SPANKING clean and dry, well-lit with sensor taps, a ready supply of paper towels and toilet rolls: Can Changi Airport toilets get any better?
Yes, it seems, if you go by the standards of Consultancy group Skytrax, whose survey faulted Changi for its toilets and its security processing.
Its survey had Hong Kong International Airport narrowly edging out Changi for second place. South Korea's Incheon International bagged top spot.
Most would find little to complain about the washrooms at Changi Airport. And the survey, for The World Airport Awards, has puzzled Singaporeans, travellers and even the toilet attendants at Changi.
How did the toilets fail to measure up? Has Changi become complacent in its standards of cleanliness? Not at all, said Restroom Association of Singapore experts, when approached by The New Paper to do an 'audit' of Changi's restrooms.
'Cleanliness of the washrooms at the airport is top-notch,' said the association's office manager, Ms Susan Pereira.
She and her colleague, project executive Tan Zhi Tong, 23, inspected four female and four male washrooms at the arrival and departure transit areas of Terminals 2 and 3.
Their verdict: Cleanliness is not an issue.
'There is a toilet attendant at each toilet working round the clock, and they ensure that the toilet is kept clean at all times,' observed Miss Tan.
The association's criteria for judging cleanliness: The floor must be dry, there must be no odour, and basic amenities like toilet paper and soap must be in place.
But there were shortfalls in other areas. Miss Tan said: 'On the logsheets at eight of the toilets we visited, there was a gap between 11.40am and 3pm in which there was no cleaner on standby in the washrooms.'
She said airport staff explained that it was due to the change in shifts. There was also room for improvement in the washroom design.
'There are no toilet cubicles for the handicapped at some of the washrooms,' said MsPereira. 'It is not difficult to convert at least one cubicle in each washroom to cater to the handicapped.'
The airport could consider having facilities for children, such as lower wash basins.
And missing from the mens' washrooms was a bin at each urinal.
Safety-wise, she pointed out that the floor did not have non-slip tiles.
'It is not only the washroom users we should be be concerned about. It is good to have non-slip tiles to prevent the cleaners from falling,' she explained.
But the bottomline remains cleanliness.
'The airport staff have been doing a good job for the past 28 years. It is not easy to maintain such a world-class airport,' said Ms Pereira.
She noted that the toilet cleaners were given nice uniforms.
'By upholding the image of the toilet cleaners, the airport is contributing to its overall image which they should be given credit for,' she said.
Toilet cleaners Tan Suan Kwang, 54 and Anuar Samsudin, 39, do appreciate the little touches to their image.
'A lot of visitors who see me say I look more like restaurant staff,' Mr Samsudin said, grinning.
Both cleaners said that they would not want to be toilet cleaners elsewhere.
'It's different here. When I started work, I was surprised at how clean and beautiful the washrooms are,' said Mr Samsudin.
'Some users dirty the toilets because they are in a hurry, but it is our job to clean up.'
On Changi Airport slipping to third place partly due to washroom cleanliness, both cleaners expressed disappointment.
'I am sad about the ranking, but it makes me want to work harder. Hopefully we can be No 1 next year,' Mr Tan said in Mandarin.
