Until a few years ago, people creating a new living or working space could dismiss the bathroom as an afterthought. Toilets, sinks, showers? Just go for whatever looks good and doesn’t cost too much.
Not anymore. Restroom technologies first seen in cutting-edge architecture are finding their way into everyday businesses and homes. People are learning that they can enjoy a cleaner, smarter, more sustainable restroom experience — and adjusting their expectations accordingly.
Whether you’re remodeling a home’s older restrooms, renovating an apartment complex, or designing a new public facility, here are five restroom trends you can no longer ignore.
Pressure-assisted Toilets
From the person living in a one-bedroom apartment to the team running a 70,000-seat stadium, no one wants to deal with a clogged toilet. No wonder pressure-assisted toilets — sometimes known as power flush toilets — are becoming so popular.
Unlike conventional toilets that use gravity to create a weak suction to clear the bowl, pressure-assisted toilets force water into the bowl using compressed air to create a 233% waste-extraction advantage using the same amount of water. They’re a powerful alternative to gravity toilets that not only virtually eliminate clogs but also save water by reducing double-flushing.
Touchless Everything
High-end commercial restrooms have featured touchless faucets, flush valves, soap dispensers, and hand dryers for years. Today, that same hands-free experience is becoming the norm in everyday commercial spaces such as fast-food restaurants and office parks. Homeowners are following suit, increasingly choosing sensor-operated fixtures for remodels and new construction. This evolution now extends to touchless solutions that deliver hands-free flushing without requiring the replacement of existing toilets.
Why? Hygiene. The fewer restroom surfaces people touch, the lower the likelihood that they’ll transmit viruses or bacteria. And hygiene matters just as much — or more — to parents of toddlers as it does to guests in luxury hotels.
Water Conservation
Water efficiency products have moved from a “nice-to-have” to a baseline expectation for both businesses and homeowners, for three main reasons.
Water shortages are an increasing threat in many areas of the world; companies that reduce water usage can qualify for sustainability ratings that appeal to tenants, customers, employees, and partners; and water costs money, so people can save money by using less of it.
Since a single toilet can use 27% of a household’s water, it’s easy to see why water-saving faucets, showerheads, and flush valves are growing in popularity — including pressure-assisted toilets that use as little as 0.75 gallons per flush.
Easy-clean, Durable, and Sustainable Surfaces
Recent home and commercial design trends have highlighted attractive-looking surface materials that clean more quickly and stand up to high traffic better. These trends include solid-surface partitions, antimicrobial coatings, and minimal grout lines, and they’re quickly becoming mainstream in all kinds of restroom settings.
Homeowners want stylish but low-maintenance bathrooms — no more fussy stone that stains easily. Commercial facility managers want to reduce labor costs with surfaces that look new despite strong cleaners.
And everyone wants a more hygienic appearance, which is why more toilets and urinals now feature a glaze that repels water and oils to stay cleaner-looking longer.
Smart, Data-driven Restrooms
Created for giant facilities such as sports arenas and airports, smart restroom technology is becoming mainstream in commercial settings of all sizes because of the cost and labor savings it delivers.
Internet of Things (IoT) systems give facility managers instant visibility into water usage, device health, and hygiene metrics from leak alerts to line flushes. This visibility helps reduce equipment downtime, wasted water, and maintenance costs.
One small example: Instead of changing the batteries in all of an office’s sensor faucets on a fixed schedule, the owners can save money by changing them only when they need changing.
Want to explore how these trends can help you create restrooms that look and work better? Talk to the experts at Flushmate to learn more.