3 best practices for providing accessible period products at your workplace

Interested in offering period products in the restrooms at your workplace? When done right, it’s a low-cost way to provide your team members, guests and visitors the resources they need to go about their day.

But it takes more than just a tampon dispenser to maintain an effective and accessible period program. No matter your business — an office, a restaurant, a manufacturing facility, a school — here are some steps you can take to help make sure no one gets caught in a period emergency at your workplace.

Location is key

The first important step is installing your period care dispensers and receptacles. Where do they belong in a public restroom?

• Make sure the dispensers are hung no higher than 48 inches from the floor to comply with Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) height regulations. This allows those in wheelchairs to access the dispenser.
• Make sure your dispensers won’t be hidden by a swinging door. Doing so can create a barrier to access, especially for people with disabilities.
• Dispensers should be visible. It should be clear that products are available as soon as someone enters the restroom.
• If your restroom has at least two entrances and more than 16 stalls, you should hang dispensers at both ends of the room. High-traffic restrooms require more supplies.
• Make sure to include signage next to your dispensers to educate guests about the period program.

Monitor and adjust

You’ll likely see immediate benefits in offering free period products in your restroom. But you’ll need to make your period program part of your regular routine to sustain long-term success.

• Find discreet ways to get feedback from users, like an anonymous survey
• Document any issues or complaints
• Regularly review and update procedures

Actively soliciting feedback from team members and guests helps ensure a comfortable environment for everyone using your restroom. Remember, you can’t fix a problem you don’t know exists.

Get a trusted partner

You’ve installed dispensers and are regularly following up with your employees, guests and facilities team for feedback. But what if that’s not enough? What good is a period care program if your dispensers are constantly empty or broken?

The easiest way to launch a free period program at your business? Work with a trusted restroom supply partner like Cintas. Vendors like Cintas will not only install the dispensers and disposal bins for you, but they’ll visit your facility to ensure you’re stocked with all the period products your business needs.

When you work with Cintas, you get:

• Installation of sleek tampon and pad dispensers with no upfront cost
• Dispensers with high-capacity loads that can hold at least 50 products at a time
• Aunt Flow’s organic cotton and PFAS-free tampons and pads
• Regular visits from your service representative, who refills and maintains your dispensers and ensures you have enough products in stock

It’s a win-win-win: Your team members and guests get free access to the period care they need, while you get more room back in your supply closet — all without adding more tasks to your workday. No more supply runs, no more restocking dispensers.

Discover how we can make period care easier at your facility.