are some pretty telling statistics and something that school leaders should certainly be taking into consideration. It is so important that you maintain your school washrooms, offering the highest possible level of cleanliness and ensuring that they are fit for purpose.
Unfortunately, those in charge of facilities maintenance are often up against multiple challenges already, with adequate funding being one of the biggest.
But this is such an important issue that it cannot be ignored. If you're concerned about the state of your school toilets and how these make your students feel, you’ve come to the right place.
Below, we're going to share some of our top tips for improving and maintaining your school washroom facilities this year.
Make sure they are fit for purpose
The first thing you need to do is revisit your current school toilets to ensure that they are fit for purpose.
Because let's face it, there isn't much point in trying to maintain outdated or unusable toilet blocks that the students will still actively avoid.
These bathrooms must be designed to be safe and hygienic, but also appropriate for the age and size of all the students. This means that the cubicles, sinks, bag hooks, hand dryers and all other features must be accessible and comfortable to use.
With that in mind, you may need to revisit the design of your school washrooms, particularly if this hasn't been done for a long time. Sure, this might require some extra spending in the short term but it will be necessary to maintain your washrooms long into the future.
It could even be a good idea to ask students for their feedback and suggestions. This can be a very rewarding project for younger students and they might be able to share some creative ideas for transforming your school toilets.
For example, turning the toilets into a space-themed bathroom that is out of this world or adding images of animals or maps to continually spark their curiosity about the world, even when using the toilet.
For older students, simply asking them what it is that they find most off-putting about using the facilities can help you to make some very welcome changes.
Revisit the cleaning and maintenance schedule
Cleaning the toilets regularly is going to be one of the most important ways to maintain your school toilets. But if you've not given much thought to the company and employees that currently take on this role, then you really need to.
As well as ensuring regular cleaning, it is important that you choose the right company to ensure that they are doing the most thorough job possible.
It is important that school washrooms are cleaned and disinfected properly at the end of the day, that all rubbish is removed and that bad odours are eradicated. As well as the daily cleaning schedule, it's also a good idea to arrange a deep clean every few months when the school is closed for the holidays.
This offers an opportunity to make sure the washrooms are spotless and that any issues such as broken taps, leaky cisterns or even graffiti or damage can be dealt with swiftly.
Introduce hands-free technology
There are several key reasons why choosing hands-free technology in your school washrooms is the way forward. Some examples of the most common and beneficial appliances include sensor taps, soap dispensers, hand dryers and toilet flushes.
For one thing, these do away with the need for paper towels which can be messy and wasteful and more often than not, end up all over the floor. Not only that, but this is an excellent way to modernise your school toilets and help to stop bacteria from building up.
Think about it, the fewer surfaces that require touching the less chance there is of germs being spread about and left to build up. This makes the toilets a much cleaner and safer place for all.
This can be particularly important in the younger years when children tend to be more messy and less aware of their own hygiene.
4. Get rid of dirty dispensers
In a time and place where hygiene is of the utmost importance, getting rid of dirty soap dispensers is vital.
These items will typically have dealt with heavy handling over the years and can become discoloured, damaged or even broken as a result.
So why not replace your dispensers with modern alternatives? You could even go one step further and choose sensor dispensers that promote better hygiene.
These can also add to the sleek, modern aesthetic of your healthcare washrooms and they can be an inexpensive change.
Make your washrooms as efficient as possible
When budgetary constraints are already an issue, it is really beneficial to ensure that your washrooms are as energy-efficient as possible.
Though it's not necessarily essential, choosing energy-efficient lightbulbs and appliances can lessen the environmental impact of your school and help you save money.
Not only this but choosing automated sensor taps, water-saving flush technology and even waterless urinals can reduce water usage and again, save money for the school.
On top of that, you can reduce the risk of flooding by careless students and ensure they don't accidentally leave the tap running.
This is good news, as excessive water usage and damage can take its toll on your facilities. So managing water usage can help to maintain your facilities and fixtures for years to come.
Make sure that the toilets are always fully stocked
Something that can be very off-putting for students, particularly older pupils, is a bathroom that is not well stocked.
No one wants to be caught short without any toilet roll or unable to wash their hands due to lack of soap. So it’s important to make sure that your toilets are always well stocked to reduce the risk of this happening.
This, in turn, will help to maintain the washrooms as it is less likely to lead to accidents or unhygienic and desperate situations. Sure, this is a roundabout way of saying it, but you understand what we’re getting at.
So, for both the pupils and your facilities management, always keep your school washrooms well stocked.
Work with the right professionals
Finally, from bathroom design companies to cleaners, plumbers and other maintenance professionals, it’s always important that you choose the right people to help make these spaces safe, clean and accessible.