CM/Spotlight: Restroom Care Restroom Technology By: Klaus Reichardt The Flow Of The restroom of the future is here with sensor-controlled fixtures that reduce water wastage. M A frequent speaker and author on water conservation issues, Klaus Reichardt is the founder and chief executive officer (CEO) of Waterless Company Inc., which is headquartered in Vista, California. Makers of waterless urinals, Reichardt founded the company in 1991 with the goal to establish a new market segment in the plumbing fixture industry with water conservation in mind. He may be reached at [email protected]. Many people are unaware that former President Ronald Reagan was the official spokesperson for General Electric (GE) during the mid-1950s. As part of his job — or, one might say, as one of its benefits — GE installed the latest, most fu-turistic electronic gadgetry imaginable in Reagan’s new, all-electric California home. Television commercials were even filmed in the house in which he showed off the gadgetry and proclaimed to viewers that what they were seeing was nothing less than “the house of the future.” While some of the new technologies displayed in these commercials did materialize in consumer form, many never left the drawing board. Thankfully, facility service providers and build-ing managers wondering what the restroom of the future will look like face no such confusing contra-dictions because, in many ways, the restroom of the future is already here. Walk into just about any new or recently retrofitted commercial facility and you are likely to see sensor-controlled, low-flow restroom fixtures and sensor-controlled soap and paper towel dispensers. Many facilities even have the latest no-flow fix-tures — specifically, the waterless variety of urinals — that work effectively and hygienically with no water at all. Of course, this does not mean that what we see today is exactly what we can expect tomorrow. These technologies are expected to continue to improve. Sensor-controlled Fixtures Many in the professional cleaning industry assume that fixtures that use sensor technologies — also referred to as automatic, infrared or touchless — were installed for hygienic reasons: Users simply do not like to touch anything in restrooms. However, hygiene was not the true motivation behind the first appearance of these technologies. When they were first introduced during the 1980s, reducing restroom vandalism was actually for more info Visit www.cmmonline.com and type in search keyword: Restroom Care . For more information on related products, visit www.cmmonline.com , select SUPPLIER SEARCH from the main navigation bar, and enter keyword: Urinals . Aside from the water savings and reduced maintenance, waterless urinals, given their nonexistent external hardware, can help portray the sleek, minimalist look desired by many building owners. 20 CM/Cleaning & Maintenance Management ® • November 2012 Image courtesy of Waterless Company Inc.
CMM – Archives Nov 2012: 20
