Are Changes Coming to Public Restrooms?

MENOMONEE FALLS, WI — What if public restrooms in the United States implemented some changes? For example, in busy locations like airports, parks, tourist attractions, concerts and sporting events, a monitor outside the washroom could show how many stalls are available. Or, what if people paid a small entrance fee to guarantee that the restroom was clean and well stocked?

Those are just some of the concepts a survey from Bradley Company explored as part of its Healthy Handwashing Survey™. The annual research queried a statistically valid sample of 1,032 US adults Jan. 3-14, 2025, about their use of public restrooms, handwashing habits and the cold and flu season.

“We like to look at all aspects of public restroom usage and this year we got back some interesting insights that could lead to changes in the future,” says Jon Dommisse, Vice President of business development and strategy for Bradley.

Monitors to Indicate Restroom Availability

The survey found that an overwhelming 86% of adults think it would be valuable for restrooms in high-traffic locations to have a display showing how many stalls are available.

Based on the number of openings, individuals and families could decide if they’d like to stop by that specific restroom or continue to one that’s less crowded. Such systems are already in place in many airport bathrooms to save time and help eliminate the frustration of searching for an open stall or waiting in a long line.

Speaking of time management, last year a popular tourist site in China, Yungang Grottoes, installed digital timers above toilets in the women’s restroom to indicate how long the stall has been in use.

When the Healthy Handwashing Survey asked about implementing restroom timers in the US to keep foot traffic moving, the idea got a thumbs down. No matter how the responses are sliced, most Americans don’t like the idea of being timed. The majority (53%) don’t think it’s valuable and 60% of women and 72% of adults aged 55-plus don’t see the benefit.

More Stall Privacy Wanted

One restroom change nearly everyone agrees on is the need for more privacy. 72% of adults feel public restroom stalls don’t provide enough “personal space” protection.

Specifically, 53% would like the gaps around the stall door and where the stalls come together to be eliminated and 45% want doors that extend all the way to the floor. Also, 44% want an indicator on the stall door that shows whether it’s occupied or not. Such occupancy indicators would negate the need to bend down and look for a pair of feet to determine if someone is using the stall.

Finally, 30% say they’d appreciate some sort of sound suppression, such as music playing, to help improve privacy in a public restroom.

Top Restroom Requests

In terms of valuable amenities that Americans would like to see in public restrooms, the top three requests are shelves or hooks to hang personal items, a restroom attendant to keep the space clean and stocked, and larger stalls.

The survey delved further into the desire for cleaner and better-stocked restrooms by asking if respondents were willing to pay for that service.

Less than half (40%) say they’d likely pay while 18% say they definitely wouldn’t. Interestingly, men are more willing to shell out money than women. 46% of men vs. 33% of women would open their wallet for a clean and well-stocked restroom.

For those willing to pay, one-third feel up to 25¢ is reasonable while another third is open to doubling that amount and would hand over up to 50¢.

Another survey question revealed that nearly 80% of Americans think it’s important for public restrooms to have touchless fixtures and 75% believe touch-free technology improves their overall experience in a restroom. The top three requests for touchless operation are toilet flushers, soap dispensers and faucets.

The preference for touchless fixtures overlaps into the business sector since 65% of adults say they’re more likely to return to a store or business that has touchless fixtures. The other insight the survey uncovered is that 84% have a negative impression of a business if it has an unclean or unpleasant restroom.

Handwashing Habits

Of course, the Healthy Handwashing Survey also dug into handwashing habits.

On average, adults estimate they wash their hands 7.6 times per day. However, 45% say they sometimes just rinse with water instead of sudsing up. That’s unfortunate because using soap, vigorously rubbing the hands together and rinsing are cleansing steps that shouldn’t be missed.

The good news is that, for the most part, Americans are diligent about handwashing after using a public restroom. 81% say they always wash and another 11% say they usually do. A lack of soap or paper towels are the biggest reasons adults bypass handwashing in a public restroom.

The survey found there are a number of drivers that prompt Americans to ramp up their handwashing. 79% wash their hands more thoroughly or frequently in response to seasonal flu virus outbreaks, 39% wash after being around someone who is sick and 37% hit the sink after sneezing or coughing.

In terms of their children, nearly 40% of parents believe their kiddos don’t wash their hands enough. When the numbers are broken down between the genders, 74% of dads feel their offspring are doing fine with their handwashing diligence while just 51% of moms are satisfied.

For more information, visit www.bradleycorp.com/handwashing.