The UK and Europe’s leading shower designer and manufacturer, Roman, saw a rapid return to previous levels of output after lockdown restrictions were lifted. But times are now clearly different. Roman has been embracing cleanability for decades – but more so than ever before now due to COVID-19 as consumers prioritise hygiene when shopping for bathroom products.
Cleanability and hygiene are historically probably the most undersold buying criteria in bathroom products. Consumer research (such as the BMA survey in 2018) concluded that cleanability was one of the key purchasing considerations – yet it never seems to get the industry airtime it deserves. Roman consider cleanability as one of the core pillars in the design process and have embedded this within product ranges for a number of years.
All Roman products are coated with Roman Ultra Care which seals the glass for long-term optical clarity and also offers easy cleaning to keep regular housekeeping simple – something which is much higher profile when dealing with major Hotel groups. Sales are rocketing for Roman’s 3 part cleaning system for glass that may have discoloured or gone grey with age and use. This works on any glass around the house – not just showers. The first cream cleanses and takes the glass back to its original clean form; the second is exactly the protective glass coating factory applied by Roman; and the third is simply the Ultra Care product for ongoing cleaning and care.
Roman’s Liberty range features a real cleanability breakthrough by eliminating the need for any silicone on the vertical wall fixings. Instead, a hydro-active tape system, compresses inside the aluminium profiles during installation and seals fully from the inside of the profile. This negates the need for any vertical silicone which transforms the look and maintenance on what are minimal framed products with specialist coloured metal finishes – no longer plastered in discolouring sealant.
David Osborne, Managing Director at Roman, commented: “The next phase of launches are coming now – and cleanability is a big consideration for us in terms of design and material selection. We have been doing lots of work in the Hotel sector over recent years incorporating integrated Corian vanity tops into Shower Enclosures. We are now bringing our experience of this into the retail sector and will shortly be launching retail friendly derivations of Hotel designs. Corian is great to keep clean – but by integrating the vanity top and shower enclosure, you eliminate the impossible to clean (or seal) gap that traditionally exists where a basin or vanity is located next to the shower.”