A fully stocked restroom is just as important as a clean restroom, was the conclusion of a recent survey conducted for Cintas, which found the top measure of a restroom’s cleanliness is a well-stocked paper dispenser.

“Business owners have known for many years that customers expect clean restrooms,” said Brian Garry, a spokesperson for Cintas. “What they didn’t know is what people actually think about when judging a restroom’s cleanliness.”

The survey asked 1,500 participants to rate various aspects of a restroom’s cleanliness to help determine what people consider when judging a restroom. Many of the top considerations have nothing to do with cleaning, but rather stocking. For example, more than 84 percent of respondents equate empty toilet paper dispensers with restroom dissatisfaction and more than 76 percent of respondents are dissatisfied if the soap dispensers are empty.

“By implementing a complete restroom program, operators can improve customer loyalty,” Garry added. “We will use this research to better understand customers’ expectations and provide solutions to increase customer loyalty and ultimately improve their top and bottom line.”

Lack of restroom supplies is one of the most common customer complaints, and Cintas recommends the following:

• Air freshener service — Fill with gel or aerosol in a variety of scents.

• Hand care service — Hand soaps range from heavy-duty cleansers for stubborn industrial dirt to gentle antimicrobial soaps for everyday use.

• Paper/tissue service — Hands-free dispensers limit the spread of germs and two-ply, absorbent hand towels meet both ADA and HACCP guidelines.

• Feminine hygiene service — Provide safe disposal of feminine products, reducing paper consumption and clogged toilets.

• Urinal/commode service — Urinal screens are a low-cost alternative to inline cleaning and auto drip systems.

• Automated flushing system — Can be installed on any urinal or commode, eliminates cross-contamination and odors, and meets ADA requirements.

Clean restrooms reflect positively on employees, customers, visitors and building owners and managers. To achieve a clean restroom, it’s important to use the right chemicals in the right way. The EPA’s Janitorial Pollution Prevention Project recommends looking for restroom cleaning products that:

• Easily remove soil from counters, floors, walls, and fixtures;

• Eliminate bacteria, germs, and viruses;

• Make the restroom appear and smell clean;

• Are safe to both the user and building occupants;

• Have minimal environmental impact. Clean and sanitary restrooms can be maintained by following a two-level cleaning schedule — a combination of regular daily cleaning and weekly deep cleaning.

Regular Daily Cleaning

Trash removal, surface cleaning, disinfection, and restocking supplies needs to be done daily for most commercial or office restrooms.

Facilities in airports, restaurants, and other high traffic sites may need more frequent touch-up cleaning and restocking of soap and paper supplies. Routine cleaning involves the following tasks:

• Removing trash and replacing can liners;

• Refilling dispensers;

• Dusting high surfaces;

• Cleaning toilets and urinals with a nonacid bowl cleaner;

• Cleaning showers with a non-acid soap remover;

• Cleaning mirrors and other glass surfaces;

• Cleaning walls, ceiling, partitions, doors and light switches;

• Disinfecting all surfaces and fixtures; and

• Vacuuming floor and wet mopping with a cleaner/disinfectant.

Some products combine cleaning and disinfecting ingredients into one container. These combined products work well only on surfaces that are already relatively clean.

For dirty surfaces it is important to clean first, and then apply a separate disinfectant. To work well, this disinfectant must remain in place for at least 10 minutes.

Fairly mild products are available for daily restroom cleaning. Such products are reasonably safe to use, and have little environmental impact. Check the supplier’s directions, and mix the cleaning product with as much water as you can. A dilute product is usually safer to use than a concentrated one.

Deep Cleaning

Deep restroom cleaning needs to be done weekly in most cases. However, a deep cleaning may also be required when you do a restroom for the first time, or when you encounter particularly dirty situations. High traffic restrooms may need a deep cleaning once a day, even if routine cleaning is done more frequently.

Most deep cleaning can be done with your regular chemicals, perhaps mixed with less water so that they are stronger. In addition, it may be necessary to spend more time removing soils with brushes and scrub pads.

However, some deep cleaning tasks require stronger chemical products to remove stubborn deposits or stains. Examples include:

• Removing graffiti;

• Cleaning stained toilet bowls; or

• Removing shower tile deposits.

The Pollution Prevention Project advises the use of mild products for regular daily cleaning, and stronger products only for weekly deep cleaning. It also recommends avoiding ingredients that are poisonous or that harm the environment.

Cleaners should wear protective gloves and goggles when mixing or using any cleaning products. Bathroom cleaners are often acids because of the need to remove mineral deposits from sinks, bowls and urinals. Frequently they are heavily dyed and strongly fragranced.

The following are some of the specific issues to compare for this product category:

• pH: Prefer those with a more neutral pH as compared to those with extreme pH (closer to 1). Bathroom cleaners may fall more in the range of pH 4 as compared to traditional products that may have a pH below 1.

• Dyes & Fragrances: Prefer those with no or low levels of dyes and fragrances compared to those products that are heavily dyed or fragranced. If dyes are necessary use those that are approved for foods and cosmetics (F&C).

• Biodegradability: Prefer those that are readily biodegradable as compared to those that are slower to degrade. Unfortunately, many older formulations use excellent performing ingredients that have been found to have serious environmental and health concerns.

• More Preferable Ingredients: surfactants containing terms such as lauryl, amides, glycosides, citric or acetic acid.

• Less Preferable Ingredients: nonyl phenol ethoxylates, NTA, EDTA, hydrochloric acid, phosphoric acid.

Important Safety Tips

• Use stronger chemicals sparingly and carefully to avoid harming the user or building occupants. Be sure that each janitor is well trained, and if possible, have your people work in buddy teams when using stronger chemicals.

• Corrosive chemicals (acids or caustics) can blind you in seconds.

• Always wear goggles to protect your eyes.

• Corrosives can also damage your skin and leave scars. Wear gloves to protect your hands.

• Mixing different products together can create poisonous chemicals. Avoid mixing products, and be sure to rinse out work buckets after each use. ❑