Tuesday 29th April 2025
When it comes to workplace hygiene, small oversights can lead to big problems - whether that’s poor user experience, increased staff absences, or wasted budget on the wrong products. We spend a lot of time with facilities managers, site teams, and cleaning managers, so we see the same mistakes cropping up again and again.
Here are the top three hygiene pitfalls we see, and what to do instead.
Here are the top three hygiene pitfalls we see, and what to do instead.
1. Using Too Many Different Products
The mistake:
We often walk into sites where every washroom, kitchen, and cleaning cupboard has a different soap, chemical, or paper product. It’s usually the result of multiple teams ordering over time, but it leads to inconsistent hygiene standards, confusion among staff, and over-ordering.
The fix:
Consolidating your range and streamlining dispensers across washrooms. A streamlined, fit-for-purpose product list makes life easier for cleaning teams and helps you stay in control of stock and spend. If you’re not sure where to start, we offer free site surveys to help identify where product consolidation could save time and money.
We often walk into sites where every washroom, kitchen, and cleaning cupboard has a different soap, chemical, or paper product. It’s usually the result of multiple teams ordering over time, but it leads to inconsistent hygiene standards, confusion among staff, and over-ordering.
The fix:
Consolidating your range and streamlining dispensers across washrooms. A streamlined, fit-for-purpose product list makes life easier for cleaning teams and helps you stay in control of stock and spend. If you’re not sure where to start, we offer free site surveys to help identify where product consolidation could save time and money.
2. Choosing Style Over Function in Dispensers
The mistake:
Nice-looking dispensers are tempting - but if they’re not practical for your setting, they end up causing mess, waste, and user frustration. We’ve seen sleek designs with poor paper flow, or units that constantly jam in high-traffic settings.
The fix:
Think long-term. Go for dispensers that are designed for your environment - whether that’s fast-paced education, low-staffed offices, or challenging high footfall facilities. The North Shore range is one we regularly recommend for its durability, cost-in-use efficiency, and smart features like stub-roll transfer and controlled dispensing.
Nice-looking dispensers are tempting - but if they’re not practical for your setting, they end up causing mess, waste, and user frustration. We’ve seen sleek designs with poor paper flow, or units that constantly jam in high-traffic settings.
The fix:
Think long-term. Go for dispensers that are designed for your environment - whether that’s fast-paced education, low-staffed offices, or challenging high footfall facilities. The North Shore range is one we regularly recommend for its durability, cost-in-use efficiency, and smart features like stub-roll transfer and controlled dispensing.
3. No Visibility on Product Usage or Spend
The mistake:
Without tracking usage, it’s hard to know what’s being overused, underused, or wasted, leading to higher costs and poor planning.
The fix:
Work with a supplier who gives you data insights and regular reporting. We help customers with regular reporting to help track usage patterns and spend across multiple sites to support smarter ordering and budget control.
Without tracking usage, it’s hard to know what’s being overused, underused, or wasted, leading to higher costs and poor planning.
The fix:
Work with a supplier who gives you data insights and regular reporting. We help customers with regular reporting to help track usage patterns and spend across multiple sites to support smarter ordering and budget control.
Need help getting hygiene back on track?
We’re always happy to help review current setups, recommend fit-for-purpose solutions, and support your team with practical training and advice. If you're ready to tackle these common hygiene mistakes, get in touch with Summit Hygiene today.
