A Business Owner’s Primer on Commercial Restroom Renovations

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Renovations to your commercial restroom can be time consuming and stressful, and they can require a lot of planning to make sure that your new project is perfect. One of the last things that business owners want to find out after completing a commercial restroom renovation is that the materials selected won’t hold up over time and will require maintenance, thorough cleaning, and even additional renovations.

Whether your bathroom renovations require new stall partitions, vanities, or shower stalls, don’t make the mistake of choosing the wrong products that won’t satisfy your needs. No matter what kind of renovations you’re make, read on for Scranton Products’ primer on commercial restroom renovations to learn how you can avoid some costly mistakes. Read more

Does Your Restroom Follow ADA and OSHA Bathroom Regulations?

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Are your bathrooms compliant with federal and state regulations? It’s a question that facilities across the nation have to ask, and the answer isn’t always so clear. For example, federal regulations require commercial buildings to provide restrooms for employees, while public restroom regulations are left up to the state and local municipalities.

In this post, we review some of the key aspects of restroom compliance policies so you can determine if your public bathroom is up to code.

Understanding Federal Restroom Regulations

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is the government agency responsible for regulating bathroom access for employees in the workplace. OSHA bathroom regulations require that all commercial buildings provide adequate bathroom facilities for their employees in an effort to avoid any adverse health effects. The only exception is mobile worksites where transportation to bathrooms must be available.

Meanwhile, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) specifies that bathrooms must be accessible to employees with disabilities. This means having a door that’s big enough for a wheelchair to fit through, among other amenities.

restroom cleaning checklist

How Many Toilets Should My Public Restroom Have?

According to OSHA, facilities with more than 15 employees must have gender-separated bathrooms. While this rule doesn’t speculate about gender-neutral bathrooms, you’ll need at least two separate facilities. Meanwhile, buildings with fewer than 15 employees require only one unisex bathroom (plus a sink and locking door).

How many employees do you have?

  • 16-35 employees = 2 toilets required
  • 36-55 employees = 3 toilets required
  • 56-80 employees = 4 toilets required
  • 81-110 employees = 5 toilets required
  • 111-150 employees = 6 toilets required
  • 151+ employees = 6 toilets plus 1 additional toilet for every 40 employees over 150

Also important to note is that while urinals are permitted in public restrooms, they don’t count toward the number of required toilets.

Additional Bathroom Requirements

Other OSHA rules specify that every bathroom must have soap, running water, and a hand dryer or towels. Also, the bathroom compartments must have a door and partitions that provide adequate privacy.

How to Bring Your Public Restroom Up to Code

Older buildings might not meet the regulations set by OSHA, but that doesn’t mean they can’t be updated to become compliant with both OSHA and ADA regulations. It’s important to familiarize yourself with the regulations that pertain to your specific building. This information is freely available online. However, a professional contractor should have no problem assessing your facility for compliance.

Once that’s done, you should be able to easily pinpoint what aspects of your facility need to be changed or modified to meet regulations. This could include installing additional toilets, installing sinks or toilet partitions, putting a lock on the door, or adding grab bars.

For more information about updating and renovating your commercial bathroom, download our free eBook The Professional’s Guide to Commercial Bathroom Renovations and Remodels.This resource has tons of useful information to guide you through the renovation process.

Why Design Matters in Your Facility Restrooms (Even When You Aren’t a Designer)

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You’re probably thinking that a restroom doesn’t need to be the most lavish part of your new facility. However, bathroom décor makes a difference in several different ways, and you don’t even have to be a designer to see how.

Facility restroom design incorporates a plan for the layout of your vanities, partitions, and other aspects of a bathroom, but design also requires material selection. And while some materials may look pleasing to the eyes of an interior designer, the design may have underlying costs that you should avoid. Read on to learn why your facility restroom design matters, even if you aren’t a designer. Read more

The Latest in Extreme Privacy: Check Out the Aria Partitions™

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Privacy is one of the most important factors to consider when designing or remodeling the bathroom in your commercial facility. Occupants come in and out of the bathroom throughout the day, making it one of the more visited areas in your entire facility. However, a lack of privacy can damper the experience and make occupants feel exposed and uncomfortable. The key is improving the privacy, so occupants can relax and not stress out when it’s time to use the restroom.

When it’s time to add an extra layer of privacy and comfort to your restrooms, consider Aria Partitions™.

Why Aria Partitions™ Are the Right Move

Aria Partitions, MahoganyAria Partitions™ can add a lot of benefits to your bathroom. These enclosed stalls deliver the latest in extreme privacy because they take away the sightlines that are commonplace with most commercial restrooms and partitions. These partitions go from floor to ceiling, eliminating the chance for your feet to be seen or from you being watched from overhead. The partitions also offer a clasp door, which allows the partitions to be shut completely without any gap between the door and frame that may make you visible or vulnerable. Occupants can freely go to the bathroom without being seen or spotted.

The Problems with Most Partitions

While most partitions do an okay job at concealing the occupant inside, there are a few factors that can compromise the privacy that can leave the occupant feeling uncomfortable. Stalls typically have exposed bottoms, giving other people a clear view of the partition occupant’s feet. They also have exposed ceilings, which isn’t always a problem unless a particularly tall individual uses the next partition over, which can make for awkward glances. Lastly, the door to the stall usually leaves some unwanted space that can make the occupant visible, which can be uncomfortable when the bathroom is at full capacity.

Moving Forward with Aria Partitions™

White Aria Partitions in School Restroom

One top of delivering top-tier privacy for occupants, there are other major benefits of choosing Aria Partitions™. These partitions are customizable and can fit any structure or décor. Aria Partitions™ are made from HDPE (high-density polyethylene), which is a solid plastic that is not only durable, but also sustainable since it’s made from recycled materials. This plastic is impact- and dent-resistant, as well as non-absorbent to the humidity and moisture in the bathroom. Along with its durability, it is built to last and is actually warranted for 25 years. Lastly, these partitions are low on maintenance cost and man hours, meaning that they essentially pay themselves off due to the lack of maintenance required over the years.

When it’s time to boost the privacy in your commercial facility’s restrooms and improve the comfort and security for your occupants, Aria Partitions™ are certainly a step in the right direction. Want to learn more details about these partitions? Download the Aria Partitions™ product kit today to get a sense of what these partitions can add to your facility’s restrooms.

Why Cost of Ownership Matters

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One of the most important factors that designers and facilities managers must consider when selecting materials for their projects is the total cost of ownership of those materials or products.

Total cost of ownership is the true cost of a product, taking into account not only a product’s initial purchase price as well as its lifetime costs. For instance, a second-hand car with an appealing purchase price may turn out to have maintenance costs that will make it considerably more expensive to own over the long-term compared to a brand new car that comes with a three-year warranty. If you don’t do your homework to check out how good a deal the car really is, you might wind up paying more for the second-hand “bargain” than you would have paid for the new car.

When selecting bathroom partitions, there are multiple factors to consider when deciding on the best choice for your project. Design, color, and texture choices must work with the total bathroom concept, and the partitions must provide a range of flexible configurations and options. In addition, the material the partitions are made from should be attractive, durable and easy to care for, and the purchase price should be a fair price for what you are getting. Once you’ve checked off all those boxes, there is one more box left to consider.

 

True Cost to Own

It’s important to look not only at the purchase price of the partitions you are considering, but also at what it will cost to maintain and repair those partitions over their expected lifetime, and how well the product warranty protects your investment. Just like the person buying the used car, if you don’t’ carefully consider what your purchase will cost over time, you’ll wind up paying a lot more than you ever expected.

 

Compare Costs

The chart below compares the initial and total costs of four of the most widely selected types of partitions over a 25-year period, based on replacing each type of partition at the end of its warranty period. Over a 25-year period, Scranton Products HDPE partitions cost significantly less than the other materials, while providing the longest life cycle due to their performance, durability and long warranty.

 

Consider What’s Inside

When selecting the right material for your partitions, take a close look at what’s inside. Constructed of 1” premium HDPE resin, Scranton Products bathroom partitions are solid throughout and will never absorb moisture. Impermeable and non-porous, solid plastic HDPE does not support the growth of mold, mildew, and bacteria. With the exception of Scranton Products solid plastic HDPE, the products below are constructed with either a cardboard, particleboard or kraft paper core. These products are at high-risk for moisture penetration, and are subject to mold and mildew.

 

 

Consider Durability

Formulated with a solid color throughout, Scranton Products HDPE will never chip. In addition, in an impact test conducted following ASTM standards, Scranton Products solid HDPE plastic had 59 times greater resistant to impacts, dings, and denting when compared to metal.

 

Consider Maintenance

Scranton Products HDPE bathroom partitions will never rust or corrode, and never require painting, significantly reducing maintenance costs. Graffiti can be easily wiped clean with a common non-abrasive cleaner, and scratches are difficult to see and can be easily repaired. In addition, Scranton Products bathroom partitions are fully power washable and steam cleanable, reducing cleaning time and costs.

 

Consider Warranty

To protect your investment, Scranton Products backs its partitions with a 25-year warranty – the best warranty in the industry.

 

Consider the True Cost

When considering bathroom partitions, look for partitions that offer a true low cost of ownership and that provide an outstanding warranty to protect your investment. Invest in Scranton Products HDPE – the smart choice.

To learn more about how Scranton Products partitions are the smart choice, download our cost of ownership brochure.

Download Cost of Ownership Brochure

 

The Top Guide for Facility Maintenance & Property Solutions

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Managing a facility isn’t always the easiest job because you need to stay on top of everything. As a facility manager, you have strict codes and guidelines to adhere to in order to supply your occupants with a safe and healthy environment.

To properly follow through on the maintenance of your facility, we’ll provide you with some crucial tips so you can ensure that your building is a safe environment that runs as efficiently as possible.

Guidelines for Standard Maintenance

It’s important to always be a step ahead of maintenance. To do so, it’s strongly advised that you perform system checks every few months. Check your heating system, water pumps, and electrical systems to make sure that everything is in order and that the systems are performing as expected.

When you perform your inspections, don’t leave any stones unturned. It’s important to be thorough in your examinations because you could spot a slight issue that, if left unchecked, could result in serious problems. By checking these systems and spotting any issues, you’ll save yourself a ton in future repair costs.

Preventive maintenance is key to averting severe damage of system failures because you can effectively catch the issue before it becomes financially taxing. You’ll want to:

  • Check your heating system
  • Evaluate your water system
  • Assess the electrical systems

Improving & Maintaining Indoor Air Quality

Many factors can have a detrimental effect on your indoor air quality. Common sources include pollen, dust, and fungal spores. You can help to combat these pollutants in a variety of ways.

Never underestimate the value of a floor mat. This is your first line of defense in preventing these pollutants from making their way from occupant shoes into your building. Placing a floor mat on the exterior of your building and directly inside the entryway or lobby will help to reduce these materials from working their way into your air.

One of the hot spots for poor air quality can be found in your facility’s bathrooms. Due to the heavy foot traffic and the abundance of moisture and humidity, the restrooms can be a breeding ground for pollutants. Luckily, there are several steps to increase the air quality of your restrooms.

Automatic air fresheners can be effective for combatting the odors, but the problem may be within your bathroom stalls.

Most plastics can absorb moisture and sprout mold, further reducing the quality of your air. So think about getting new bathroom stalls and partitions made of stronger materials like high-density polyethylene (HDPE). HDPE materials are impervious to mold growth and provide a durable structure that can outlast most plastics.

Make Your Facility Sustainable & Efficient

It’s every facility manager’s goal to make his or her building more sustainable and operate at maximum efficiency. There are several things you can do to increase the efficiency of your facility and make it more sustainable and eco-friendly. Some of these steps can help to reduce operating costs as well as reduce your facility’s environmental impact.

Making the switch to green cleaning materials has several benefits because they’re made from natural ingredients, which can reduce the adverse health effects and chronic illness. Using green cleaning products will help to reduce any VOC emissions from contaminating your air.

Another approach to keeping your building efficient and sustainable is through the use of sustainable building products. You learned earlier that HDPE is more durable than most thermoplastics and building materials. But did you know that it’s 100% recyclable too? Almost all HDPE products are made from post-consumer material, making it a versatile and sustainable building material you can use to make your facility more eco-friendly and sustainable.

Want to learn more tips about maintaining your facility? Check out these blog posts, How HDPE Can Save Your Facility Maintenance Costs and Maintenance Tips for Commercial Restrooms

Top Mistakes to Avoid When Choosing a Bathroom Partition or Locker Material

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When redesigning a commercial bathroom or adding lockers to a locker room or hallway, architects are burdened with a significant amount of detailed planning. Functionality, convenience, and design need to be considered through each step of planning to completion. Because of the numerous working elements that go into building a new bathroom or locker room, it’s easy for architects to overlook some crucial aspects of two of the most important pieces of infrastructure in the entire design: bathroom partitions and lockers.

To work toward a more convenient and more cost-efficient commercial bathroom and locker installation for architects and facility managers, Scranton Products is here to highlight seven crucial mistakes that architects may make when choosing bathroom partitions and locker materials.

Here’s a list of the most common mistakes you’ll want to avoid when picking out your bathroom partitions or locker materials.

Choosing Lockers and Partitions That Lack Durability

Too often, architects forget about the importance of the durability of locker and partition material. It can be easy to think that since these materials aren’t exposed to the natural environment, their durability doesn’t matter. However, many factors can affect the lockers or partitions and even reduce their physical appeal, such as graffiti and scratches. The more durable your lockers and partitions are, the less those factors will contribute to devaluing them. If you take the time to look into high-density polyethylene (HDPE) material, you’ll see how it can improve the durability of your partitions and lockers.

Not Considering Germ Resistance

Bathrooms and locker rooms can be cesspools of germs and bacteria. Thanks to high levels of moisture, it’s easy for bathroom partitions to accumulate mold or mildew. Results from a laboratory test showed that, for a clean and healthy bathroom, opting for HDPE bathroom partitions such as Hiny Hiders Partitions gives you more microbial resistance than phenolic bathroom partitions.

Building Lockers and Partitions That Aren’t Reliable

Reliable and strong materials will help to maintain your lockers and bathroom partitions so they remain appealing and functional over time. Sometimes certain materials don’t serve as reliable bathroom partitions or lockers, which can lead to the following:

  • Rust and corrosion
  • Dents
  • Screw release

You’ll want to choose a strong material, like HDPE, that can withstand these common issues.

Using Non-Sustainable Material

When architects don’t choose sustainable, environmentally friendly materials for bathroom partitions or lockers, they limit the reusability of the materials and aren’t building in the most environmentally friendly way. When building your bathroom partitions, you want to make sure that you use sustainable products, such as the HDPE you’ll find in Hiny Hiders Partitions, for several reasons:

  • HDPE Hiny Hiders Partitions are 100% recyclable and are available with up to 100% post-consumer content, unlike phenolic material and SCRC.
  • HDPE Hiny Hinders Partitions feature 25% to 100% pre-consumer content, while SCRC has none and phenolic material has a maximum of 22%.
  • Unlike phenolic material, HDPE Hiny Hiders Partitions have low-emitting materials and are free of urea-formaldehyde resins.

Not Accounting for Locker Noise Level

The noise made from just one locker being slammed shut can be excruciating. Now multiply that by 10, 15, 20, or more, and you’ll have one booming sound. This is a critical aspect of lockers that architects don’t tend to account for when selecting their locker material. If you’re building lockers in hallways or rooms with shared walls, you want to be sure that you opt for the quietest ones available. Too often architects automatically settle on metal lockers, which create a loud, distracting environment around the locker room. HDPE Lockers are built to be three times quieter than generic metal lockers.

Overlooking Aesthetics

A mistake that architects frequently make is overlooking the aesthetics of different locker materials. While it’s easy to think that all lockers essentially accomplish the same goal and that their looks don’t really matter, there are some significant benefits that go far beyond beautification. For example, traditional metal lockers continually fail to advance their design with their protruding vents and bulky locks.

Duralife HDPE lockers solve both of these issues by breaking away from the confines of generic and bulky locker construction. Duralife lockers have vents cut into the locker surface and have built-in combination locks, resulting in a sleek-looking locker that eliminates the risk of students getting clipped by locker pieces extending past the surface.

Ignoring Future Maintenance Costs

When installing bathroom partitions or lockers, you want the price of building them to be the only cost that you have to worry about. You don’t want to have to throw away money each week for locker or partition maintenance that you weren’t aware would be so recurrent. Unfortunately, this is the result of a mistake that architects frequently make. Think about the common maintenance requirements for SCRC and phenolic bathroom partitions and metal lockers:

  • Rust and corrosion
  • Dents
  • Scratches
  • Lack of screw retention
  • Mold and mildew buildup
  • Germ growth
  • Graffiti

Fortunately, HDPE bathroom partitions and lockers are designed to withstand these harmful issues. That means maintenance costs of HDPE material is much lower, so over time, they’re a financially viable solution compared to their competitors.

 Making the Right Decisions

Architects and facility managers can make numerous mistakes when selecting materials for new bathroom partitions or lockers, all of which lead to constant inconveniences. When architects make any of the following mistakes:

  • Choosing less durable materials
  • Not considering germ resistance
  • Building with unreliable materials
  • Thinking sustainability isn’t a factor
  • Not accounting for noise levels
  • Overlooking aesthetics
  • Ignoring future maintenance costs

The result is usually bathroom partitions and lockers that don’t perform as desired. The truth is that many architects frequently make these mistakes because they don’t know about the benefits of HDPE materials. When you choose HDPE Hiny Hiders bathroom partitions or Duralife lockers, you opt for materials that are more durable, safer, convenient, and more cost-effective, leading to lower maintenance costs and a longer lifespan.

Want to learn more about HDPE products can benefit your facility? Contact us at Scranton Products!

 

Your Commercial Restroom Cleaning Checklist

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Keeping your commercial restroom clean is essential if you want to run a high-quality facility, prevent dangerous health hazards, and deter vandalism. To help you and your cleaning staff stay on top of routine cleanings, we’ve created this commercial restroom cleaning checklist. This helpful guide will make sure that you don’t miss a single inch of grout so your guests can enjoy a comfortable, welcoming experience inside your facility.

The 7 Steps for Cleaning Your Commercial Restroom

No matter how big or small your restroom might be, it shouldn’t take a small army hours to clean it. Follow these seven steps and you can have your commercial restroom looking new in no time:

1. Put Up Wet Floor Signs

Place signs inside the bathroom and at the entrance to let anyone who may enter know that the floor

could be slippery.

2. Dust, Sweep, and Empty Trash

Dust all fixtures, vents, countertops, etc. before sweeping the floors. Then empty the trash receptacles and put in a new liner.

3. Refill Soap, Paper Towels, and Toilet Paper

Refill all soap, paper towel, and toilet paper dispensers so occupants will have access to the sanitation products.

4. Clean Toilets and Urinals

For the best results, pre-treat the toilet bowls and inside the urinals first and allow the cleaner to sit for

one to two minutes. Then, clean the toilets and urinals thoroughly both inside and out.

5. Clean Sinks, Mirrors, and Countertops

There should be no smudges, fingerprints, water stains, soap buildup, or other marks when you’re finished.

6. Clean Walls and Fixtures

Wipe down the walls, doors, knobs, bathroom partitions, and other fixtures.

7. Mop the Floor

With a wet mop, work your way from the back of the restroom toward the door. Allow the floor to dry completely before opening the restroom to guests to prevent any unwanted injury.

Keeping Your Commercial Restroom Clean

Now that you’re familiar with the necessary steps to ensure that your commercial restroom is absolutely clean, you’re ready to continue keeping this vital section of your facility free of germs, dirt, and bacteria. Follow through on a regular restroom cleaning regimen to help keep your commercial bathrooms spotless and sanitary.

Want to learn more about how to maintain and even transform your commercial bathroom? Check out this blog post, 8 Ways to Improve Your Commercial Bathroom’s Experience, from your friends at Scranton Products.

Common Questions About Shower Stalls

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If your facility has a designated shower area and locker room, there are a few steps that you need to take to ensure that the area is protected from the elements. You also want to be sure that you’re using the best materials to help reduce your maintenance costs and the man hours spent cleaning and servicing your shower stalls. When it comes to picking the right shower stalls, you’ll need to know what to look for in order to get the best results.

Here’s some of the most common questions about shower stalls.

How Can I Improve Privacy for the Shower Stall Occupants?

Most people can feel pretty vulnerable in the shower, especially if there are several other people showering in the same area. There are several different styles of shower stalls, including open partitions, which provide the most exposure. Enclosed shower stalls seem to be the preferred model, but there are unavoidable sightlines in the door gap or through the bottom of the stall sometimes. The best way to improve privacy in the shower area is by utilizing a material that leaves no sightlines and offers an enclosed and secure experience for the occupant.

How Can I Combat the Growth of Mold and Mildew?

Constantly scrubbing away mold in your shower stalls may seem like an uphill battle because everything is working against you. Mold and mildew thrive in moist environments. Since shower stalls constantly have water flowing through them, the idea of tackling the mold may seem daunting. However, this could be because of the materials you’re using for your shower stall. Finding the right materials can help reduce the time spent cleaning by resisting mold growth while standing up to the constant exposure to moisture and humidity.

Why Do I Have to Replace My Shower Stalls?

Shower stalls can take a beating over time. They can easily become scratched and dented after just a few uses. You’ll want to keep your shower stalls in great condition and lasting as long as possible. However, if their interior becomes infested with mold, replacing the shower stall is a must. When it’s time for a replacement, you’ll want to find a material that can last a long time in the harsh shower elements and can forgo the costly replacement.

Is There a Way that I Can Reduce My Shower Stall Maintenance Costs?

Considering the elements that can have a negative effect on your shower stalls, you don’t want to forego maintenance because it could lead to detrimental health issues for your occupants. However, you can replace your shower stalls with a more durable material that can withstand the moisture and humidity.

HDPE solid plastic is a great option for your shower stalls because it’s durable, solid, and dent- and scratch-resistant. Best of all, though, is that HDPE solid plastic is nonabsorbent. It can actually resist the growth of mold, which can help save you costs when it’s time for maintenance because these stalls can be power washed and steamed cleaned.

Want to learn more tips on maintaining your shower stalls? Check out this blog post, How to Remove Mold in Your Shower and Locker Rooms, from your friends at Scranton Products.

Why Work With An Industry Leader?

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Industry leaders offer a unique value to their clients.

It starts with a razor-sharp focus on their clients’ most important issues. Industry leaders dig deep into these issues and come up with innovative ways to solve them. They also know that innovation is more than coming up with great ideas. Industry leaders know how to innovate. They excel in operational execution and have the methodologies and processes in place to deliver value consistently to their customers.

As North America’s leading manufacturer of HDPE bathroom partitions and lockers, Scranton Products is a proven industry leader, focused on responsive innovation, and offering our customers quality products that are built and tested to the highest standards.

What drives innovation at Scranton Products? It is understanding the needs of our customers – the need for high-value

As a market leader, our products are built to stand up to the harshest environments and are backed by Scranton Products’ industry-leading warranties, so you can rest easy that your investment is protected for years to come.

As a market leader, we are committed to sustainability. All of our products are made from recycled materials and are 100% recyclable. They are also free of VOC emissions and are GREENGUARD Gold Certified. In addition, throughout our manufacturing process, we’re conscious of our impact on the environment and practice factory-responsible recycling.

As a market leader, we are a true partner to our clients, offering responsive innovation, cutting edge solutions, unsurpassed product quality, excellent customer support, and one of the largest distribution networks in the industry.

To learn more about Scranton Products and the unique value we offer our clients, please visit: https://www.scrantonproducts.com/products/