• Trends
    • Living Bathroom
    • Smart Bathroom
    • Green Bathroom
    • ISH digital 2021 3D Space
    • Archive
  • Reference
    • Hospitality
    • Public Space
    • Private Spa
  • Architecture
    • Wall+Floor
    • Farben
    • Materialien
    • Licht
    • Barrierefrei
  • Products
    • Neuheiten
    • Accessoires
    • Armaturen
    • Badewannen
    • Duschen
    • Waschtische
    • Badmöbel
    • WCs / Dusch-WCs
  • Atelier
    • Pop up my Bathroom Atelier
  • Trendbook
    • ISH 2019 | Colour Selection
    • ISH 2017 | Individualisation
    • ISH 2015 | Freibad
    • ISH 2013 | My personal needs
    • ISH 2011 | My favorite place
    • ISH 2009 | The 10 most important trends in the bathroom
  • Press
    • Press
  • About
    • Pop up my Bathroom
    • Aktion Barrierefrei
    • ISH 2023
    • VDS
    • Partners of the VDS
  • Contact
    • Imprint
    • Credits
    • Data Privacy
  • Search
  • deutsch
  • english

The hygiene wave in the bathroom is coming

03/21
Viega Visign for Style 25 sensitive

Photo: Viega, Visign for Style 25 sensitive

  • bathroom planning
  • Hospitality
  • products
  • shower toilet
  • smart home
  • stories
  • taps
  • toilet
  • trends
  • stories

Cleanliness thanks to dirt and bacteria-resistant surfaces, touchless controls and hygienic luxury toilets: there’s more demand for hygiene in the bathroom than ever before. The bathroom sector’s smart solutions for growing hygiene requirements are a major theme at the ISH digital 2021 too – whether for hotel bathrooms, public toilets or private lifestyle bathrooms.

When it comes to the bathroom, hygiene is a sensitive issue – and not just in corona times. But in view of current concerns about personal safety and the health of the family, and given that behaviours like frequent hand-washing and avoiding contact are now almost second nature, it has become more relevant than ever before. The global pandemic experience is focusing so much attention on cleanliness in the bathroom that the hygienic features of the products it’s equipped with are taking on greater importance – not just for consumers who want to renovate their homes but for architects and planners involved with public and commercial projects as well.

The hygiene issue is back in the spotlight

KEUCO Plan

Touchless soap dispenser: nowadays there’s actually no need to touch anything when applying soap to your hands. In addition to being mounted near the washbasin and filled with foam soap or foam disinfectant, the dispenser can also be fitted next to the toilet and filled with hygiene foam.

Photo: KEUCO, Plan

As the sector is noticing, the new demands being made of hygiene measures seem to be prompting a change of thinking in private households too: due to recent developments, people have become far more sensitised to the importance of cleanliness and safeness. The industry already has various solutions to offer. “When it comes to hygiene, there’s no need to reinvent the bathroom.” Jens J. Wischmann, managing director of the German Bathroom Sector Association (Vereinigung Deutsche Sanitärwirtschaft e.V. [VDS]), sees no cause for general alarm and takes a poor view of panic-mongering: “The bathroom is one of the cleanest rooms in the home anyway. That’s due to the finishes and the modern products that are standard nowadays.”


However, it’s also clear that some of the disease-causing pathogens among all the viruses and bacteria are transmitted by shaking hands or via contact with surfaces. Some people might find that worrying – even though the latest research results, such as the Heinsberg study by Bonn-based microbiologist Ricarda Maria Schmithausen and virologist Hendrik Streeck, seem to confirm the assumption that indirect transmission of the coronavirus via surfaces plays a relatively minor role in its spread. Droplets and aerosols are by far the most common routes of infection.

The bathroom as a safe haven

Patientenbad im Potsdamer St. Josefs-Krankenhaus mit Produkten von Ideal Standard

Hygiene concepts for patient bathrooms in hospitals, as seen here at the St. Josefs hospital in Potsdam, don’t just give patients a greater sense of safety; design-oriented sanitary solutions mean a better quality of stay as well.

Photo: Ideal Standard

The private bathroom performs an important function when it comes to hygiene – especially in times when multiple members of the family are using it all day long. In addition to modern sanitaryware and other furnishings and equipment, various care measures and simple dos and don’ts like airing out the room also play a role in preventing the bathroom from becoming a breeding ground for unwelcome germs and bacteria as a result of the warm and humid environment.


In the semi-public and public space, hygiene is of even greater relevance right now. The hospitality sector needs to develop new hygiene concepts, and many sanitary facilities for offices, event locations or public places need to be adapted and retrofitted to meet the increased hygiene requirements. The bathroom sector has numerous solutions to offer for both the private and (semi-) public sphere.

Product innovations for the toilet

Geberit AquaClean App

A high standard of hygiene for the toilet: thanks to new flush technology and the optimised geometry of the bowl and siphon, today’s toilets and shower toilets ensure even better flow for perfect flushing results. A growing number of shower toilets come with touchless controls as well.

Photo: Geberit, AquaClean App

In terms of minimising hand contact with surfaces, digitalisation brings major advantages, especially when it comes to the toilets and fittings. The sensor technology behind various flush plates, for instance, allows the flush to be activated without any contact at all. Villeroy & Boch offers a toilet that can think for itself and activates the flush autonomously if the user forgets or isn’t able to do so. This prevents germs from building up in stagnant water when the building is vacant or its occupants are travelling.


Modern shower toilets are often equipped with more functions than just touchless flushing. Many of them are available with optional features that mean the user doesn’t even have to touch the lid. Thanks to sensor technology, the lid automatically opens when the user approaches and closes again afterwards. Some shower toilets even have a Bluetooth interface and can be controlled via a smartphone. And besides the technological progress that’s been made, the standard of cleanliness that has been established by the growing acceptance of shower toilets definitely represents cultural progress as well. The targeted and thorough intimate hygiene achieved with a pulsating jet of water conveys an everyday feeling of freshness. Depending on the features chosen, some shower toilets even have an integrated self-cleaning function.

Innovative hygiene concepts in public sanitary facilities

Berührungslose Spültechnik von Viega

Harmonious interior design concepts that take hygiene to the next level: Viega's infrared control urinal flush plates can be adapted to the surroundings of the public sanitary rooms. Flushing is totally touch-free.

Photo: Viega

Hygiene has emerged as a particularly sensitive issue when it comes to public and semi-public facilities. Washbasins and toilets in office complexes, hotels or event venues, especially in hospitals and care homes, need to be re-evaluated. Touchless products will play a key role in that. The technology has been perfected and can help meet the increased hygiene requirements that have arisen as a result of the pandemic experience, which has taught us that we should avoid touching the tap whenever possible. When the user first touches a conventional fitting their hands are unwashed, which could result in the transfer of germs and viruses to its surface. At the same time, cross-contamination means there is a risk of the user picking up new germs and viruses once they have finished washing their hands too.


Touchless taps are therefore a good alternative for making the vehemently propagated precaution of hand-washing more hygienic. What’s more, the fittings hardly look any different from conventional models nowadays: thanks to the ongoing miniaturisation of sensor technology, the design of the taps can be adapted to the architectural setting. Dornbracht goes one step further with its Touchfree variant, which is compatible with all the manufacturer’s fittings series. Because it’s based on high-frequency technology, the system can detect motion even without an infrared eye. The HF sensor is positioned under the washbasin and is therefore invisible to the user. Functions like the temperature setting, shut-off time or cleaning stop are adjusted via a separate system box connected to a power supply.

Hygiene measures in the bathroom are often sustainable

Dornbracht Touchfree

Touchless taps are increasingly being used also in private households: thanks to the ongoing miniaturisation of sensor technology, the design of the fittings can be adapted to the architectural setting.

Photo: Dornbracht, Touchfree

Hygiene in the bathroom and public sanitary facilities was a trending topic even before the corona crisis hit. That’s why the bathroom sector is well positioned to respond to the current increase in demand for particularly hygienic product concepts: the industry already offers customers a wide range of innovative offerings for washbasins and toilets to choose from.


While Jens J. Wischmann, managing VDS, certainly sees the necessity for hygiene concepts in private bathrooms and the public sector, he also emphasises the sustainability aspect, which plays an important role in both refurbishment and new-build projects. “I’m expecting to see more new hygiene-related products and services at the ISH digital 2021. Water-carrying hygiene products for the bathroom are undoubtedly a growth market. And the sustainability aspect has already been factored in to a lot of hygienic sanitaryware products.” Reduced water consumption when using the toilet or washing hands, energy savings as a result of only dispensing warm water on a needs basis, a reduction in the amount of cleaning products required and longevity thanks to timeless: the hygiene ideas from the German bathroom sector aren’t just effective and comfort-enhancing, they’re sustainable too.

Related Articles

Betteair von Bette zeigt Farbkontraste
  • bathroom design
  • bathroom planning
  • Colour Selection
  • colours

Instinct and knowhow: the secret to choosing the right colours

06/22

Which colour trends are in keeping with customers’ tastes in 2022 and how can they be used for bathroom planning? Colour expert Dr. Hildegard Kalthegener answers these and other questions in our guest article.

more

Das funktionale Badezimmer im Keller
  • bathroom architecture
  • bathroom design
  • bathroom interior
  • bathroom planning

The trend is towards a third bathroom

04/22

While most people in the German-speaking world have to manage with a bathroom that averages just 9 square metres, the way rooms in single- and two-family homes are used is being redefined.

more

Waschtisch-Wand-Ensemble Lin20 von burgbad
  • bathroom architecture
  • bathroom interior
  • bathroom planning
  • trends
  • wallfloor
  • washbasins

It’s showtime: clear the stage for a stylish vanity

01/22

The wall with the vanity ist the fundameltal design element of the entire bathroom. This report looks at the current trends for the bathroom “workstation”.

more

Pop up my Bathroom Living Bathroom
  • bathroom architecture
  • bathroom design
  • bathroom interior
  • bathroom planning
  • Living
  • pop up my bathroom

Living Bathroom: 8 useful facts for planning a cosy bathroom

10/21

What kind of bathroom do people want? This blog post shows 8 facts of a on-trend bathroom planning.

more

  • Smart Bathroom: 8 facts about the bathroom of the future
  • Green Bathroom: 8 facts for ecological bathroom planning
Instagram
Information Platform
for Creative Bathroom Planning,
Architecture and Design
Join the communityFollow us on TwitterInstagramPinterest
  • Home
  • News
  • Trends
    • Living Bathroom
    • Smart Bathroom
    • Green Bathroom
    • ISH digital 2021 3D Space
    • Archive
  • Reference
    • Hospitality
    • Public Space
    • Private Spa
  • Architecture
    • Wall+Floor
    • Farben
    • Materialien
    • Licht
    • Barrierefrei
  • Products
    • Neuheiten
    • Accessoires
    • Armaturen
    • Badewannen
    • Duschen
    • Waschtische
    • Badmöbel
    • WCs / Dusch-WCs
  • Atelier
    • Pop up my Bathroom Atelier
  • Trendbook
    • ISH 2019 | Colour Selection
    • ISH 2017 | Individualisation
    • ISH 2015 | Freibad
    • ISH 2013 | My personal needs
    • ISH 2011 | My favorite place
    • ISH 2009 | The 10 most important trends in the bathroom
  • Press
    • Press
  • About
    • Pop up my Bathroom
    • Aktion Barrierefrei
    • ISH 2023
    • VDS
    • Partners of the VDS
  • Contact
    • Imprint
    • Credits
    • Data Privacy
  • Search

German Bathroom Sector Association
(Vereinigung Deutsche Sanitärwirtschaft e.V., VDS)
Rheinweg 24
53113 Bonn
Telephone: +49 (228) 923999-30
Fax: +49 (228) 923999-33
info *at* sanitaerwirtschaft *punkt* de

powered by depage::cms

  • deutsch
  • english