The hardest place to keep clean at our places of business is our restrooms. At System4, we are excited about our All Cleaner XP System. This will allow us to Deep Clean and Disinfect your restroom with a no-contact approach that is more effective than manually wiping and scrubbing fixtures and other hard surfaces that often fall short of cleanliness standards. It is the first place to start in helping to eliminate unwanted odors in your commercial bathrooms. Give us a call if you would like to learn more about this amazing system and please enjoy the article on the importance of controlling odors in commercial restrooms.
Wayne Holland – President, System4 Indianapolis
One of the biggest issues someone can encounter when entering your public restroom is the smell. It does not matter how clean the restroom looks if you have failed in controlling odors in commercial restrooms then they will not have a positive impression.
If you’re in the men’s restroom, the urinal is one of the most common areas that causes a bad odor. For whatever reason men failed to hit the mark all too often which can lead to a mess on the floor and other areas around the urinal. If you ignore this too long, then bad odors are sure to follow.
How to Prevent Stagnant Smells in the Restroom
One solution that can help are urinal mats helping to keep the liquid from pooling up. However, it is important to make sure that staff change out the urinal mats when they are supposed to, or they will quickly become a source of bad odors.
Although mats help, it is also important that staff follow proper protocols when cleaning the floors. Whether you use a mop and bucket system or a spray and vacuum system, staff needs to be aware of the traffic patterns in their restrooms and set up a scheduled to ensure these areas stay clean and do not get out of control.
Another area where odors can become an issue is the stall. Many times, staff does a great job of keeping the toilet seat clean but do not pay enough attention to other areas. One place that is often missed is under the rim of the toilet bowl. If this area is ignored, then one can imagine how quickly odors can begin to emanate as a result. Another part of the toilet that is often ignored is the outside of the toilet bowl. If proper cleaning is not done on a regular basis, then it is quite easy to see how odors can become a problem.
Minimizing Germs in Public Restrooms
High-touch areas of the stall that needs attention are the handles on a manual flush toilet and the handles used to lock and unlock the doors. The parts of the doors where hands are will touch need regular attention as well. Other parts of the stall such as the partition walls that are not as high touched should be cleaned at least weekly.
Another high touch area that needs constant attention is the sink and hand drying area. It is important that you disinfect the faucet, sink and hand drying area to ensure that germs and viruses are killed. Again, it is important that staff understand the usage patterns of their restrooms so they can ensure that a proper schedule of cleaning is maintained.
Urinals, toilets, and the sink area produce most of the odors and bacteria in restrooms. However, that does not mean that other areas of the restroom should not get some attention. Grout lines on a bathroom floor is an area where dirty water can get into and bacteria can breed.
Don’t Forget About the Drains!
You also must pay attention to the drains. If your drains are properly maintained, they quickly will become a source of bad odors. Fortunately, they are not hard to maintain. The easiest way to maintain a drain is to keep them wet by pouring water down them. A better practice would be to pour an enzyme cleaner down the drain which will eat away the grime that can form. If you have a floor drain, using a floor drain trap seal will allow water to go down but not come back up.
One other thing you can do as a facilities manager, establish a Deep Cleaning Schedule. This is where System4 can you help! With our new All Cleaner XP System, we are able to provide a cleaning solution that will be the capstone of your restroom maintenance program. One of the biggest issues’ facilities will face are odors. A properly and well-maintained restroom smell fresh and clean and create a positive impression of your facility for all.