Top 7 Things to Consider When Choosing a Locker

When it comes to choosing the right locker for your facility, there are probably more things to consider than you might expect. The location, intended purpose, and available space will affect which locker you should choose, amongst other things.

With that in mind, here are the 7 most important things to consider when choosing a locker for your business or changing room:

1. Locker Design

You’ll need to consider how many doors you want the lockers in your facility to have. This will depend on where the locker is being used.

One-Door Lockers

One-door lockers provide lots of storage space. They’re a good choice for offices, as it’s possible to hang clothes inside as well as store bags and paperwork. However, because there’s only one locker space per unit, they’re not suitable for locker rooms that need to accommodate lots of people, or areas without much space.

Two-Door Lockers

Two-door lockers provide storage for two people, with enough space to hang shorter items. They’re a good choice for offices that are shorter on space but still want to give employees the opportunity to hang up clothes.

Three-Door Lockers

Three-door lockers are suitable for three people; they offer space for bags, clothes, and shoes, but don't tend to include hanging facilities.

Four-Door Lockers

Four-door lockers are suitable for storing smaller personal items. In standard locker units, the height of each locker space will be approximately 42cm. This means that whilst there is plenty of storage space for small valuables, there may not be enough room for bags.

Five-Door+ Lockers

Locker units with five or more lockers are best for storing small valuables such as phones, wallets, purses and handbags. Although they will offer some space for soft clothing items and shoes, there won’t be a lot of space for storage.

2. Available Space

You’ll need to measure how much space you have available for lockers in your facility and calculate how many units will fit. Depending on how many people will be using the lockers, you may need to choose the locker design accordingly.

For reference, at Commercial Washrooms our locker units come in a choice of sizes, so you can choose the option that best works for your changing room. We offer a width of 300mm, 375mm or 450mm and a depth of 300mm, 375mm or 450mm.

3. Locker Location

The placement of the locker will also affect which design you should choose.

Wet Area Lockers

If the locker will be placed in a swimming pool changing room, shower room, or other wet facility, you’ll need to choose a locker specifically designed for use in wet areas. Wet area lockers will be made from materials that are resistant to corrosion, like aluminium. They will often have a solid grade laminate door to protect the contents from moisture.

Dry Changing Room Lockers

With dry changing room lockers you have more flexibility when it comes to material. Stainless steel is a popular choice because of how robust and durable it is.

4. Locker Purpose

Take some time to think about the profile of the person who will frequently use your lockers. What will they be storing? Some lockers may simply be used for storing small valuables, like phones and wallets, whilst others will need to accommodate larger items like bags and coats. Others still may be used predominantly for storing books and files.

The purpose of the locker will impact how large the sections need to be, so keep it in mind when deciding.

5. Material

As mentioned above, the location of the locker will often be a deciding factor when choosing what material it should be made from.

The construction material can also impact cost and maintenance. Aluminium lockers tend to be slightly more expensive than stainless steel lockers.

Stainless steel and mild steel lockers can also require some maintenance to prevent them from corroding if they are exposed to damp conditions.

6. Customisation

Many lockers offer the opportunity to customise the design, which may be useful depending on the needs of your facility.

Extra Shelves

If the lockers will be used for storing smaller items (like books), having the option to add extra shelves will make it possible to get more use out of the available space.

Specific Locks

Depending on the location and purpose of your lockers, you may want them to be fitted with specific locks. For example, swimming pool lockers are often fitted with coin locks, whereas office and gym lockers may require a hasp and staple to accommodate a padlock.

Colour

Depending on the brand colours of your business or facility, you may want to be able to customise the colour of your lockers. This can help fit lockers in with colour schemes and make them a more cohesive element in changing rooms, schools, and offices.

7. Installation & Assembly

Whilst some lockers come pre-assembled, others require assembly on site. Some locations might benefit from lockers that need self-assembly, particularly if it would be difficult to access the space with a fully assembled locker.

In other cases, the convenience of working with lockers that are already assembled will be more beneficial.

Speak to the Experts

If you need to install lockers in your facility, whether you’re fitting out an office, school, changing room, staff room or other area, we have a large range of lockers to offer convenient and secure storage. We also stock a variety of other changing room equipment.

At Commercial Washrooms, our team can assess the requirements of your facility, making sure that you invest in the best storage solution for your space.

Browse our range of lockers, contact us for a quote, or call us on 01202 650900 to discuss your requirements.