Toilet Signs & Washroom Signs

Clear toilet signs help staff, customers and visitors find the right facilities quickly and confidently.

From offices and shops to restaurants, hotels, schools, healthcare facilities and industrial workplaces, well-positioned toilet door signs and washroom signs can improve wayfinding and make facilities easier to identify.

Our range includes male, female, ladies, gents, unisex, accessible, inclusive and baby changing signs, with different styles and materials available to suit your premises.

Toilet Door Signs

Toilet doors should be easy to identify.

A clear toilet door sign removes uncertainty and helps visitors navigate an unfamiliar building without needing to ask staff for directions.

Depending on your facilities, signs can identify:

• Toilets
• Male Toilets
• Female Toilets
• Ladies Toilets
• Gents Toilets
• Unisex Toilets
• Accessible Toilets
• Baby Changing Facilities

Choose terminology that's clear and appropriate for your premises and try to use it consistently throughout the building.

Male & Female Toilet Signs

Male and female toilet signs provide familiar identification for separate toilet facilities.

Options can include wording such as:

• Male
• Men
• Gents
• Gentlemen
• Female
• Women
• Ladies

Recognisable pictograms can make facilities easier to identify quickly, particularly in busy public buildings or premises used by people unfamiliar with the layout.

When signing several facilities, use a consistent design wherever possible.

Ladies & Gents Toilet Signs

Traditional Ladies and Gents toilet signs remain widely used in workplaces, hospitality venues and public buildings.

They can be particularly appropriate for:

• Restaurants
• Pubs
• Hotels
• Offices
• Clubs
• Leisure facilities
• Retail premises

Choose wording that fits your organisation and keep the terminology consistent across your building.

Unisex Toilet Signs

Unisex toilet signs identify toilet facilities intended for use regardless of sex.

Clear wording combined with familiar symbols can help people identify these facilities quickly.

They're suitable for many types of premises including:

• Offices
• Shops
• Restaurants
• Schools
• Community buildings
• Hospitality venues
• Small workplaces

Where several different types of toilet are provided, make sure each facility is clearly differentiated.

Accessible Toilet Signs

Accessible toilet facilities should be easy to find and identify.

Accessible toilet signs commonly use the recognised wheelchair accessibility symbol alongside clear wording.

Good signage can help people locate accessible facilities without unnecessary searching or needing to ask for assistance.

Accessibility, however, involves much more than putting a sign on a door.

The provision, layout and accessibility of toilet facilities should be considered as part of the building's wider accessibility arrangements.

Disabled Toilet Signs

Many people still search for and use the term disabled toilet signs, and products using this wording remain familiar in existing premises.

Where you're installing or updating signage, Accessible Toilet may often provide more appropriate contemporary terminology.

Whichever wording is used, the purpose should be immediately clear and the sign should accurately identify the facility provided.

Inclusive Toilet Signs

Inclusive toilet signage can be used where organisations want to identify facilities intended to be welcoming and usable by a broad range of people.

The wording and symbols chosen should make the nature of the facility clear rather than creating uncertainty.

If you're changing the way facilities are designated, consider the complete wayfinding system rather than simply replacing an individual door sign.

Baby Changing Signs

Baby changing facilities can be difficult for visitors to locate, particularly when they're situated within another toilet or washroom.

Clear baby changing signs can identify dedicated facilities or indicate where changing facilities are available.

They're useful in:

• Restaurants
• Cafés
• Shopping centres
• Leisure facilities
• Hotels
• Visitor attractions
• Healthcare premises
• Public buildings

Position signs where parents and carers can see them before choosing which facility to enter.

Washroom Signs

Washrooms often need more than a single identification sign.

Depending on the facilities, additional signage can identify or reinforce:

• Hand washing
• Hand dryers
• Baby changing
• Accessible facilities
• Staff facilities
• Hygiene procedures

Only use instructions that are genuinely relevant to the facility.

Too many unnecessary notices can make the important information harder to notice.

Hand Washing Signs

Wash Your Hands and Now Wash Your Hands signs can provide useful hygiene reminders in appropriate workplaces and washroom facilities.

They're particularly relevant where good hand hygiene forms part of established workplace or food-handling procedures.

Position hand washing notices where people will see them when the action needs to take place, rather than elsewhere in the building.

Toilet Signs for Offices

Office toilet signage should be simple, professional and consistent with the rest of the workplace.

Consider signs for:

• Male facilities
• Female facilities
• Unisex toilets
• Accessible toilets
• Baby changing where provided
• General toilets
• Washrooms

Premium finishes can complement reception areas and modern office interiors, while simpler signs may be suitable for staff-only areas.

Toilet Signs for Restaurants, Cafés & Hospitality

Customers shouldn't have to ask where the toilets are.

Restaurants, cafés, pubs and hotels can use clear toilet signage to guide customers from public areas to the appropriate facilities.

Consider the entire journey.

A well-designed door sign is useful once somebody reaches the toilet, but directional signage may also be needed if the facilities aren't visible from the main customer area.

Toilet Signs for Schools & Education

Schools, colleges and other educational premises may need toilet signs for pupils, staff and visitors.

Clear pictograms combined with straightforward wording can make facilities easier to identify.

Signage should reflect the way facilities are actually designated and form part of the wider wayfinding system throughout the premises.

Toilet Signs for Healthcare & Care Settings

Healthcare and care environments may have several types of toilet and washroom facility.

Clear identification can be particularly important where visitors are unfamiliar with the building.

Consider consistency, readability, contrast and the needs of people using the premises when choosing signs and positioning.

Choosing the Right Toilet Sign Material

The best material depends on the location, surface and appearance required.

Self-Adhesive Toilet Signs

Self-adhesive signs can provide a simple solution for clean, smooth surfaces and are useful where a lightweight sign is sufficient.

Rigid Toilet Signs

Rigid materials can provide a more substantial option for workplaces and commercial premises.

Brushed Silver Toilet Signs

Brushed silver and stainless-style finishes can provide a premium appearance for:

• Offices
• Hotels
• Restaurants
• Reception areas
• Healthcare facilities
• Modern commercial interiors

They can be particularly effective where businesses want functional signage to complement the building's décor.

Choosing the Right Toilet Sign Size

Consider how far away the sign needs to be recognised.

A door sign viewed from close range can usually be relatively compact.

Directional toilet signage intended to guide somebody along a corridor or across a larger public area may need to be considerably more prominent.

Consider:

• Viewing distance
• Mounting position
• Lighting
• Contrast
• Amount of text
• Surrounding visual clutter

The sign should be easy to identify without somebody having to approach the door closely to read it.

Where Should Toilet Signs Be Positioned?

Position identification signs where they're easy to see as somebody approaches the facility.

Common locations include:

• Toilet doors
• Immediately beside toilet doors
• Corridor junctions
• Reception areas
• Public circulation routes

If the toilets aren't visible from the main area, use suitable directional signage to help people reach them.

Consistency is important.

Avoid placing one toilet sign high above a door, another at eye level and another around the corner unless the layout genuinely requires it.

Use Clear Symbols & Wording

Familiar symbols can make toilet facilities quicker to identify and reduce reliance on written language alone.

However, symbols should be clear and understandable.

Consider combining pictograms with concise wording where this makes the facility easier to identify.

Avoid overly decorative designs if they make the meaning difficult to understand.

Consider Contrast & Visibility

A stylish sign isn't useful if nobody can see it.

Consider the contrast between:

• Symbol and background
• Text and background
• Sign and surrounding door or wall

Also think about lighting and reflections.

A highly reflective finish positioned opposite a bright light source may be harder to read than expected.

Keep Toilet Signage Consistent

Consistency makes wayfinding easier.

If one floor uses Male/Female, another uses Ladies/Gents, and another uses symbols without wording, visitors have to interpret a different system each time.

Where possible, standardise:

• Terminology
• Symbols
• Sign size
• Colour
• Material
• Position
• Directional style

For organisations operating several sites, an approved signage specification can make future ordering much easier.

Toilet Signage & Accessibility

Accessible facilities should be straightforward to locate and identify.

In England, building guidance covers access to and use of facilities, including sanitary accommodation. Requirements vary according to the type of building and work being undertaken.

A toilet sign by itself doesn't make a facility accessible or make a building compliant with accessibility requirements.

Accessibility can involve factors such as:

• Building access
• Routes
• Doorways
• Layout
• Fixtures
• Manoeuvring space
• Visual contrast
• Wayfinding
• Suitable facilities

Use signage as one part of the wider accessibility arrangements for the premises.

Are Toilet Signs a Legal Requirement?

Avoid assuming there's a universal legal requirement for every UK toilet door to display a particular commercial toilet sign.

Requirements can depend on the type of building, location, facilities, accessibility arrangements and applicable building or workplace provisions.

The practical objective is to make facilities clear and easy to identify while meeting the requirements applicable to your premises.

Building regulations and guidance also differ across the UK's nations, so businesses should check the requirements relevant to their location and project.

Choosing Toilet & Washroom Signs

Before ordering, walk through the premises as though you're visiting for the first time.

Ask:

1. Can people find the toilets easily?
2. Is each facility clearly identified?
3. Is the terminology consistent?
4. Are accessible facilities easy to locate?
5. Are baby changing facilities identified?
6. Do we need directional toilet signs?
7. Are symbols immediately understandable?
8. Is the sign large enough?
9. Is there sufficient contrast?
10. Does the material suit the environment?
11. Are any existing signs damaged or outdated?
12. Is signage consistent throughout the building?

This simple review can identify gaps that aren't obvious to people who already know the building.

Made in Britain Toilet & Washroom Signs

Safety Sheep supplies Made in Britain Toilet Signs & Washroom Signs for offices, shops, restaurants, hotels, schools, healthcare facilities and other workplaces and public premises.

Choose from male, female, ladies, gents, unisex, accessible, inclusive, baby changing and general toilet signs in a range of styles, sizes and materials.

Whether you're replacing one toilet door sign or updating signage throughout an entire premises, clear and consistent identification can make facilities easier for everyone to find.

Think Safety. Think Sheep.