Restroom Care: Toilet Seats Save Labor and Deliver Better Hygiene
Holiday Inn Express in Sheboygan, Wis., was faced with two major challenges—how to thoroughly clean toilet seats and bowls, and eliminate loose seats. Both problems impacted the hotel operationally, but more important, had the potential to negatively impact the customer experience.
The housekeeping staff needed to take extra care and effort cleaning and sanitizing the seat and toilet bowl. Hard-to-reach areas around the hinge bodies, like the caps that covered the seat-mounting bolts, are prone to the buildup of grime and dirt. Sometimes the housekeeping staff had to re-clean the toilet fixture when the head housekeeper found the work unsatisfactory.
Along with this, maintenance was called out to retighten loose seats.
“We took the situation for what it was,” said Kelly Wolter, general manager with the hotel. “We would provide additional training for the housekeepers and have them redo bathroom cleaning assignments as needed. All in all, we accepted the fact that this was how things were.”
However, a chance visit by Bob Davis, senior channel manager with Bemis Manufacturing, changed that perspective in short order when he proposed the hotel test seats outfitted with its new Just-Lift hinge system and Sta-Tite Commercial Fastening System.
“Bob outlined how the key features of the seats would make life a whole lot better for our housekeepers by making it easier for them to more thoroughly clean between the seat and bowl,” Wolter said. “Coupled with that, he said the new fastening system does a better job of keeping the seat tight and is quicker to install than traditional mounting systems.
“So, my initial impression was ‘Cool, let’s do it and see what the staff says’. They had a huge part in the decision-making process,” Wolter said. “If this was indeed going to make life a whole lot easier for them, their buy-in was really important. Along with all of that, the fact Bemis is a local company was an added benefit.”
Bemis installed 10 Just-Lift with Sta-Tite trial seats in September 2008. As of May 2009, there has been no need to redo any cleaning and none of the seats have required retightening.
“The entire housekeeping staff couldn’t be happier,” said Carla Usry, head housekeeping inspector. “They really love the Just-Lift feature. The ease of cleaning is huge for them. And the work is now a lot less physically demanding. Before they had to bend way over or get on their knees to get close to the areas that were extra hard to clean.
“But with Just-Lift, they simply pull up the entire seat and it stays suspended. They’re now able to do an overall more effective job cleaning between the seat and the bowl compared to the traditional hinges. And it takes them less time to do the cleaning.”
The Just-Lift hinge system allows the seat to be pulled straight up from the open position, creating a 1.5-inch gap between the seat and bowl. The ability to move the seat out of the way enables easier and more thorough cleaning than what is allowed by traditional hinges. When cleaning is finished, a simple push down returns the seat to its original flush-with-the-bowl position.
Electro-polished stainless steel lift posts are integrated with over-molded stainless steel mounting bolts for smooth, reliable up and down travel of the seat. The seat combines the stylish aesthetics expected in a modern home with durability needed in commercial operations.
Protecting the customer experience
In the hospitality industry, the customer experience is paramount. It fulfills the promise of customer loyalty that results in repeat business.
A loose toilet seat, like a bathroom that is not as clean as the customer thinks it should be, has the potential to create a poor impression. To that end, Bemis’ new Sta-Tite Commercial Fastening System helps protect the customer experience with a patented single-piece fastener and glass-filled nylon nut that puts an end to loose seats by delivering twice the holding power of traditional stainless steel fastening systems. Whether it’s a certified plumber or a general maintenance worker, the nut is engineered to allow the installer to quickly achieve the exact amount of torque needed without risking bowl damage from over-tightening.
“Correct torque is really key to a good and secure installation,” Davis said. “If there’s not enough torque, the seat can quickly begin to shift under use. That raises the risk of damage to the seat, hinge or bowl. And if there’s too much torque, you can crack the ceramic.”
Field tests with plumbers showed that seats with the Sta-Tite system install up to 33 percent faster than conventional fasteners. After mounting the seat on the bowl and finger tightening the Sta-Tite nuts, installers use a 5/8-inch wrench to tighten the lower section of the nut. When the exact amount of torque is achieved, the lower section of the nut automatically shears away, eliminating guesswork about under- or over-tightening.
Original laboratory testing for commercial applications subjected the Sta-Tite system to movements that duplicated extensive use cycles. The test seats withstood more than 30,000 test cycles without showing any signs of loosening.
The glass-filled nylon nut produces less friction during tightening compared to stainless steel. That allows it to be tightened more at a lower torque. The Sta-Tite system provides as much clamping force at 80 to 100 inch/pounds as stainless steel does at 200 inch/pounds.
The one-piece design also prevents dropped washers and nuts and precludes the installation of flat and lock washers in the wrong order — two time-consuming problems for installers.
“With operating budgets as tight as they are, this new Just-Lift with Sta-Tite system is designed to solve multiple challenges for both housekeeping and maintenance staffs,” Davis said.
By May 2009, the hotel completed a major expansion with the addition of a third floor. The overall success of the Just-Lift with Sta-Tite trial seats prompted the hotel owners to install the seats in all 37 new rooms created by the expansion. They will be added to the rest of the rooms when the current seats need to be replaced.
“The reaction of the staff convinced our owners that Just-Lift with the Sta-Tite Commercial Fastening System offered the perfect combination of form and function,” Wolter said. “My initial impression was that there really wasn’t much that could be done to improve the toilet seat. But Bemis has made it better by making it more functional. I’d put this seat in my house in a heartbeat.”
