Smart washroom solutions for schools and colleges

Integration of EdTech and more advanced computer suites, mental health spaces, sensory-friendly areas and flexible seating arrangements - there’s no denying that the school environment has changed drastically over the last decade or two. 

Some have also begun to move towards gender-neutral bathrooms and smarter facilities that support better hygiene. This has become a top priority for many since the COVID-19 pandemic. 

But if your school or college washrooms have seen better days and it’s been too long since the last upgrade, it’s time to make a change. 

As students and the educational environment continue to change, the facilities available to them must keep pace. With that in mind, here are some smart washroom solutions that can instantly transform your school or college bathrooms this year. 

Touchless and automated fixtures

Bacteria can quickly build up on surfaces like sinks, taps, toilet flushes and door handles, especially in busy areas like school or college toilets. But if you reduce the number of touchpoints in your washrooms, you can stop these germs from building up and spreading.

It’s pretty simple really, the less student to surface contact, the fewer illnesses spread and the fewer absences you face.

So, this year, why not install new features like touchless taps and soap dispensers, as well as automated or sensor appliances like lights and flushes? 

This can significantly improve hygiene, modernise your facilities and enhance the overall user experience.

Improved ventilation 

Another way to make your bathrooms more pleasant for students is to ensure proper ventilation throughout. This will keep these spaces hygienic, helping to remove excess moisture and prevent mould and mildew growth. 

It will also prevent unpleasant odours and airborne pathogens, helping to maintain air quality and avoid any nasty smells hanging around. 

Smart monitoring tools 

Traditional bathrooms can suffer from poor maintenance and lack of supplies, ultimately having a negative impact on the student experience. 

Enter smart washroom solutions. 

There are lots of innovative technologies that have been designed to make washrooms cleaner, more efficient and easier to manage.

Automated cleaning schedules make maintenance simpler, as do feedback systems, such as QR codes, that make it possible for students and staff to rate cleanliness or report issues quickly. 

Not only that, but IoT-enabled dispensers and storage units can monitor the levels of soap, paper towels, and cleaning supplies in real-time. That way, staff can receive alerts when supplies are running low, enabling them to restock and maintain educational washrooms more effectively. 

Inclusive and gender-neutral spaces

You should consider redesigning your facilities, even if it’s only some of them, to be inclusive of all students. Private, gender-neutral bathrooms with individual stalls can reduce stigma and increase the safety and comfort of all users. 

We understand that privacy matters, especially for older students in secondary school and college. By upgrading your toilets to full-height designs or self-contained cubicles, you can reduce sound and visibility, making everyone feel safer and more comfortable. 

Vape detectors

Finally, though we may not like it, there’s no denying that vaping has become a bad habit for an increasing number of students, especially those of college age. Teachers do all they can to confiscate these and keep them out of the classroom, but they can’t be everywhere at once - especially not in the bathrooms. 

While traditional smoke alarms may not be sensitive to this vapour, specialised vape detectors can be installed in your bathrooms to stop any of this anti-social behaviour from taking place on the school property. 

Are you ready to upgrade your washrooms this year? 

Upgrading your school or college washrooms can have a huge impact on the safety and happiness of your students. These smart solutions can make your bathrooms cleaner, more efficient and more inclusive for all students. 

So, if you need a little help with your educational washroom design this year,  we can help. Whether it’s a full redesign or simply installing some new, modern features, get in touch with our talented team today.