From kitchens to watches, cars and more, our day-to-day appliances are all going digital. As smart technology is embedded into our daily lives, everyday facilities like washrooms are now taking advantage of new features to create a superior user experience.

Modern-day washrooms have been equipped with convenient automatic hand dryers and taps for years, but new features like Bluetooth and internet connectivity can create a network of seamlessly integrated appliances.

For example, app-integrated mirror systems can help you collect useful data about your facilities while soap and towel dispensers can send notifications when they need refilling. These technologies provide exciting opportunities for improving smart facilities across the world.

In this blog, we’ll explore some of the key benefits of smart washrooms in public and private facilities. Read on.

What is smart washroom technology?

So, how do smart washrooms work?

Put simply, smart washrooms are any kind of commercial, private or public washroom facilities that integrate advanced technologies like Bluetooth, Wi-FI, infrared sensor taps, smart toilets, and more. Essentially, these washrooms take common features from devices like smartphones and computers and apply them to suit washroom appliances.

Although these may seem like minor improvements at first glance, smart washrooms can have a huge impact on your building’s overall performance by creating a more seamless user experience.

Let’s take a look at some of the key features of modern smart washrooms.

1. Smart taps

   Infrared sensor taps, automatic faucets, touchless taps, touch-free taps — these are all types of taps that automatically activate when their sensors detect movement. Usage data such as average handwashing time can be collected and analysed from sensor taps, allowing you to implement customer-focused improvements in your washroom. Plus, sensor taps are less likely to drip water compared to manual taps as they only activate when in use.

2. Smart dispensers

   Smart dispensers are one of the most useful additions to smart bathrooms. Smart dispensers can send alerts notifying your team when they need refilling. This means that, with the proper staff on hand, you’ll never have to worry about running out of toilet paper or soap unexpectedly in your washrooms.

3. Traffic monitoring

   While many businesses are aware of how frequently to refill consumables in their washrooms, restroom supplies can still run out quickly. With your intelligent washroom technology, you can easily monitor traffic to make sure all dispensers are fully stocked and your washrooms are kept clean.

4. Smart toilet

   Automated toilets have been in use for many years — so with the advent of intelligent washrooms, it’s no surprise that they’ve become an essential element of smart washrooms. Smart toilets can be integrated into your network so that your custodial and maintenance staff receive notifications and alerts from the toilet’s built-in sensors. This means your toilets can send feedback whenever they need maintenance.

5. Smart lighting

   Energy efficiency and sustainability are essential innovations for restroom smart technology. While LEDs and other energy-saving lights have grown even more popular in the last couple of decades, the best way to save energy and money is to keep your lights turned off when required. Smart technology can automatically dim or turn off your lights when not in use, saving you money and energy.

6. Scent

   Smart air fresheners can be programmed to go off when they detect motion or at set times, providing a seamless way to keep your bathroom smelling clean all day.

7. Smart heating/HVAC

   Smart heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) solutions can be set to maintain a comfortable temperature all day, regardless of the weather.

Smart washroom technology = Smarter washroom benefits

Smarter technology brings smarter features, which means more benefits for your business and a more seamless experience for your users. Here are some of the key improvements that a smart washroom adds to your washroom.

Accurate fact-based data analysis

Smart solutions like Dolphin’s SMART Inform technology collect key statistical data that can be analysed and evaluated to show usage patterns in your washroom. This will give you greater insight into how people are using your washroom and what other features can be added to provide the best user experience.

This data can include the washroom space with the greatest interaction, washroom peaks and troughs, the most-used basins or cubicles, and more. Information like this helps you understand what needs to be done for a more efficient and positive user experience.

Do consumables need to be topped up more frequently? Will a new washwall system reduce wait times and queues? Does extra cleaning time need to be allocated throughout the day? These are all questions that a smart washroom solution can answer for you.

Smart systems like the Alavo Mirror Systems from Dolphin are innovative, durable and stylish — perfect for the modern washroom. Dolphin’s smart taps, soap dispensers, and hand dryers will enhance the user experience with stylish finishes and data-driven smart features that perfectly fit any washroom design or pattern.

Improved user experience

User experience is the ultimate benchmark for any successful washroom. Whether you’re operating a busy retail centre or a high-traffic museum, you need technology that provides the best experience for your patrons.

Smart products feature smart user interfaces that improve usability. For example, smart washroom sensor taps and automatic soap dispensers reduce the risk of cross-contamination as users no longer need to manually control each appliance. This saves time and provides peace of mind for users who may be nervous about germs and bacteria in busy public spaces.

Enhanced hygiene washroom solutions

The need for better hygiene solutions in washrooms has been stressed recently by the Department of Health and the World Health Organisation (WHO), among others. Various recommendations have been made including the use of sensor taps and dispensers to remove unnecessary touchpoints that can serve as venues for contamination.

Hygienic alternatives like contactless smart taps and paper towel dispensers remove touchpoints from the handwashing process entirely, reducing the spread of harmful bacteria.

Efficient cleaning and maintenance

Smart washrooms have sensors installed on refillable supplies like soap, toilet tissue, and paper towels. Custodial personnel can use smart system data feeds to check dispenser levels and receive real-time notifications and alerts once they need to be refilled.

There are two main benefits to these features. Firstly, it reduces the time taken by custodial staff to physically check each dispenser in your washroom. Secondly, it eliminates any downtime for users waiting for consumables to be refilled when they run out.

Bringing the latest in smart technology to your commercial washrooms enables your business and your users to experience the best of both worlds. With smart washroom system alerts, you can maximise the productivity of your staff without sacrificing the usability of your space.

Better sustainability and waste reduction efforts

WSP Australia, a worldwide leader in urban development solutions, believes that environmentally sustainable washroom designs (ESDs) are a fundamental responsibility for all commercial, transport, educational and heritage buildings. Various sustainable design programmes have been developed over the past decade, making it clearer and easier for global organisations to follow green building standards in their washrooms.

With this environmental awareness extending to building design, having water and energy-efficient taps and dispensers in your commercial washroom is one of the most effective ways of upholding sustainable practices. Dolphin’s smart taps have been precision-designed with low-flow functionality to save up to 20% on water expenses and energy consumption, as only the water that is actually used is preheated.

When it comes to plastic waste, many basic washroom essentials such as soap are contained in plastic bottles or dispensers. Smart technology solutions often include functions that adjust the volume of soap dispensed per user. This prevents commercial washroom users from extracting more soap than they actually need, which reduces waste. Adding a smart technology system like the jumbo soap dispensers from Dolphin reduces the amount of plastic waste generated compared to smaller containers.

Set up your new smart washroom with Dolphin’s Alavo Mirror Systems and Washroom Configurator

If you’re ready to install smart washroom facilities for your entire building, Dolphin Solutions can save you time and energy gettomg started.

At Dolphin, we have our very own Alavo Washroom Configurator that lets you collaborate with your team of designers, planners, and architects to tailor-design your very own smart washroom configuration.

From lighting controls to behind-mirror features, hygienic sensors, control panels and more Dolphin’s proprietary Alavo configurator is the one-stop configuration system that will help you set up your innovative washroom with confidence.

Choose from innovative washroom technologies including tap and dispenser sensors that communicate with a cellular router to feed relevant data to a cloud server. From the core smart washroom platform, data is analysed, reports are built, and relevant notifications are sent out in real-time.

With all the information and data readily available, your washroom maintenance staff can stay up to date on the corresponding tasks that need to be carried out, all with the unified goal of maintaining a clean washroom space.

If you’re looking to upgrade your commercial washroom with state-of-the-art smart technology, explore Dolphin’s Alavo Washroom Configurator and discover the possibilities for your washroom.