Not every building, restroom, or lobby needs the same level of supplies. One of the most common areas where businesses lose money is the misallocation of restroom and breakroom supplies. A “one size fits all” approach rarely works when it comes to paper towels, toilet tissue, and hand soap.
Matching products to actual traffic volume helps you:
- Reduce waste and overuse
- Avoid stockouts and emergency orders
- Improve cleanliness and odor control
- Protect surfaces and extend asset life
- Support employee and customer health
Business Hygiene works with businesses across Texas that see everything from a few people a day to thousands per week. The common thread in the successful ones is that they choose supplies intentionally, based on how their spaces are used. This guide will help you navigate the options and match your supplies to your specific traffic volume.
Understanding Your Traffic Volume
Before ordering supplies, you must honestly assess the usage levels of your facility. Traffic volume is generally categorized into three tiers:
- High Traffic: Large public venues, airports, schools, large manufacturing plants, and busy retail centers. Restrooms are in near constant use.
- Medium Traffic: Standard office buildings, restaurants, medical clinics, and mid sized retail stores. Usage is steady but has peaks and valleys.
- Low Traffic: Executive suites, small private practices, boutiques, and private offices. Usage is infrequent and involves a smaller group of people.
Solutions for High Traffic Environments
In high traffic areas, the primary goals are capacity and speed. If a dispenser runs empty, it creates an immediate hygiene issue and a negative customer experience. However, you cannot afford to have maintenance staff checking stalls every twenty minutes.
High-Capacity Systems
For these environments, you need systems that hold a large volume of product to minimize the frequency of change outs.
Jumbo Roll Tissue (JRT)
Standard household rolls simply cannot keep up here. JRT systems hold the equivalent of ten or more standard rolls. This drastically reduces the labor required to restock stalls.
Coreless Rolls
In high volume settings, cardboard cores pile up quickly and create unnecessary waste. Coreless compact rolls offer more paper per roll and zero waste, maximizing the utility of the dispenser space.
Foam Soap
Foam soap is the industry standard for high traffic areas. It comes pre lathered, meaning users typically take less product and use less water to rinse it off. A single cartridge of foam soap provides significantly more hand washes than an equal volume of liquid soap.
Automated Towel Dispensers
While it may seem counterintuitive, automated dispensers often save money in high traffic zones. They control the length of the sheet dispensed, preventing users from grabbing huge handfuls of paper towels at once.
Solutions for Medium Traffic Environments
Medium traffic facilities have to walk a fine line. You need durability and reliability, but you also want to offer a level of comfort that might be lacking in an industrial setting.
Balance and Aesthetics
Here, the appearance of the dispenser matters almost as much as the capacity.
Standard Roll Tissue (2 Ply)
While JRTs are efficient, they can look institutional. For a nice office building or restaurant, a standard roll dispenser that holds two rolls (a primary and a reserve) is often the best choice. It ensures backup supply without an industrial look.
Multifold or C-Fold Towels
In medium traffic breakrooms and restrooms, folded towels are a popular choice. They offer a higher perceived quality than brown roll towels. The key is choosing a dispenser that prevents “chaining,” where pulling one towel pulls five more.
Liquid or Foam Soap
Both work well here, but the focus should be on the dispenser design. Touch free options are highly preferred in office and medical settings to prevent cross contamination.
Solutions for Low Traffic and Executive Environments
In low traffic areas, efficiency takes a backseat to user experience and comfort. These restrooms are used by clients, partners, and executives. The expectation is a “home away from home” experience.
Quality and Luxury
In these settings, a jumbo roll of thin tissue sends the wrong message. You want products that signal quality.
Premium Household Rolls
Use high ply, embossed, and branded toilet tissue. The cost per roll is higher, but because the volume of use is so low, the overall expense remains manageable.
Perforated Roll Towels
Instead of industrial dispensers, these environments often utilize standard kitchen style roll towels on a countertop holder or a sleek wall mount. They feel softer and more substantial.
Lotion Soaps and Scents
This is where you can invest in premium liquid soaps with moisturizers or pleasant fragrances. Since the product isn’t being used hundreds of times an hour, the focus is on the quality of the wash.
Plan For Peak Times and Seasonal Changes
Traffic is not static. Many facilities see dramatic shifts throughout the year.
Examples:
- Schools and campuses around semesters starting and events
- Retail locations during holiday seasons and promotions
- Offices during conferences or tenant changes
A good product selection plan includes:
- Adjusting order quantities ahead of known peaks
- Temporary placement of additional dispensers or waste stations
- Extra odor control or floor care in periods of heavy use or bad weather
Reviewing your previous year’s patterns with a supplier helps you predict and prepare rather than react.
FAQs
Is foam soap really more cost effective than liquid soap?
Yes, in almost all commercial applications. Liquid soap is dispensed in a concentrated dollop that often falls off the hand or is washed down the drain before it lathers. Foam soap is mixed with air as it is dispensed, expanding its volume. This means users feel like they’re getting a handful of soap while actually using much less product by weight.
What is the benefit of “coreless” toilet paper?
Coreless rolls are designed to eliminate the hollow cardboard tube in the center of the roll. This allows manufacturers to wind more paper onto the roll in the same amount of space. For the business, this means 100% of the product you buy is usable tissue, and your janitorial staff does not have to deal with picking up loose cardboard cores from the floor.
Are hands free dispensers worth the extra battery cost?
For most businesses, the answer is yes. Hands free dispensers improve hygiene by reducing touchpoints, which reduces the spread of germs (and employee sick days). Many modern dispensers have excellent battery life, and the cost of batteries is often offset by the savings in paper usage due to controlled dispensing lengths.
How do I determine if I need a high-capacity system?
A good rule of thumb is to look at your restocking frequency. If your staff is having to replace rolls or refill soap more than once a day, you’re a prime candidate for a high-capacity system. If you can go for days without restocking, a standard or medium capacity system is likely sufficient.
How often should I review my product mix
At minimum, review your product mix annually. However, you should also revisit it when there are changes in occupancy, business hours, services offered, or regulatory requirements. A semi annual review with your supplier can often uncover opportunities to reduce waste, improve performance, or standardize across locations.
How can I reduce overuse of towels and tissue in high traffic restrooms?
Controlled dispensing systems are the most reliable way to manage consumption. These include roll towel dispensers with preset sheet lengths, tissue dispensers that limit how much can be pulled at once, and touch free systems that deliver a consistent amount per activation. Training staff to monitor and report abuse or vandalism also plays a role.
Aligning Supplies with How Your Business Really Works
Selecting cleaning and hygiene products is more than choosing from a catalog. When you match supplies to actual traffic volume and usage patterns, you can support a cleaner, safer environment with fewer headaches for both staff and visitors.
At Business Hygiene, we understand that every facility is unique. We’re here to help you analyze your usage patterns and recommend the perfect combination of dispensers and consumables to keep your business running smoothly.
