It’s a new year! A time to start fresh. Out with the old, in with the new. If poor restroom cleaning has plagued your facility, it’s time to turn over a new leaf and assure you have the right restroom cleaning service to set you and your facility off on the right path. Restrooms that suffer from less than optimal cleaning can cause problems throughout your facility. Why do the office restrooms seem to be such a trouble spot in so many facilities? Primarily, restrooms can be a challenge to keep clean because they are much busier places than our home restrooms. In order to maintain a clean restroom with so many people in and out, your office restrooms must be cleaned daily if not more often. Likewise, the business you do in a restroom is inherently messier than the business you conduct in other parts of your building. Facility restrooms can be stinky places, with mystery wetness, germs and more. Inadequate cleaning just allows dirty restrooms to get more and more filthy. So how do you as a Facility Manager make a resolution to put restroom cleaning at the top of your list and tackle it this year?

Starting the New Year With A Restroom Cleaning Checklist 

Is your restroom sanitation service doing their best? Is your janitorial service keeping your restrooms clean or are they asleep at the wheel? How can you ascertain whether your commercial cleaning company is doing the work that’s needed to assure solid restroom maintenance? You can start by looking for signs that your restroom maintenance is ineffective: 

✖ Restroom floors are damp, dirty or appear to have been given a cursory once over with an already soiled mop.

✖ Trash and refuse containers are full or overflowing.

✖ Restroom stall partitions are replete with dirt, graffiti and mystery stains.

✖ Counter tops are damp, wet and dirty.

✖ Restroom sanitary disposal containers storage old trash in them and/or are broken or in disrepair.

✖ The restroom has a disagreeable, noticeable odor.

✖ Areas around door handles are soiled or smudgy.

✖ Sink fixtures are spotty, dirty and restroom counters are noticeably dirty or wet.

✖ Sanitary containers have not been recently emptied.

✖ Necessary hand washing supplies are often empty.

✖ The restroom mirrors are dirty.

✖ Toilets/urinals/sinks are visibly dirty with both new dirt and the deposits and mucky buildup of old dirt.

✖ Floor drains are soiled, dusty with debris buildup and dirty grout.

Signs Your Restroom Cleaning Service Has You Covered

While the signs of a dirty office restroom can stand out, you will also notice certain things in a well maintained restroom. What are some of the signs that your commercial restroom cleaning service has resolved to deliver the restroom maintenance your facility deserves

★ You notice your janitorial services company paying special attention to touch points like handles, dryers & knobs and the areas around these touch points look clean.

★ You notice a clean, fresh scent. and not just a chemical smell that masks foul odors.  

★ Mops and rags are color coded to keep restroom germs in the restroom and avoiding spreading them to other areas of your facility.

★ Floors should look clean, tile shiny, clean grout and moldings and no dust or debris anywhere.

★ Mirrors should be clean and absent spots, splashes and smudges.

★ Your restrooms are well-stocked with all of the needed supplies like toilet paper, hand towels, hand soap and more.

★ When you enter the restroom, the counters have clearly been cleaned and detailed. Sure, the day’s restroom traffic can get these areas dirty pretty quick but corners should look clean and no old, build up should be present.

★ Stall doors should be in good working order and free of old grime, gum and graffiti.

★ All other areas of the restroom from sinks, to toilets, hand dryers or towel dispensers and urinals should all be clean and in good working order.

Dirty Office Restrooms Are More Than Just Gross, They Are Bad For Business

Of course, dirty, smelly restrooms are unpleasant, but their negative impact goes well beyond an upturned nose.restroom cleaning that falls short of adequate can have a real and predictable impact on important business metrics. For instance, 

• Poorly maintained restrooms are linked to increased employee turnover.
• Ineffectual restroom cleaning leads to reports of lowered employee satisfaction.
• Attracting and retaining top talent becomes even harder with dirty restrooms.
• Insufficient restroom maintenance correlates with increased employee apathy and decreased employee engagement.
• Restroom cleaning that falls short lowers employee productivity.
• Less than optimal restroom sanitation increases employee absenteeism.
• Unclean restrooms can even result in lost sales.

While they may seem like a small part of the overall maintenance puzzle, dirty restrooms are a bigger problem. People  have strong feelings about unclean communal toilet facilities. If you or your janitorial services company neglect this important area, other critical areas of your business will suffer.

A New Year, A New Commitment to Clean & Healthy Restrooms

Effective restroom cleaners can help you stay on track with your New Year’s resolution to keep your office restrooms clean, health and fitting with the overall positive image in your facility. Likewise, clean restrooms curtail complaints, protect employee and visitor health and keep your facility running smoothly and looking good. Quality building maintenance, including your restrooms, sends the right message to employee, visitors, customers and tenants. And even more importantly, clean restrooms safeguard health helping you create and maintain a healthy workplace and a professional image.