Choosing Commercial Hygiene Solutions: Three Questions That Matter

Most commercial hygiene solutions look similar in a catalogue. It’s only after months of daily use that the real differences begin to appear.

Over the years, we’ve found that operational teams rarely regret buying a reliable system. They regret buying one that creates unnecessary maintenance, consumes more product than expected or becomes difficult to keep running. Those are the questions worth asking before making a purchasing decision.

How Reliable Will the System Be After a Year of Daily Use?

A specification sheet can tell you what a dispenser is designed to do. It can’t tell you how it will cope after a year in a busy washroom.

Equipment reliability isn’t just something we hear from customers. It was also the biggest concern raised in Nuwkem’s Facilities Management Expo 2026 survey, where 41% of respondents identified it as their biggest washroom hygiene challenge.

When a dispenser fails in a busy washroom, it doesn’t just inconvenience users. It creates another maintenance callout, another complaint and another job that wasn’t planned for that day.

We’ve seen this become even more noticeable across multi-site operations, where a small issue repeated across several buildings quickly turns into a maintenance headache. One faulty dispenser is an inconvenience. Twenty faulty dispensers can quickly overwhelm a maintenance schedule.

“When a hygiene solution is working properly, most people never think about it. That’s usually the clearest indication that it’s doing its job.”

– Charl Broodryk, Director, Nuwkem

Read more: Insights from FM Expo 2026

What Will It Cost to Operate Over Time?

Buying the equipment is only the beginning. Keeping it running is where the real cost starts to show.

Refills, maintenance labour, servicing and eventual replacement all add to the lifetime cost of a hygiene solution. That’s why the cheapest quotation doesn’t always become the cheapest solution.

This is why experienced facilities teams compare commercial hygiene solutions using total cost of ownership, not purchase price alone. Looking at operating costs alongside the initial investment gives a much clearer picture of long-term value.

Need help estimating your requirements? Try our Hygiene Supplies Calculator.

Is the Entire System Designed to Work Together?

Not every dispensing problem starts with the dispenser. Quite often the issue is the refill being used inside it. We’ve seen maintenance teams spend hours investigating equipment faults, only to discover the dispenser was working exactly as designed. The problem was an inferior consumable.

That’s why Nuwkem recommends pairing Ticra™ dispensers with Ticra™-approved Rubbermaid consumables. Because they’re designed to work together, they help maintain consistent dispensing performance, simplify servicing and support applicable warranty requirements.

For organisations managing multiple buildings, standardising compatible systems simplifies purchasing, reduces training time and makes maintenance more predictable.

Next step: Let us connect you to a distributor

Better Questions Lead to Better Decisions

Most operational teams have experienced this at some point: the cheapest option on paper doesn’t always stay the cheapest once maintenance and replacement costs begin adding up.

When evaluating commercial hygiene solutions, ask how the system will perform after a year of daily use, what it will cost to operate and whether every component has been designed to work together. Looking at all three questions together gives you a much better indication of how the system will perform once it becomes part of everyday operations.

If you’re reviewing your current hygiene solutions or planning future upgrades, Nuwkem can help you compare options based on long-term performance as well as upfront cost. Speak to our team if you’d like help comparing options, or find your nearest Nuwkem distributor.

Frequently Asked Questions

What should I consider when choosing commercial hygiene solutions?
Look beyond the purchase price and consider durability, maintenance requirements, consumable performance and the long-term cost of operating the system.

Why is total cost of ownership important?
Total cost of ownership considers the ongoing costs of maintenance, consumables, servicing and replacement, giving a clearer picture of long-term value than purchase price alone.

How can Nuwkem help evaluate commercial hygiene solutions?

Nuwkem helps facilities teams compare hygiene solutions by considering durability, maintenance requirements, consumable performance and long-term operating costs.

Our Contact Details

Johannesburg: 011 455 6307
Cape Town: 021 001 4055
Email: getintouch@nuwkem.co.za
WhatsApp: 076 786 4155