Cleaning Products, Educational, Floor Care, Odor Control, Restroom Care
Restroom Cleaning Is Serious Business
Restroom cleaning is important. It is a documented fact that the cleanliness of a restroom in a business has a major impact on customer perception as well as the probability of their return (i.e. repeat business’). A full 94% of U.S. adults said they would avoid a business in the future if they experienced a dirty restroom according to a survey conducted by Harris Interactive.*
While this applies to all businesses, it is especially true for restaurants, food service establishments and hotels. 79% of adults would avoid a restaurant or hotel with a dirty restroom, 77% would avoid a healthcare facility, 50% would steer clear of a supermarket and 45% would even skip a gas station with an unclean restroom.
Especially in today’s world of social media posting and sharing, dirt = death. A single customer’s negative experience with a business or brand could spread as quickly as…well…germs in a dirty restroom.
One important factor impacting consumer perception of cleanliness is odor. Proper housekeeping and restroom cleaning procedures coupled with clean- or fresh-smelling deodorizers and other products can make a big difference in perception. Products like those in the MARVALOSA family of cleaners and deodorizers, for example, have a distinctive fresh lavender scent and are preferred by consumers.
Help keep yours and your customers’ restrooms from going viral in a bad way, by cleaning and sanitizing restrooms regularly and correctly. A general rule for effective and efficient restroom sanitation is to start with the cleaner areas and then proceed to the more soiled sections. Follow this guideline and the procedures outlined below, and the potential for cross-contamination of germs and bacteria will be greatly reduced.
Prepare for the Job
Assemble your equipment and products and supplies. Depending on the size of the restroom your equipment may include…
- Restroom cart
- Microfiber mop, bucket and wringer
- Toilet bowl brush and caddy
- Broom and dust pan
- “Caution-Wet Floor” and/or “Restroom Closed” signs
Be sure to have the following chemical products on hand:
- Bacterial/enzymatic products (Arrest Bacterial Enzyme Uric Acid Eliminator)
- Bowl & urinal cleaner and screens (MARVALOSA Odor Control Urinal Screen)
- Ready-to-use (RTU) disinfectant solution
- Floor Cleaner (MARVALOSA Multi-Purpose Cleaner and Deodorizer)
- Glass/mirror cleaner (MARVALOSA Multi-Surface & Glass Cleaner)
- Air freshener (MARVALOSA Metered Air Freshener)
Finally, assemble remaining supplies:
- Personal protective equipment (PPE) including rubber gloves and protective eyewear
- Disposable wiping cloths
- Hand soap
- Toilet paper
- Paper for drying hands
- Trash can liners
- Dusting cloths, feminine hygiene supplies
Now, make sure the restroom is empty and place appropriate “Restroom Closed” and “Wet Floor” signs just outside the door. Leave the door propped open however, so customers can see you are cleaning.
TIP! Establish specific restroom cleaning procedures with a checklist posted where customers can see it.
- Flush all commodes and urinals.
- Remove any debris from urinals.
- Spray or apply a disinfectant solution to “high contact surfaces”. Nyco’s Sani-Spritz Spray or Kwik-Step Bathroom Cleaner both work very well for this purpose. Allow disinfectant solution to remain on sink faucets, door handles, push plates, dispensers, around bowls, toilet seats, toilet handles and urinals.
- Apply a toilet bowl cleaner to the inside of toilet bowls and urinals. Swab interior bowl areas. Inspect and remove old/deteriorated bowl blocks, urinal screens/blocks or debris.
- Replace and replenish soap, toilet paper, hand paper towels and odor control products. (MARVALOSA Metered MicroAir 3000 need only be replaced every 30 days, or after 3000 micro sprays, depending on settings.)
- Sweep the floor depending upon the amount of paper/trash on the floor.
- Clean mirrors and any stainless steel surfaces.
- Wipe and clean all “high contact surfaces” which had been sprayed with disinfectant solution except toilet/urinal handles and toilet seats. Change wiping cloths frequently. To reduce potential of cross-contamination, DO NOT use the same wiping cloths on different fixtures.
- Swab interior of bowls and urinals again and flush. Place fresh MARVALOSA Odor Control Urinal Screens in urinals every 30 days.
- Wipe clean the disinfectant solution from toilet/urinal handles.
- Wipe clean the disinfectant solution from toilet seats.
- Spray enzyme solution around base of toilets, under urinals, and in drains to further reduce odors.
- Empty trash cans and replace liners.
- Damp mop floors with properly diluted MARVALOSA Multi-Purpose Cleaner and Deodorizer. Allow floor to dry.
- Pick up “Wet Floor” and/or “Restroom Closed” signs.
With proper restroom cleaning procedures and MARVALOSA odor control restroom products, your customers will stay comfortable and your business will likely enjoy a higher degree of loyalty and repeat business.
*Cintas Corporation 2011 telephone survey conducted by Harris Interactive® among more than 1,000 U.S. adults ages 18 and older, as reported by Cleaning and Maintenance Management Online.
