Back to School – Prevent Vandalism in the Restroom

School has begun and it’s time to discuss the fact that vandalism is still a constant issue in schools. If you are a parent, it is important to talk to your children about anything and everything that may prep them for the future. Part of that discussion should be how to prevent vandalism or at least know what to do if your child is a witness to such an act. During these school years, kids to young adults go through so many changes from their body to their mind. In addition, outside influences are pouring in to their young minds and you can’t always control what sticks and what simply is ignored. It’s certainly important to keep communication open and constant about anything your kids are concerned about.

Vandalism Strikes Fast

Firstly, vandalism happens inside and outside of schools on a daily basis. From graffiti on the side of trains to the etchings on the side of a toilet partition wall, it’s everywhere. This vandalism is not always from a child or young adult of course, but when it comes to schools, they are the main culprits. Today we are going to focus on school bathrooms and the 5 most common places of vandalism. Secondly, we will cover what to look out for and what to do in these uncomfortable situations.

Top 5 Common Products Vandalized in a Public Restroom

One: Toilet Partitions.

The main target in larger restrooms are the toilet partitions. In 2022, there was a trend for high schoolers to aggressively ransack the school bathroom. Because of this “trending” idea, young adults caused thousands of dollars in damage for their school and maintenance staff. To destroy something to be “popular” on social media is a foolish idea since it can destroy a young person’s future. These actions also hurt other people. For instance, many of the videos focused on teenagers smashing down the toilet partitions in their school bathroom. Yes, the school has to pay to replace the stalls, but they also have to pay staff to reinstall them all. On an emotional level, maintenance crews work very hard to maintain a clean restroom for today’s youth. So, destroying their work in such an overblown way is crushing to anyone.

Similarly, we have seen plenty of vandalism take place in stalls on a smaller scale. Drawings, writings, vulgarity, and more things have been written on bathroom stall walls for as long as we can recall. Yet, there are toilet partition products designed to prevent vandalism by withstanding this abuse and allowing for easier clean methods. A school can protect themselves by choosing a solid plastic or stainless-steel bathroom partition material that is easy to clean and hard to damage. However, if teenagers are going to be determined to destroy an entire restroom just for views, there isn’t much you can do to stop that. Except, speak with your children, explain to walk away from these situations and to ignore social media “experiments” when possible. Kids should protect themselves from hurting their own futures by acting out such temporary and silly trends.

Two: Sinks/Faucets.

Another timeless act of vandalism is to take paper towels and block the drainage in the sink. This act needs a manual faucet to be able to leave it running so the sink overflows leaving a flooded restroom and maintenance to work overtime. Overtime is expensive and schools can eliminate this act of vandalism fairly easily by installing automatic faucets. Furthermore, installing high powered hand dryers like the XLERATOR adds an extra level of hygiene and protection. XLERATORs dry fast and their shape makes it hard to damage. More importantly, hand dryers remove paper towels from the equation so no more blocked sinks.

Three: Toilet Paper Dispensers.

Yes, removing paper towels is easy, just install an XLERATOR hand dryer and prevent vandalism. Except, we can’t rid ourselves of toilet paper. Unfortunately, there is not a lot of ways to prevent damage with toilet paper. What is available are stronger toilets that use less water and clog less. Moreover, installing stainless steel toilet paper dispensers allows for a more durable, easier to clean unit. It is best to stay away from any type of plastic paper dispenser as they are easier to smash and destroy. Additionally, the sharp plastic could be used to etch into the toilet partition walls for permanent damage. Overall, any fixtures that are installed in a toilet partition should be of durable quality. Stainless steel has become to best option to prevent vandalism within a toilet stall.

Four: Mirrors.

How do we reinvent the mirror? That is a tough question we have pondered for years here at Newton Distributing. It’s true that there is true stainless steel, polished mirrors. These mirrors sound good in theory, but they are literally designed for prisons. They are a solid sheet of stainless steel, so no glass, and they are polished to the point they reflect nicely. Unfortunately, the cons are they are heavy and the reflection is easily warped, especially over time. As mentioned, they are also designed for prisons, so it’s not the best look for a school to use prison grade fixtures. Bobrick has a great example of this mirror if you are interested, let us know!

Luckily with mirrors, most of the graffiti on the glass can be removed with a sharp blade. The stainless-steel edge is extremely durable and easy to clean on most restroom mirrors. Lastly, the biggest issue is when mirrors are cracked or broken from vandalism. In these occurrences, the safest option is to replace the mirror completely. Certainly not the ideal option, but channel frame mirrors are affordable and ship via UPS or FedEx ground for faster deliveries.

Five: Toilets.

Toilets have a history in high school movies of getting cherry bombs thrown down them. Though classic movies make light of these events, this is a school’s nightmare to have to repair and replace toilets broken to this degree. So, there are new options for stainless steel toilets, but they are rather expensive and not logical for a school. As a result, old fashioned porcelain is still the top choice for public and school restrooms. Install newer toilets though, ones with better water saving capabilities and flush valves designed for higher traffic flushing. Simply taking that into account when purchasing your toilets will save you down the line.

Talk to Your Kids and Prevent Vandalism

Children should know there is always a safe space for them to be able to share their concerns. In this case, to help prevent vandalism, it is best for them to know that it is important to report what they witness. Instead of helping other kids smash a toilet partition or clog a toilet, it’s a better idea to remove themselves from the situation and get a teacher. Why risk their educational future for 30 seconds of smashing something, when they can guarantee a better future simply by walking away. After all, just walking away, even if they don’t get a teacher, is the first step to making good decisions. So, talk to your kids on how to prevent vandalism in public restrooms. It’s for the betterment of their future.