Hygiene: How can bathroom users benefit from touch-free taps and hassle-free hygiene?

On the subject of hygiene, host Jens J. Wischmann (VDS) has invited Dr. Peter Arens (Schell), Dirk Engelhardt (Geberit) and Frank A. Reinhrdt (FAR.consulting).
Photo: FAR.consulting, Vereinigung Deutsche Sanitärwirtschaft e.V.
What does
modern hygiene in the bathroom look like? That’s the topic host and Managing
Director of the VDS Jens J. Wischmann and his three talk guests turned their
attention to in the Pop up my Bathroom Magazine programme on the second day of
the ISH digital 2021.
While it’s certainly not a new topic in relation to the
bathroom, the corona pandemic has brought hygiene back into focus. Nevertheless,
according to trend researcher and co-organiser of the forum Frank A. Reinhardt,
it would be wrong to call hygiene a trend. Instead, said Reinhardt, in terms of
its dynamism and function, “hygiene-related themes should be understood as a
trend driver that is very definitely having an impact on all other trends right
now, including those featured here.”
However
that may be, the corona pandemic has taken the importance of hygiene to a new
level – as was confirmed by the microbiologist Dr Peter Arens in his function
as Senior Consultant Hygiene Manager at Schell: “That’s very noticeable. Sales
of electronic fittings have increased several times over. The connection is
obvious: even when there’s no pandemic, it doesn’t make sense to use the basin
mixer to wash your hands thoroughly after going to the toilet and then touch
the contaminated lever again afterwards.”
Pop up my Bathroom Magazin | Hygiene: Together with our guests, we’ll be focusing on hygiene, taking a look at the sector’s product portfolio and reflecting on how its utilisation in both public and private settings has developed. Plus, we’ll be explaining how important modern bathroom products like the shower toilet can be for personal hygiene.
But the
issue of drinking water quality is very much in focus too, especially in
pandemic times, because when plumbing systems aren’t used – in offices that are
deserted for weeks on end, for example – it can result in an increased build-up
of bacteria and subsequently lead to severe disease. To counteract that,
explained Peter Arens, the water needs to be changed every three days. Wischmann
asked his guests what technical options are available if that can’t be done
manually. “In terms of planning and installation, the industry can take care of
that via good, sensible products,” said Dirk Engelhardt, Regional Sales
Director Technology at Geberit. “And I believe the trades and bathroom planners
can do the same. It’s the building operators I’m not sure about – regardless of
whether they’re professional or private,” Engelhardt admitted. That’s why it’s
so important to raise awareness among operators – and the trades can help in
that respect too.
Hygiene in
the bathroom also means personal hygiene. In response to the host’s provocative
question as to whether Germans attach more importance to the cleanliness of
their toilets than to that of their backsides, since rimless toilets have
become increasingly popular in recent years, but shower toilets less so,
Engelhardt replied: “It’s a combination of different things.” He pointed to
current toilet cleaning habits, the higher price of shower toilets and the
sensitive issue of intimate hygiene, which many planners and tradespeople used
to find embarrassing. But, he added, it’s evident that selling shower toilets
is becoming increasingly attractive for the trades and that customers’ own
experiences with shower toilets – when travelling in Asia, for instance – is
also strengthening demand. Ultimately, Dirk Engelhardt was optimistic: “We’re
not where we want to be yet, but we’re on the right track.”

Had an exciting discussion with his guests: VDS managing director Jens J. Wischmann.
Photo: FAR.consulting, Vereinigung Deutsche Sanitärwirtschaft e.V.
And last
but not least, hygiene also plays an important role in the Living Bathroom, one
of the three trends proclaimed by the Pop up my Bathroom forum: “With Living
Bathroom, we want to enhance the quality of the time people spend in their
bathrooms. We’re spending longer in the bathroom, so we might want a rug in
there, for instance. That obviously means making sure the rug is washable and
is replaced a bit more often than the usual 10 or 15 years,” observed Frank A.
Reinhardt, owner of FAR.consulting. On the whole, added the trend researcher,
bathroom equipment – even in private homes – has become more hygienic per se
thanks to dirt-repellent and antibacterial finishes. But he believes
electrification has the greatest role to play when it comes to creating hygiene-promoting
conditions, even in a cosy private bathroom: “In the meantime, the products and
innovations that are already available on the market mean it’s possible to
create an entirely touchless private bathroom, which is a huge bonus in terms
of hygiene.”
That ranges from sensor-controlled toilet lids, touchless taps and
contact-free flush plates all the way to electronic soap dispensers. A family
of four that washes its hands an average of 50 times a day can save a
considerable amount of water and optimise routines. “That’s an interesting
basis for planning a bathroom, as well as for architects and fitters when they
bring this aspect into their consultations with customers,” said Reinhardt.
All the
programmes can be viewed in full length on our new YouTube channel.
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