interior of a public restroom facility with touchless fixtures


What do people across the globe expect from today’s commercial restrooms? Excel Dryer, Inc. recently commissioned a comprehensive study to answer that question.

Three global truths emerged from the findings:

• Cleanliness and hygiene are the top priorities for restroom users worldwide.
• A dirty restroom creates lasting reputational harm, with 80 percent of respondents saying they would not—or might not—return to a restaurant with messy facilities.
• Paper towels on the floor and overflowing trash cans are among the most common triggers of a “dirty restroom” perception.

Restroom hygiene can vary from facility to facility, making cleanliness a public priority. In fact, the 2026 Healthy Handwashing Survey from Bradley Company found that the top three restroom improvements respondents wish to see are cleaner facilities, improved supply stocking, and touchless fixtures. When needs are met, at least 70 percent of those surveyed shared they would make a point to stop at businesses with known quality restrooms.

The survey also revealed that hand hygiene habits have changed significantly since the pandemic, with 75 percent of U.S. consumers reporting they wash their hands up to 10 times a day. These elevated expectations underscore the importance of hygienic, touchless, cost-effective, and dependable hand drying solutions in modern environments.

As hands remain the origin of germ transmission, clean hand compliance is the first line of defense in a productive infection control program. Even a 10 percent increase in handwashing protocols reduces healthcare-associated infections by 6 percent.

“Proper hand hygiene is more important than ever in today’s post-pandemic world, and thoroughly drying hands is just as critical as washing them,” says William Gagnon, Executive Vice President and COO of Excel Dryer, Inc.