Facilities To Adopt Touchless Products

The COVID-19 situation has created renewed interest in adding more touchless products into facilities. Building users generally prefer to move away from turning on faucets, flushing toilets, or touching doors to open and close them, and that desire has only grown during the pandemic.

Experts suggest that changes are on the horizon for restrooms, in addition to other areas throughout facilities. More touchless products are a significant part of the trend to reduce direct contact. “Touch-free products are going to get a lot of attention everywhere,” says Mann. “The faucets, paper towel dispensers, soap dispensers — there’s no need for those levers.”

Mann believes touch-free products will be more prevalent at places like airports. He also thinks there will be more doorless entries, and that those additions will be desired by occupants. One product that isn’t typically associated with the words hands-free — toilet seats — could also be in line for major changes and give managers a new option for restrooms.

“Each time you flush, there’s a plume of droplets that become airborne to 5 feet above the toilet,” says Hicks. “There’s a movement toward having seats with lids that you would not touch with your hands. I predict many more innovations like that because we’re more focused on saving lives than we were before. Hopefully we don’t lose the momentum that we’ve developed in getting our facilities cleaned for protecting occupants.”