Pandemic must lead to an increasing digitalization of public restrooms

Virtual assistants control the lighting at home, music plays on voice command, the vacuum cleaner cleans the floors all by itself, and the alarm clock falls silent at a finger gesture. Touchless operation is trending, and sensor technology has become indispensable. What users have gotten used to in their smart home routine, they also expect in public spaces. This is especially true in sensitive environments like the washroom. The COVID-19 pandemic is additionally accelerating digitalization here.

The desire for touchless use of toilet areas in offices, industrial facilities, schools, airports, or train stations can be fulfilled. Dispensers and fittings can be operated contactlessly – without awkward movements or long sleeves. The smart solutions from hygiene provider CWS support increased hygiene and safety – not only in the washroom but throughout the entire building – and even ensure that no user washes their hands without soap.

The digital companion trains

On average, only about 30 percent of people in public restrooms wash their hands with soap. However, this behavior promotes the further spread of remaining pathogens on inadequately washed hands. But how can smart products close this hygiene gap and convert users?

A sensor activates the special CWS SmartWash fixture. It dispenses water mixed with air and soap. Washing hands without soap is outdated. The fixture then rinses with clear water. Hands washed with soap have fewer pathogens than those washed with water alone. By automatically dispensing water pre-mixed with soap, the hygiene level throughout the building can be improved. It is also economical and environmentally friendly: it uses up to 90 percent less water and up to 60 percent less soap than standard fixtures.

The hygiene package CWS SmartWash Plus is complemented by a digital mirror. The system starts dispensing water and soap simultaneously with an animated instruction on the mirror. It runs parallel to the respective output from the fixture. This encourages users to take their time for proper lathering, rubbing, rinsing, and drying. Hygiene training made simple.

Smart equipment for high-traffic areas

Frank Reisgies, General Manager Hygiene Core Business at CWS, emphasizes: “The current crisis vividly demonstrates the importance of hand hygiene even outside pandemic times. This awareness of proper hand hygiene should be maintained so that infections can be prevented long-term and effectively. Hygiene gaps are significantly more costly for society than comprehensive smart solutions.” To prevent epidemics and pandemics in the future, people must be able to wash their hands almost everywhere. This is also recommended by doctors with international epidemic experience.[1]

Transport hubs will remain risky in the future: For example, handwashing behavior at airports directly impacts the spread of pathogens. A simulation by international scientists[2] concluded that increasing hand hygiene levels from 20 to 30 percent can reduce the global effect of contagious diseases by about 20 percent. Increasing the hand hygiene level to 60 percent could reduce infections by around 65 percent. The more sensors are used in the future, the better.

After working from home: more health in the company

Smart hygiene solutions enable companies to actively promote health prevention. Solutions like the voluntarily used hygiene checkpoint Liward also contribute to increased health prevention in the workplace: As soon as a person approaches the hygiene checkpoint from CWS and Emdion, sensors contactlessly measure the temperature in the face. The device can also perform additional optional functions. For example, the hygiene turnstile can detect whether a person entering the building is wearing a mouth-nose mask. Both measures facilitate the control and implementation of legally required hygiene protocols.

Frank Reisgies is confident: “Investing in digitized washrooms with smart equipment will, in the medium term, lead to more safety and health – both in companies and in public spaces.”