Have you ever walked into a store or restaurant to use the restroom only to be assaulted by foul odors and unsanitary conditions? In times like this, even the most vibrant sign saying that “Employees Must Wash Hands Before Returning to Work” is not enough to get you to shop or eat there after seeing such horrendous bathroom conditions.
So it only makes sense that this same concept plays out in professional office spaces with unkempt, untidy, and foul-smelling odors. The last thing you want is to come up with the perfect pitch for a potential client only to have them be turned away at the last second because they decided to use your foul-smelling office restroom.
What Causes Office Restroom Odors?
Just like any public restroom or lavatory that sees a lot of action in the course of a day, lingering bacteria is one of the most common causes of foul odors. Anytime a toilet is flushed, or a high-powered sink faucet is turned on a minute amount of water naturally sprays out into the surrounding environment.
When this spray settles onto a wet surface, especially one that is porous, like the grout on a tile floor, the bacteria can start to replicate. As they metabolize they give off odors that can remain long after all the visible aspects of the office bathroom have been cleaned up.
Add to this the potential odors from things like a full trash receptacle, or the smell given off by mold and mildew and you are looking at an unpleasant mélange that is very hard for consumer-grade cleaning products to handle.
Tips For Preventing Office Restroom Odors
When it comes to maintaining a pleasant-smelling office restroom, the best offense tends to be a good defense. This starts with regular cleaning of your restroom toilets, sinks, counters, and floors. It also helps to set up regular maintenance checks with light touch-ups by a day porter or matron to help keep your restrooms clean during the workday.
This is especially handy if you have a larger commercial property, or your office space has a high volume of traffic. In a scenario like this, setting up a restroom spot check, every hour could be a helpful solution to keeping this area clean and odor-free. Less restroom usage can allow for fewer checks while conditions are still pleasant.
Anytime that lingering water and grime are left to accumulate in an office bathroom for more than a few hours, let alone the days or a full week, you can bet that smells and unpleasant odors will soon follow.
Areas To Clean During Daily Spot Checks
A day porter, day matron, or custodian should be put in charge of spot-checking the following things in a high-traffic office bathroom. This includes things like:
- Cleaning up any urine on the floors
- Mopping up any moisture on floors and in toilet areas
- Proactively removing debris in trash cans
- Wiping off bathroom counters and cleaning sink basins
- Wiping down high-touch surfaces
- Refilling soap dispensers, hand sanitizer dispensers, and paper towels
- Spraying natural-scented room deodorizer
- Automated Bathroom Fans & Ventilation
Some commercial property managers find it handy to hardwire a connection between the bathroom’s fan or ventilation system and the lights. Any time motion lights are activated, or the light switch is turned on, it also activates the internal ventilation fan in the bathroom.
This helps draw stagnant odors away while pulling in more fresh air. A well-working fan should provide good air circulation, remove odors, and help keep the bathroom space dry.
The Importance Of Bathroom Deodorizing
A lot of times, office restroom odors simply can’t be avoided. Even if you are doing your level best to keep it clean throughout the day.
This is where high-quality natural-smelling deodorizers come in handy. You might want to consider air fresheners to keep on hand. Provide a nice smelling air freshener in each restroom stall and at the sink counters. You can also install a permanent air deodorizer that sprays a microburst of fragrance periodically. It can be a nice addition to your restrooms to avoid relying on anyone to routinely spray a freshening product.
Sanitizing Office Bathrooms
Bacteria are the primary cause of bathroom odors. This means that cleaning your restrooms also requires thorough, effective sanitizing and disinfecting to keep odors away.
It starts with using high-quality cleaning solutions that will kill bacteria and other odor-causing germs which contribute to lingering bathroom odors. You need to make sure that these solutions are properly applied before wiping the restroom areas clean. This two-step process will allow these products to do their job and provide a safe and hygienic workplace restroom.
The Importance of Routine Maintenance for Reducing Office Bathroom Odors
Even the best cleaning efforts will fall ineffective if there are other mechanical or plumbing problems in your office bathrooms. This makes routine maintenance and basic repairs a critical component of maintaining a fresh smelling and presentable public lavatory.
Plumbing Leaks
Need to be addressed as soon as possible to prevent moisture buildup on floors, which serves as a breeding ground for odor-causing bacteria.
Clogged Drains
Need to be freed and/or repair as soon as possible. The longer water, grime, and debris are allowed to sit in a stagnant drain the more bacteria they are likely to breed. This can also lead to increasing problems with mold and mildew.
Malfunctioning Vent
Need to be repaired and ductwork needs to be cleaned. This will ensure proper airflow and give foul office bathroom odors a place to go.
Toilet & Urinal Problems
Keeping urine, feces, and other bodily fluids from escaping toilets and urinals is a critical component of preventing office bathroom odors. A backed-up toilet or overflowing urinal is an emergency that needs professional repair and cleanup.
A Professional Cleaning Service To Maintain Office Bathrooms
A lot of commercial property managers find that their in-house custodial staff and employee’s time is better spent on things other than touching up and cleaning office bathrooms. Especially in larger facilities and commercial office spaces with mechanical demands.
At the same time, a lot of the cleaning products sold at the retail level aren’t effective for disinfecting and removing odors from a bathroom. Compounded by the fact that most people don’t have the training and experience to use commercial cleaning equipment.
That’s why so many commercial property owners and business managers will turn to a professional cleaning service like Building Services Inc. to maintain their bathrooms and other office areas. We have the commercial-grade cleaning products and the training to use them to maintain your bathrooms. This can be part of a scheduled daily cleaning service, or even by staffing one of our experienced day porter or day matrons at your facility to maintain your bathrooms.
