Entries for the Loo of the Year Awards 2018 close at the end of June. Could your washroom be a prize winner? Here’s our guide to giving it the competitive edge by making it more eco-friendly, from the toilet tissue to the water waste.

The Loo of the Year Awards is an annual industry competition to see who has the best washrooms in the UK. Whether your loos are in a shopping centre, restaurant, office workplace or a holiday park there’s a category for you. Could it be you up on the stage at the prestigious awards ceremony in Solihull on 8 December?

With an eye on the prize, there couldn’t be a better time to look at some eco-friendly improvements. So, what can you do to protect the environment and try for a trophy?

Eco-friendly hygiene in the washroom

The replenishable products that you use in the washroom offer plenty of opportunities to make planet-friendly changes. Here are 4 simple steps you can take:

• Use bamboo toilet paper – toilet tissue is the most used item in your washroom, so it is the biggest win. The Cheeky Panda toilet tissue is made from fast-growing bamboo, using 65% less carbon than paper from trees. It’s soft too, which will please your washroom users.
• Install a toilet paper dispenser – cut down waste by using less paper altogether. The award-winning Tork SmartOne dispenser is good looking and highly efficient, with sheet-by-sheet dispensing that helps reduce consumption by up to 40% compared to traditional jumbo roll dispensers.
• Use refillable hand soaps – keep waste and costs down by using a soap dispenser. The Deb Stoko dispenser has a lifetime guarantee and dispenses in controlled amounts. The refills are collapsible, so all the product is dispensed.
• Reduce hand towel waste – Hand towels can be a very wasteful area. If you feel usage is high, look for a controlled dispenser such as Tork Matic Hand Towel Roll Dispenser, with single sheet dispensing.

Eco-friendly cleaning in the washroom

Only a sparkling and hygienic loo is going to win Loo of the Year, and if you are taking steps to be kind to the environment, so much the better. Here are 4 areas to consider:

• Use a biodegradable toilet cleaner – Have a look the video above to see how the Diversey Sure toilet cleaner works. It Is plant based and 100% biodegradable.
• Use biological cleaners for basins and surfaces – Biological cleaners, such as InnuScience Nu-Bioscrub Washroom Cleaner & Descaler put less strain on the environment than traditional cleaners and can be just as effective.
• Save water when you mop the floors – the Chicopee Fluid Mop Kit has a built-in reservoir for water and chemicals so that rather than slopping around with a mop bucket you simply pull a trigger to release just enough solution to work effectively.
• Use microfibre cloths – reusable microfibre cloths not only enable you to clean without chemicals but they are also more effective than traditional wiping as they lift the germs and dirt rather than pushing them around.

Eco-friendly practices in the washroom

There are many small one-off changes you can make in your washroom to ensure that you are conserving energy and protecting the planet. Think about whether you can implement the following:

• Use a water saving flush system – the less waste water that drains away, the better it is for the planet. Save water on your flush using a cistern water displacement system.
• Install low energy lighting –LED lightbulbs are a good choice for visibility and longer life. If you can invest in a sensor as well, so that the lights come on only when needed, your bills will see the benefit too.

Finishing touches to your Loo of the Year entry

Make sure your signage is friendly, rather than formal: bring in some fresh flowers, open the windows for fresh air, use eco-friendly odour treatments and make sure every corner is clean. Washrooms are important to people when they are out of their homes, much more important than we sometimes realise. Don’t be tempted to overlook them in favour of more visible areas.

It’s time to green up your washroom! And don’t forget to get your entry in to the Loo of the Year Awards before 30 June.

Good luck from all the team at Bunzl.