The First Facility Management Blog

In an online survey conducted this spring, 94% of U.S. adults said they always wash their hands after visiting a restroom. However, when asked what percentage of other people they thought washed their hands each time after using a public restroom, 99% thought that other people don’t do so each time, and almost half (48%) felt that people wash their hands less than 50% of the time after using a restroom.

The commissioned survey was conducted by Harris Interactive on behalf of the Tork® brand of SCA Tissue North America and drew 2,516 U.S. adult  respondents 18 or older—46% male and 54% female.

Asked during which situations they would be most concerned about health and hygiene risks, respondents stated:
•    Visiting a public restroom (44%)
•    Preparing food or meals (26%)
•    Contact with other adults (9%)
Other answers: contact with babies/children (7%); contact with animals (3%); other (2%); and not sure (8%).

“Clearly people think public restrooms present a hygiene risk and claim they are washing their hands after using those restrooms,” said Mike Kapalko, Environmental and Tork Services Manager, SCA Tissue North America. “But their observations of others in public restrooms indicate that a large percentage of them are not actually doing so.”

The survey results show that most people, given a choice in a public restroom, would prefer to dry their hands with paper towels. Asked how they would prefer to dry their hands in a public restroom if they had a choice, among those who visit public restrooms: 55% selected paper towels followed by high velocity jet air dryer with 25%; hot air dryer, 16%; linen or cloth towel, 1%; and not sure, 2%.

More than half of respondents (59%) selected paper towels as the fastest method for drying hands, followed by high velocity jet air dryer (25%); linen or cloth towel (8%); hot air dryer (4%); and not sure (4%).

The survey also asked questions to determine opinions on the most hygienic and effective ways for drying hands and reducing bacteria levels. In both cases, SCA stated that the opinions reflected in this poll have been disproved in a controlled experiment conducted late last year by Westminster University in London.

Asked for the most hygienic method for drying wet hands, respondents selected: high velocity jet air dryer (41%); paper towel (31%);  and hot air dryer (20%). Not sure was selected by 6% and linen or cloth by 2%.

Asked to rate each method as extremely, very, fairly, somewhat, or not at all effective in drying hands and reducing bacteria levels,  poll respondents gave extremely or very effective ratings to:

High velocity jet air (65%); Paper towels (53%); Hot air dryer (50%); Air drying or drip drying (19%); Linen or cloth towels (15%). “These opinions giving high marks to hot air and jet air dryers are fairly widespread among consumers, but scientific research shows that paper towels are not only more hygienic and effective but that hot air and jet air dryers actually do more harm than good when it comes to reducing bacteria in public washrooms,” said Kapalko.

“Controlled experiments conducted in December 2008 by scientists at the University of Westminster found that paper towel drying reduced the average number of bacteria on the finger pads by up to 76% and on the palms by up to 77%,” Kapalko said. “By comparison, electric hand dryers actually caused bacteria counts to actually increase.”

Test results of the Westminster study showed:
•    Traditional warm air dryers increased the average number of bacteria by 194% on the finger pads and by 254% on the palms.
•    Jet air dryers increased the average number of bacteria on the finger pads by 42% and on the palms by 15%t.

The scientists also carried out tests to establish whether there was the potential for cross contamination of other washroom users and the washroom environment as a result of each type of drying method. They found:

•    The jet air dryer, which blows air out of the unit at claimed speeds of 400 mph, was capable of blowing micro-organisms from the hands and the unit and potentially contaminating other washroom users and the washroom environment up to 6.6 feet away.
•    Use of a traditional warm air hand dryer spread micro-organisms up to 31.5 inches from the dryer.
•    Paper towels showed no significant spread of micro-organisms.

“The Westminster results confirmed previous studies that show thorough hand drying with a paper towel is not only the most effective way to dry hands and reduce bacteria but also the most hygienic when it comes to preventing the spread of bacteria in public restrooms,” Kapalko said.

Methodology
This survey was conducted online within the United States by Harris Interactive via its QuickQuerySM online omnibus service on behalf of SCA Tissue North America between Feb. 26 and March 2, 2009, among 2,516 U.S. adults aged 18 years and older. Results were weighted as needed for region, age within gender, education, household income and race/ethnicity. Propensity score weighting was also used to adjust for respondents’ propensity to be online. No estimates of theoretical sampling error can be calculated. For complete survey results and a full methodology statement, please contact Tom Lyons, Directions, (920) 725-4848.

Plumbing can be one of the most difficult and unglamorous aspects of facility management. So when someone introduces a product that can successfully flush just about anything—and in jaw dropping quantities—well, that’s worthy of special attention.

St. Thomas Creations of San Diego, CA has introduced the high performance Quattro Flushing Technology system—an advanced flushing system that addresses the environmental efficiency and poor performance issues long associated with the use of 1.6-gallon water closets.

Quattro uses half the amount of water as traditional 3.5-gallon models and features an extra large three-inch flush valve, for maximum water flow to the bowl, eliminating the need for double flushing. An extra large direct-fed water jet delivers maximum force, providing exceptional waste removal from the bowl. And a 2 1/8” glazed trapway is computer-designed to minimize clogging.

View the demo below to get a sense of Quattro’s flushing power:

With Quattro Flushing Technology, 1.6-gallon water closets are more efficient than ever before. While the Quattro targets the residential audience, it may be worth checking to see if the same technology may be incorporated into a commercial product. After all, you never know when someone may try to flush 3 1/2 pounds of dog food down your commode.

The Art Museum Toilet Museum of Art is taking toilet homage to a new level. The organization has launched a Web site which displays a large selection of its collection of images of toilets taken at various art museums from around the world. Ranging from exclusive images of the Metropolitan, to the behind-closed-doors shots of the Hermitage to the decaying yet still flushing pictures of the Mongolian Art Museum (see below), this collection offers rich examples of the world’s museums best offerings.

Mongolian art museum toilet

The launch of this Web site is the first step in presenting the museum’s collection and is a long-anticipated turning point in its history. The museum was officially founded in 2005, and since its inception, staff have been collecting images from around the world. This collection is believed by experts to be the world’s largest and was built to showcase the forgotten art that can be found in every museum.

“This museum was founded in the spirit of Marcel Duchamp, who in 1917 produced the sculpture Fountain and changed the way we viewed art,” stated Director Robert Schlemielle. “This piece essentially showcased that art may not be hanging in the proud walls of a museum gallery, but in the common objects and in even in the restroom. So today we launch this website asking some of the same questions about the current art establishment and its high brow art.”

The Art Museum Toilet Museum of Art has been an organization for the past three years. The collection features digital works by its hand picked staff and some artist renditions of the selected toilets. The Museum also sells a catalog, select clothing, postcards, posters, prints, and CDs.

Museum of Photography, Tokyo

So if you’re a facility manager of a museum or gallery, make sure to get the recognition you deserve for your fabulous restrooms. The official submission process includes sending an image to: submissions@artmuseumtoilet.org. Museum officials ask that each image be labeled with the name of the museum, the day the photo was taken, and the name of the photographer. All will be posted if the image is selected.