The restrictive measures needed to halt the Covid-19 pandemic have created an unprecedented situation of fear and uncertainty. The Medical Research Laboratory of the University of Medicine of the Faculty of Meráis in Brazil has been analyzed and clearly described what are, are being and what will be the psychological and emotional impact and consequences of the passing through of the pandemic and post-pandemic in the general population. Some further ideas from our member Mediclinics.

As they mention that it is not only unique to certain groups which appear to be at greater risk of experiencing this type of impact on mental and emotional health, such as front-line health workers, the elderly, children, university students, the homeless and economically vulnerable, rural communities and psychiatric patients. But it is something that also, to a lesser or greater extent, all of us are susceptible to suffer.

How does all this affect the design of a post-pandemic public bathroom?

In a public bathroom, where “security alarms” go off and people leave the “comfort and security” zone provided by home or a more private setting, it is important to provide a space that invites them to enter and where they will feel comfortable, safe and protected at all times. Our partner Mediclinics, which is an expert manufacturer of hand dryers and other accessories for collective bathrooms, gives some guidelines to follow, which should be taken into account when equipping a post pandemic public bathroom.

Use the best health and hygiene standards

Touchless, Biocote, HEPA Filter Medium and Ionizer are 4 key points recommended to be present as a good bathroom equipment for your customers or for your company.

Cleaning and disinfection

In addition to good ventilation of the bathroom space, it is recommended to carry out a constant and thorough cleaning and disinfection of it. The first, for example, is present in some hand dryers. The second would be the preferential use of automatic hand dryers to the detriment of paper dispensers, if possible, since these help to maintain a clearer bathroom environment and clean of unwieldy and unpleasant papers and other items, which have often been improperly deposited in the trash bin or are simply overflowing and exceeding their own capacity.

Keeping an order

In addition to the aesthetic issue, the need of people to have a previous control on the space to be shared where they will have to enter and move,  to prevent being infected, means that presenting an ordered space like a public bathroom has become a key element. Keeping an order helps to enhance the concept of cleanliness and provides that security and control of the situation to the users of public toilets. So as to achieve this in a better way, we recommend creating more minimalist style and barrier-free bathroom spaces.  

Economic savings

Use eco-fast hand dryers that are much more energy efficient (it consumes 90% less than conventional dryers) and allow a great saving on your paper and electricity bills. Another very important aspect to consider are the savings on the costs of maintenance and cleaning of the bathroom. In this sense, the use of brushless motors in hand dryers (there is no need to change brushes, resulting in an improvement in the performance of the motors and the extension of their service life) and the plug-in system (a system that allows easy and quick installation/maintenance), are two great alternatives to bet on, among many others. With both systems you get significant savings in machine maintenance.

Read the full article here.