Not only do restrooms experience heavy traffic and usage, consume large amounts of supplies and require frequent cleaning, mopping and maintenance, they also attract attention and harsh scrutiny from users and building stakeholders. Unfortunately, it’s not uncommon for college and university restrooms to be the targets of vandalism and unwanted behavior, which also leaves a negative vibe and can be unsettling from a safety standpoint.
When students, staff and visitors encounter a restroom that is disorganized, dirty, unstocked or nonworking, most feel irritation and disappointment. What’s more, they often hold the establishment accountable, which may have negative repercussions for school institutions.
An annual survey of Americans’ perceptions and beliefs regarding restrooms shows that whether people use a public restroom at a commercial facility, school, or at their workplace, they have high expectations for cleanliness. In 2024, 80 percent of adults still report being more conscious about coming into contact with germs due to Covid. People now associate a clean, hygienic restroom experience with health, safety, and wellbeing.
According to the 2024 Healthy Handwashing Survey™ conducted by Bradley, manufacturer of commercial restroom products, the majority of respondents believe a poorly maintained restroom shows poor management (58 percent), causes them to lower their opinion of the establishment (56 percent) and vow not to return or think twice about doing so (50 percent).
A subsection of the survey specifically polled high school students, which may reflect, to a certain degree, how incoming college-level students perceive their campus’ restroom environments.
Unfortunately, 70 percent of high school students report having an unpleasant experience in a restroom due to its condition. Upon having the negative experience, 57 percent leave the restroom without using it and almost half say they will avoid using that restroom in the future. Thirty percent will tell a friend about the encounter.
When asked the most important improvement they’d like to see in restrooms, students overwhelmingly said, “clean them more regularly and keep them better stocked,” which is similar to the broader survey of adults. Next on students’ wish list is more privacy with taller doors and no gaps between panels, followed by more deodorizing or air freshener.
Even when they are at a business away from school, such as a coffee shop, restaurant, store, etc., high school students value and prioritize the cleanliness of restroom environments. Two-thirds (68 percent) of students say they have made a conscious decision to use a particular business because they know it has clean, well-maintained restrooms, compared with 60 percent of adults.
Common Restroom Complaints
According to high school students, the most bothersome behavior in school restrooms is careless or reckless behavior that causes damage or unsanitary conditions like used paper towels or splashed or pooling water left on the floor or around the sink.
While there are a variety of restroom issues that cause students negative feelings, the most common ones include unpleasant smells; too many people in the restroom; clogged or unflushed toilets; and stall doors that don’t latch closed.
As mentioned earlier, lack of restroom privacy is another pain point for students—as well as adults. 70 percent of Americans say that toilet stalls don’t provide sufficient privacy. The majority believe that eliminating gaps around stall doors or where the stall walls meet would help improve the sense of privacy. Ninety-six percent believe occupancy indicators on stall doors would be helpful.
Consequently, for adults and students, cleanliness expectations and performance specs for washrooms remain elevated. Fortunately, the hygiene and performance of today’s products and materials have followed suit.
The following are key trends in commercial restroom design and maintenance that can enhance the user experience in college and university facilities:
Touchless Restroom Fixtures
Due to germ aversion and a desire for ease of use and convenience, people simply prefer not to touch fixtures while using them—especially right after they just used the toilet. In just a few years, touchless technology has become the golden standard in restrooms.
The restroom “ick factor” may be why 86 percent of adults believe it is important to have touchless fixtures in a public restroom. Seventy percent say they are more likely to return to a business that offers no-touch capabilities in its restrooms.
The top touchless restroom features considered most important are faucets, flushers, soap dispensers and paper towel dispensers.
From an operational efficiency standpoint, touchless fixtures are easier to keep clean, maintain, and service than manually activated fixtures. While automated technologies may require some modifications to the existing plumbing and electrical systems, they are often relatively straightforward for retrofitting into a current restroom space.
Integrated, all-in-one handwashing designs
One type of touchless handwashing technology is a completely touch-free “all-in-one” design. By combining soap, faucet and hand dryer into the handwashing system, hygiene, maintenance, accessibility and sustainability are improved.
This handwashing design also improves water containment inside the washbasin—helping alleviate a common pet peeve—as the hand dryer is engineered to work with the basin to keep water in the bowl. This design feature prevents water from dripping from hands onto the user, walls and floors to eliminate slips, trips and falls and extra floor mopping.
Top Fill Multi-feed Soap Systems Cut Maintenance Headaches
In busy campus settings, staying on top of soap refills can be an extremely time-intensive and laborious task for maintenance staff. An efficient top fill multi-feed soap system can significantly cut down on checking soap levels and refilling dispensers. Available with all-in-one handwashing models, this new soap system incorporates a large capacity 1.3-gallon (5.0 L) tank that can supply up to three units, allowing staff to efficiently refill multiple soaps through a single top fill hub. Staff can service the top fill soap above the sink, eliminating the need to kneel down to remove access panels and maneuver themselves under the sink where there is no light, low visibility and tough accessibility.
In addition to the top fill feature, a smart sense system with LED indicator shows when soap/battery levels are low and provides audible and visual indicators to prevent overfilling.
Versatile Surface Materials to Resist Germs
For sinks, using smooth and nonporous materials with seamless construction like solid surface and natural quartz look beautiful, help prevent bacteria and mold accumulation, and are highly durable and difficult to vandalize. They can be easily cleaned, disinfected, repaired, reused and have a longer lifecycle. There are no seams, so there are no unsightly gaps or grout lines to detract from the handwashing space or accumulate dirt. These sustainable materials are also cast-formed so they may be specified in many attractive shapes and forms.
Another benefit of cast-formed basins is that they can accommodate multiple users at one time—a big plus for campus restrooms that service a high volume of users during peak times. Some multi-user handwashing models have the look and feel of individual sinks, while others have increased space between the handwashing areas to address the feeling of overcrowding. Other single-station units combine a taller sink with a lower sink, creating a visually appealing wave design that also complies with ADA requirements.
The Rise of Gender-Neutral Restrooms and Enhancing Privacy
In the past several years, a growing number of colleges and universities have added gender-inclusive restrooms on campus, and many have them in the works. While the most efficient way to create unisex restrooms is to convert existing single-occupancy restrooms, a number of institutions are now opting to build multi-stall gender-neutral restrooms.
Either way, for these gender-inclusive restrooms to serve their purpose, it’s important they are easily accessible from all areas of the campus. Also note that many state and local building codes determine the number of men’s and women’s plumbing fixtures a given building needs without regard to gender-inclusive spaces. Therefore, converting a men’s or women’s restroom into a unisex one may take a building out of compliance. Keeping an updated inventory of all restrooms on campus can help avoid renovating restrooms that are required to meet the applicable standards.
To accommodate gender neutrality— and consumer preference— today’s restrooms are being designed to maximize privacy. For example, restroom partition stalls have been modernized to feature more privacy, enclosed doors and space, flush finishes, durable construction and advanced features to improve privacy and the overall washroom experience.
Some newer partition models feature occupancy indicators featuring a LED light band built into the cubicle system. When the cubicle door locks, the light band turns from green to red. Every user can easily see which stalls are available and which are occupied, enhancing privacy and foot traffic.
There are a variety of attractive, durable and easy-to-clean materials being offered for partitions today such as phenolic, enameled tempered glass, recycled plastic and stainless steel.
With privacy being a hot button in restrooms, it’s important to ensure that stall doors are properly maintained and balanced so they close securely and provide a sufficient level of privacy. Check the latching of the doors regularly to ensure they are working properly so there are no clanking, unlatched doors or annoying “surprise” entries during use.
Phenolic lockers that withstand moisture and heavy use
Phenolic locker models are perfect for providing a clean and modern look in university settings—even in moisture-prone aquatic and recreational buildings on campus. Water- and moisture-resistance helps prevent the growth of mold and mildew, ensuring a hygienic and low-maintenance solution in locker rooms. Having a smooth nonporous finish, they are easy to clean, durable, and long lasting for busy, high-traffic locations.
When specified with phenolic restroom partitions in matching or coordinating colors, it’s easy to create a cohesive and consistent look between the locker room and the rest of the washroom.
For today’s colleges and universities, maintenance and cleanliness are clearly driving restroom design. Fortunately, there are a number of strategies and product models that will help these public spaces reflect positively on all stakeholders who use them.