QUESTION:
I was ordering a new handicap unit today and started discussing the need for a urinal in the standard unit. Women customers hate sitting down right next to the urinal. The restroom salesperson said they make units without a urinal in pink just because of that. Then I asked him if we really need urinals. He said he had a customer who orders all of his units without urinals. If users complain, the contractor asks them if they have a urinal at home. They say no, and everything’s fine.
This got me thinking if there was no urinal, no urinal block (or cake). The cost of the urinal block and the labor would be, say 50 cents a week x 52 weeks a year, or $26 per year per unit. For 100 units, that would save $2,600 per year, or for 1,000 units, $26,000 per year, and for 1,000 units used for 10 years, you would save $260,000 in labor and blocks.
With new outlawing of some of the urinal blocks in certain states, should we consider an industry-wide change to become greener and more profitable? Removal of the urinal would make it easier to clean, cheaper to buy and less expense to service. Just a thought.
ANSWERS:
I think you bring up a good point that’s worthy of discussion. Urinals have been the “standard” in almost every male restroom since the beginning of time. Women have to sit, men don’t.
On one hand, if you remove the urinal, you make everyone use the same toilet. This means many men will not lift the seat, which will probably upset the female users. If you have the urinal, you incur extra cost.
My vote is to keep the urinal in hopes of keeping the women happy, thus creating repeat customers.
***
Good point about men not lifting the seat. Do women just sit down if there is a urinal or do they wipe the seat off first? And I know this sounds rude, but I hate catering to women or to anyone who will not make the effort to keep him or herself safe. As an owner and technician, even I would wipe down the seat before I used it. I would take some toilet paper, and if there was hand sanitizer, put some on it, and wipe the seat down.
I’m still using (urinal blocks), and I don’t actively plan to remove my urinals.
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