More Hygiene for Less

Published by Angela May for Total Hygiene in Housing and also in Local Government

With increasing pressure on extracting best value from limited resources, forward-thinking local authority officers can optimize available funding by utilizing an innovative approach from Total Hygiene.

The company, already established as Britain’s top supplier of toileting solutions for the elderly and disabled and marketer of the Clos-o-Mat ‘wash and dry’ toilet, has developed a unique supply package, which delivers a ‘value for money’ solution to ensuring a lifetime home is truly that, or the most common adaptation- creation of a downstairs toilet/bathroom- is achieved cost-effectively.

By using either the purchase, rental or refurbishment options, a home adaptation can be achieved for as little as 20p/day*- and eliminate the cost of a carer undertaking a home visit just to help the tenant toilet.

“There will always be instances where the long-term need means the ‘best value’ solution is outright purchase, but for some short-medium term requirements, renting or using a refurbished unit gives ‘more for less’. One local authority client of our, for example,  has where appropriate used our factory-refurbished units and in the first six months made savings sufficient to enable them to meet long term provision for six tenants, in effect free of charge!” says Robin Tuffley, Total Hygiene marketing manager.

The rental and refurbishment options apply to both the Clos-o-Mat wash and dry toilet and Aerolet toilet lifter. A Clos-o-Mat looks like a traditional WC but features integral douching and drying, all operated by simple pressure on the flush pad. Whilst it can be used as a conventional toilet, it eliminates if wanted the need to cleanse with toilet tissue, reducing or even eliminating the need for an elderly or disabled person to have carer assistance when toileting. The Aerolet replicates the natural motion of sitting down and standing up, automatically and smoothly lowering the user over and onto the toilet and then raising them to standing whilst ensuring their centre of gravity and thus balance remains stable,all controlled by the push of a button via integral arm supports on the lift.

Total Hygiene not only exclusively manufactures the Clos-o-Mat in the UK, but is the only disabled toilet manufacturer in the country to support its equipment with comprehensive, nationwide service and maintenance. The company has some 40,000 Clos-o-Mats installed, some of which are still in regular use 30 years after first fitted! The Clos-o-Mat toilet itself is the only one of its kind developed specifically for disabled people, and to have WRAS approval enabling legal connection to the mains water supply.