Expert advice / Guide
Washroom hygiene & paper products
Washrooms are the area visitors judge you on. Get the consumables system right and you cut cost, refill labour and complaints at the same time.
Paper systems: control your refills
The cost is in refills, not dispensers. Match the format to traffic.
- Centrefeed: workshops and kitchens — one roll, many uses.
- Interleaved/Z-fold hand towels: high-traffic washrooms, one sheet per use.
- Coreless and high-capacity toilet rolls: cut refill frequency in busy sites.
Soap & sanitiser
Foam soap uses less product per wash than liquid and is harder to over-dispense. Keep an alcohol-based hand sanitiser (60%+ alcohol) at entry/exit points, and standardise on one dispenser system so refills stay simple.
Hand drying: paper vs air
Paper towels are fast and hygienic but generate waste and refill labour; high-speed air dryers cut consumable cost over time but have upfront and noise considerations. High-traffic sites often run both.
Lock dispensers to your supply
Proprietary 'locked' dispensers force you onto one brand's refills. Where you can, choose universal dispensers so you keep pricing leverage and avoid being tied to a single supplier.