Flu activity often starts climbing in October and most often peaks between December and February, according to the CDC's flu season overview, with significant activity possible as late as May. For facility managers, that leaves a few weeks to order and install hardware before the peak months.

Touchless and low-contact restroom upgrades cut the shared surfaces where germs can pass from hand to hand on the way through your building. That includes the steel menstrual care dispensers and receptacles we manufacture as well as the sensor units we distribute. Cleaning schedules and handwashing stay where they are. Our winter hygiene guide for facilities covers habits, signage and staff protocol for the season.

The hardware side starts with a walk through your own building, noting each spot a hand has to touch. Some of those spots call for a sensor dispenser, others for a dispenser or receptacle with no shared mechanism, and some for a receptacle moved to a better place.

How Cold and Flu Germs Move Through a Restroom

Experts think flu spreads mainly through droplets made when people with flu cough, sneeze or talk, according to CDC's page on how flu spreads. Surfaces are a less common route: a hand picks up virus from a contaminated surface and carries it to the face or to the next surface.

How long that route stays open depends on the material. In a 1982 study in the Journal of Infectious Diseases, Bean and colleagues recovered influenza A and B from stainless steel and plastic for 24 to 48 hours, and from cloth, paper and tissue for under 8 to 12 hours.

The study used lab-grown virus applied to test surfaces, and its authors concluded that surface transmission may be possible where contamination is heavy.

Norovirus season runs alongside flu. CDC reports that outbreaks are most common from November through April, and that the virus is very contagious, can persist on surfaces for days or weeks, and resists many common disinfectants.

In a 2022 University of Colorado Boulder study published in Scientific Reports, a lidless commercial flushometer toilet in a lab sent aerosol particles about 1.5 meters, roughly 5 feet, above the bowl within 8 seconds. The study tracked the plume, not what settled on nearby surfaces, but stall latches and wall dispensers sit inside that height.

Mapping High-Touch Points, Entrance to Exit

Follow the route a visitor takes from your entrance to the restroom and back out, and write down each point where a hand has to make contact. In a commercial restroom the list often runs longer than expected. A typical path looks like this:

1. Lobby and entrance: Door pulls, the reception counter, shared pens or check-in kiosks, wall sanitizer pumps

2. Restroom entry: The door pull or push plate

3. Stall: Door latch, seat, seat cover dispenser, toilet paper dispenser, flush lever

4. Menstrual care: Dispenser knob, lever or button on mechanical and coin vendors, disposal receptacle lid or panel

5. Sink: Faucet handles, soap pump, paper towel lever or hand dryer button

6. Exit: Door pull, trash can lid

Then sort the list by when each touch happens. Contact after handwashing goes to the top, since it lands on clean hands: the towel lever, the trash lid and the exit door. Next come stall touches many visitors make, such as the seat, the flush lever and the latch.

If this season's budget covers a handful of changes, spend it at the top of that sorted list.

Touchless and Low-Touch Upgrades by Touchpoint

Contact level runs on a scale. A manual unit needs a grip or a pull on a shared knob or lever, and a low-touch unit needs a fingertip or a push. Some designs leave the shared mechanism out entirely: the visitor takes the product directly, or uses a wrapped item to push a disposal panel open. Sensor-activated and open designs need no hand contact with the unit at all.

1) Toilet Seat Covers and Seat Cleaners

Plenty of visitors already work around the seat. In a 2022 YouGov poll of US adults, 63% said they usually sit on a public toilet and about half of that group line the seat with toilet paper first, while 21% said they squat.

A stocked toilet seat cover dispenser gives the seat-liners a better option than a handful of tissue. Dispensers fall into three contact levels:

• Standard half-fold or quarter-fold dispensers: The visitor pulls a cover from an open stack and often touches the covers behind it.

• Lever-activated systems, such as Health Gards® lever dispensers: A fingertip press releases a single cover. Handling drops, though the lever is still a touch point.

• Sensor dispensers, such as the Evogen® EVNT1-W no-touch toilet seat cover dispenser we distribute: A wave in front of the sensor releases a cover with no contact on the unit.

Some visitors prefer to wipe the seat instead. The Evogen EVNT5 no-touch foam seat cleaner dispenser releases foam onto tissue held under the nozzle. It holds a 1,000 ml refill and ships at a 0.4 ml dose, which staff can raise to 0.8 or 1.2 ml.

Mount either unit where a visitor can reach it before sitting, following the manufacturer's installation instructions. Under §309.3 of the 2010 ADA Standards for Accessible Design, operable parts must sit within the §308 reach ranges, where unobstructed forward reach is 15 inches minimum and 48 inches maximum above the finish floor.

Sensor units bring costs a fold dispenser doesn't: proprietary refills, battery changes and a higher unit price. Compare cost per use across a full season of traffic, including the labor for refills, before deciding which stalls need the sensor version.

2) Flush Valves, Faucets, Soap and Hand Drying

Plumbing fixtures sit outside our catalog, so our notes here stay general. Sensor flush valves remove the flush lever touch. Retrofit kits fit many existing manual valves, while full replacement suits older or failing units. Watch for ghost flushes, where the sensor fires as a seated visitor shifts.

Sensor faucets and automatic soap dispensers remove two touches that happen right before washing, and sensor faucets can also cut water usage by shutting off when hands move away. Hand dryers and automatic paper towel dispensers remove a touch after washing. A lever towel dispenser is an after-wash contact, so it ranks high on your sorted list.

3) Waste and Disposal Receptacles

The trash lid at the restroom exit is an after-wash touch that cleaning rounds can miss. Lid style decides how much contact it takes:

• Open top, funnel top and canopy top: Hands-free deposit with no lid contact.

• Push, swing or tip-action lids, including self-closing domes: A hand or a paper towel moves the lid.

• Sensor or foot-pedal lids: No hand contact, and the closed lid holds in odor.

At restroom exits and in lobbies, the open-top receptacles we distribute, including Glaro open-top, funnel-top and canopy-top models, take waste with no lid contact. Funnel and canopy tops keep a smaller opening. Choose the lid style first, then the series and finish. Our guide on how to choose a commercial waste receptacle covers capacity, material and placement.

Menstrual product disposal is another point on the map, and the receptacles we manufacture handle it without a sensor. On the TD9200, the visitor pushes a wrapped item against the push-in panel and it drops inside, with no lid to lift and no need to touch the panel by hand. The TD1000 uses a lift-top lid on a full-length steel piano hinge. Both are made in the USA from 22 gauge steel.

The covered designs keep discarded products contained and out of view, which helps limit exposure to blood and bodily fluids. A properly fitted liner and a secure panel or lid help contain odors. Inside each unit, a frame holds the liner open and in place, so it doesn't sag and waste lands in the liner instead of between the liner and the receptacle walls. That also makes cleaning and liner changes easier for custodial staff: the TD9200 panel opens forward, and the TD1000 frame pivots out. The TD9200 takes our S.A.C.® TD9022 or TD9024 liners, and the TD1000 takes TD1010 liners.

Containment only holds if the receptacle is emptied on schedule. An overflowing unit undermines both cleanliness and the look of the restroom, however its lid operates, so set an emptying frequency for each stall based on traffic.

For stalls where you prefer sensor operation, the Evogen no-touch combination receptacle (EVNT-CWR) we distribute is an additional option. It opens when a hand passes over the lid, closes on its own, and dispenses personal disposal bags. Per Hospeco's instructions, the carton includes a mounting bracket, one box of Scensibles SBX50 bags and one SecureFit360 liner. Batteries and ongoing refills are ordered separately.

Dispensers are the other menstrual care touch. The dispensers we manufacture, such as the SD8000 and SD7000, provide free menstrual care products with no shared knob, button or lever: visitors grasp and remove the tampon or sanitary napkin they need. With no batteries, sensors or powered dispensing mechanism, there is nothing to charge or reset, only product to restock. For facilities that want sensor dispensing, Evogen’s no-touch vendors, including the EVNT6 tri-vend, dispense with a wave and sit in the no-touch vending machines we carry. Our ADA spec guide for menstrual care dispensers and receptacles covers mounting heights and reach ranges for both.

4) Restroom Doors

The exit door pull is the after-wash touch nearly everyone makes. We don't supply door hardware. Common options include doorless maze entries in new construction, foot-pull plates on latchless doors, push plates or arm-pull handles, and automatic door operators, which also serve accessibility.

Until any of those are in place, put a receptacle beside the exit door. Visitors who open the door with a paper towel then have somewhere to drop it.

Lobby and Waiting Area Upgrades for Respiratory Season

In the lobby, the main concern is the respiratory route, starting with visitors who arrive with a cough. For non-healthcare workplaces, CDC's guidance on hand hygiene at work advises supplying tissues, no-touch or foot-pedal trash cans, and hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol, with dispensers near entrances, exits, elevators and shared equipment.

Clinics and urgent care centers fall under separate CDC guidance for healthcare settings. It calls for tissues, no-touch receptacles for used tissue, conveniently placed alcohol-based sanitizer, and masks for people with respiratory symptoms at entrances, triage and waiting areas. That guidance is written for healthcare facilities and does not set a requirement for offices, schools or hotels.

A single floor-standing unit can hold masks, tissues and sanitizer together. The Bowman Cover Your Cough compliance kit we distribute pairs a respiratory hygiene station with a powder-coated steel floor stand and a sign holder. It holds two boxes of earloop masks, one or two boxes of tissue, and a sanitizer bottle or wipe canister, with consumables sold separately.

The kit comes with a vertical or horizontal sign holder, each with a locking option, and other layouts sit in the cover your cough and infection prevention stations we distribute. Where wall space is short, a freestanding hand sanitizer floor stand needs no mounting, and wall or counter face mask dispensers cover reception desks.

Sanitizer stands suit respiratory season, but they do less in a norovirus outbreak. CDC notes that alcohol sanitizer does not work well against norovirus and recommends it in addition to handwashing. From November through April, keep soap dispensers at restroom sinks on the daily refill check as well.

Place stations inside each public entrance, at check-in or reception, outside restrooms and at elevator banks. Put an open-top or foot-pedal receptacle beside each one so used tissues go straight in.

Prioritizing Touchless Restroom Upgrades by Lead Time and Facility Type

1) Upgrade Order by Lead Time

Start with the changes that need no installer. You can swap lidded trash cans at restroom exits for open-top receptacles, move a receptacle beside each exit door, and set a cover your cough station and a sanitizer stand inside the main entrance this month. Add signage at each station.

Dispenser swaps come next. That means replacing fold or lever seat cover dispensers with sensor units, adding menstrual care dispensers and receptacles (our steel units or the sensor models we distribute), and mounting mask dispensers at reception. Many of these mount to the wall with standard hardware, so in-house maintenance staff can often handle the install.

Fixture work takes the longest. Sensor flush valves, faucets, soap systems and automatic door operators need a plumber or electrician and a longer lead time, so a project started in late October may not finish before December.

Within each group, follow your sorted touchpoint list: after-wash points and the lobby station first, then back through the stall.

2) By Facility Type

Offices see steady weekday traffic through a few restrooms. Start with the exit doors and trash lids, then add sanitizer and masks at reception.

In schools, durability and resistance to tampering and vandalism come first. A locking face mask dispenser keeps the front office supply intact. In restrooms with a history of vandalism, start with the 22 gauge steel receptacles we manufacture. The TD9200's magnetic door holds the unit closed and reduces tampering, and our SD-series dispensers are steel as well. The ABS plastic EVNT-CWR no-touch receptacle we distribute is an option where sensor operation matters more than hardening.

Healthcare waiting areas call for a full respiratory hygiene station at each entrance, set up in line with the CDC healthcare guidance above. CDC also lists healthcare facilities as the most commonly reported setting for norovirus outbreaks, so keep restroom handwashing supplies stocked through spring.

For hotels and hospitality properties, lobby appearance is part of the decision. The Glaro metal receptacles we distribute come in satin aluminum, satin brass and powder-coated colors, so a hotel lobby trash can at the front desk can match the finishes around it. Keep stations discreet and close to the desk.

At venues and other high-volume sites, capacity drives the choice. The Evogen EVNT1-HCW no-touch seat cover system, which holds up to 250 covers, and the EVNT6 tri-vend, which holds 86 products, reduce refill trips. Open-top receptacles keep lines moving at exits.

Maintenance, Refills and Sensor Trade-Offs

Battery-powered units add a battery schedule to custodial rounds. The EVNT-CWR receptacle, for example, runs on four AA batteries, not included, that Hospeco rates at about one year or 80,000 cycles, and a flashing red light signals when they are running low. Set a replacement date for each restroom and keep spare batteries on the custodial cart.

Sensor units also run on proprietary refills. The EVNT5 takes Health Gards SCF1000TSC foam refills, sold separately, and the EVNT-CWR uses Scensibles SBX50 bag refills and SecureFit360 liners. We suggest ordering enough refills to last through February before the December peak, since peak-season orders can take longer to arrive.

Sensors bring their own faults, including false triggers and over-dispensing. Start the EVNT5 at its 0.4 ml preset and raise the dose only if visitors report too little foam.

A sensor unit that runs empty or loses battery power gives visitors nothing, while a stocked lever dispenser in the same stall would still work. Our SD-series dispensers and TD9200 and TD1000 receptacles have no batteries to schedule, so their daily check comes down to product levels and liner fill. Add a refill and activation check to daily rounds for the sensor units.

Touchless hardware still needs cleaning. Staff and visitors touch sensor housings, receptacle lids and dispenser covers, so add them to your high-touch cleaning list.

On accessibility, §309.4 of the 2010 ADA Standards requires operable parts to work with one hand, without tight grasping, pinching or twisting of the wrist, and limits activating force to 5 pounds maximum. Sensor activation takes that force out of the equation. Mounting height and the §308 reach ranges still apply, and the installer remains responsible for compliance based on the final layout.

Pre-Season Touchless Readiness Checklist

• Walk the visitor path and list each hand-contact point

• Flag after-wash touches: towel lever, trash lid, exit door

• Note the seat cover and seat cleaner dispenser type in each stall

• Note the trash lid style at each restroom exit and in the lobby

• Check menstrual care dispenser and disposal contact points, liner fit and emptying schedule

• Confirm a respiratory hygiene station, sanitizer stand, mask dispenser and no-touch tissue receptacle in the lobby

• Stock refills and batteries through February

• Add sensor housings and receptacle lids to the custodial cleaning list

Ordering Before the December Peak

Open-top receptacles at the exits, a cover your cough station at the entrance, and sensor seat cover dispensers in the busiest stalls can usually be ordered and in place this fall. Plumbing and door work takes longer, so schedule it now or plan it for next season.

Send us your touchpoint list with stall counts and entrance counts through our contact page, by email at sales@goldengroupinternational.com, or by phone at 845-440-5220. We can quote the dispensers and receptacles we manufacture, the distributed sensor units and lobby stations, and the refills to carry them through February in one order.