A clean restroom is one of the most important components of a well maintained facility and yet, it is often also one of the most overlooked areas of a building. Restroom cleaning can be challenging because the expectation is that when you use a restroom, it is clean but the reality of facility restrooms is they see a great deal of activity and can become dirty and gross very quickly. With a high frequency of use, many touch points and hot spots for transferring germs, and increased exposure to bio-hazardous wastes combine to make restrooms one of the scariest places in any facility. Restroom sanitation must be a priority for your commercial cleaning company. And restrooms don’t just have to look clean, they have to BE clean. Because restrooms that harbor germs and bacteria make people sick and sick employees cost companies resources and poor business outcomes that can translate directly to the bottom line. So are your restroom cleaners scoring a #1 or #2 when it comes to commercial restroom cleaning? And if you are unhappy with the level of service your restrooms are getting from your commercial office cleaning company, how can you find a janitorial services company that will deliver the level of clean you really need?
There are really two ways to evaluate your current janitorial company to decide whether their restroom cleaning services are cutting it. You can look at what makes for great commercial restroom cleaning or you can for the signs that your office restrooms need more attention. So what are some signs that there may be trouble brewing in your restrooms? If you can see soil, smudges and dirt on or around restroom door handles, your restrooms could be the perfect breeding ground for disease causing germs. If you can detect funky, “bathroom” odors, your restroom isn’t truly clean. If restroom sinks look soiled, harbor deposits and grime or your commercial cleaning company has allowed spilled soap and soil to collect around sinks, your restrooms need a second opinion. If wetness, smears, streaks and mystery moisture cling to restroom mirrors, your restroom cleaning is not delivering. Dirt visible on restroom floors and an overflowing trash receptacle are both signs your office restrooms are not getting the attention they need. And finally, if critical hygiene supplies like soap, paper towels and more are not fully stocked, your commercial cleaning company is phoning it in.
In the janitorial industry, there has been a shift from the old bucket and mop to science based cleaning. A growing awareness of the need for high standards of hygiene and the prevention of cross-contamination, particularly in restrooms, is something every professional janitorial company should be familiar with. If your commercial cleaning company is serious about eradicating pathogens and toxins lurking in your facility, they must acknowledge that rest rooms, sinks and yes, toilets, are the seat of the problem. With splashes, drips, standing water and dampness, your office restrooms can quickly become an unhealthy breeding ground for germs and bacteria and the funky odors that come with them. Old school restroom cleaning, like the mop and bucket, ignores the science that tells us these dated restroom methods just spread germs and dirt around rather than truly clean. Better methods like microfiber floor cleaning and color coded rag systems to prevent cross contamination are both effective at reducing the spread of germs and don’t have to cost any more than the old school, ineffective restroom cleaning. And science based restroom cleaning also extends to the products used to clean your spaces, whether or not they are used correctly and whether or not your janitorial services’ people are properly trained to use them. Industry best practices like cleaning first, then disinfecting with proper dwell times effectively reduces disease causing germs and bacteria. Your Detroit cleaning company should be well aware of things like hot spots, touch points and dwell times that all impact the level of clean they can deliver.
We have detailed what some restroom cleaning companies are doing wrong, but what do we know about restroom cleaning done right? Is there an ultimate restroom cleaning checklist that you can either provide your janitorial company or use to evaluate the job they are currently doing? What exactly does great office restroom cleaning look like? Commercial cleaning companies are different and often do things very differently, however, there are some commonalities when it comes to solid, healthy, germ conscious restroom cleaning. What do the best janitorial companies do better? They assure mirrors are clean, shiny and streak free. Effective restroom cleaners make certain the areas behind toilets and other hard-to-reach areas are properly cleaned to destroy odor. They clean "hot spots," and high contact “touch points” methodically in order to reduce the transmission of disease causing germs in all high transmission areas. They carefully clean, disinfect and dry toilets and toilet seats. Your janitorial services company should assure dryers, paper dispensers and other restroom fixtures are regularly inspected to confirm they function correctly. Likewise, feminine hygiene dispensers should be cleaned, disinfected and restocked with new liners as required. Your office cleaning team should likewise clean, disinfect and dry urinals making certain that screens are cleaned and urinal cakes are replaced. Additionally, supplies like toilet paper, hand soap and paper towels should be restocked as needed. Moreover, trash and sanitary disposal containers should be emptied regularly as a habit, before they are full or overflowing. You should NEVER see stalls and partitions with old grime, fingerprints, gum, gunk and graffiti or dirty, dusty air vents. Finally, your office restrooms should smell fresh and clean.
While getting effective, consistent restroom cleaning can seem impossible there are janitorial service companies that get it right. They understand that deep cleaning must be done periodically to eliminate long term issues piling up and protect your building’s assets. They know that state of the art cleaning equipment and environmentally friendly products do the best job for the best price delivering great service, great value and a healthy work environment. The best Detroit cleaning companies also know that regular janitorial inspections identify needed maintenance and keeps everyone on the same page as to delivering on expectations. So these industry leaders are out there but how do you, as a Facility Manager find them? The great news is that the most effective janitorial companies who understand how to REALLY keep your restrooms well maintained won’t necessarily cost any more than those companies that aren’t delivering. The reality is that often the most effective janitorial companies are able to deliver lower cost services to you because they understand how to price their services and they use state of the art equipment and methods that offer greater efficiency and therefor reduced costs. When looking for effective restroom and office cleaning, CIMS, or the Cleaning Industry Management Standard offers a shortcut to finding solid building services contractors. CIMS is a voluntary certification process that assures a building services company meets a number of markers that directly link to overall success and satisfied customers. CIMS entails developing and following processes that support best practices. While CIMS doesn’t guarantee you will get the promised service, it is a valuable, free tool to help you create a short list of janitorial companies, weed out the less than stellar companies and get the service you and your facility require.