The appearance of any restroom can impact the opinions of all who visit it. This is especially true for public restrooms that see a lot of foot traffic through the course of any given day or week. A public restroom that is unkempt and unsanitary can drive away customers, clients, and even tenants.

If you have been struggling to maintain clean public bathrooms, or you just want to make sure that you are doing all you can to provide clean, sanitary bathrooms to everyone who visits your property, you should consider the tips in this guide.

Provide Your Janitorial Staff With Personal Protection Equipment

Bathrooms can easily become a repository for germs. Some of which can make employees and members of your custodial staff sick. Not to mention the powerful cleaning products needed to effectively sanitize a bathroom can sometimes cause respiratory problems and skin irritation.

Gloves are a given for just about any cleaning procedure. You should also consider providing them with face masks and goggles in case of “Splash Back” when cleaning vertical surfaces.

Invest In High-Quality Cleaning Products

It can be tempting to try to save some money of the budget by purchasing low-quality cleaning products. Unfortunately, most of the products sold at the retail level simply aren’t potent enough to kill all the germs and eliminate the odors found in a lot of public restrooms.

Pre-Clean Urinals & Toilets

Besides sinks, urinals and toilets are two places that need the most cleaning. They also tend to be common repositories for debris. It’s important to remove any debris from in and around the urinals and toilets. All urinal strainers in a bucket of disinfectant solution.

Make sure to flush the toilet to ensure it is clear and working properly. Then meticulously remove all visible soils with a multi-purpose cleaner as well as a disinfecting agent. You can also pretreat the toilet exterior and allow it to stand to let the cleaning solution kill germs for two to three minutes.

  • Thoroughly Clean & Disinfect High Touch Points
  • Carefully apply a cleaner and/or disinfectant to all high-touch point areas. This includes:
  • Toilets
  • Toilet handles
  • Urinals & flush handles
  • Sinks & faucets
  • Soap dispensers
  • Hand sanitizer dispensers
  • Door handles
  • Light switches
  • Apply Bowl Treatment To Toilets & Urinals

High-quality bowl cleaner should also be applied to the inside of the toilet bowl and any urinals. Ideally, you want to apply it as close to the rim as possible. Then, allow the cleaner to remain on the bowl for the recommended wet dwell time. Also, note that non-acid bowl cleaners are recommended for daily use. Though you might need to use an acid-based bowl cleaner to remove tough hard water stains.

Remember To Dust

For as wet as they tend to get, bathrooms can still accumulate dust just like any other part of a building. When dusting makes sure to work meticulously from the top to the bottom and make sure to dust all the above-the-floor surfaces.

Empty Trash Receptacles & Fill Dispensers

Even a partially full trash receptacle can get filled up fast in a public bathroom. So make sure to remove and replace all bag liners that are 49% or more full. At the same time, double-check all soap and hand sanitizer dispensers and make sure they are filled to the maximum amount. These personal cleaning fluids move in high volumes in public restrooms and people will take a dim view of a bathroom that runs out of them. In a women’s bathroom, you should also double-check the sanitary napkins and make sure that they are fully stocked as well.

Wash Walls & Stalls As Needed

Take the time to inspect and spot clean bathroom walls and stalls. Then remove any visible soils with disposable microfiber cloths and cleaning/disinfecting solution.

Clean All Mirrors & Glass Areas

Use disposable microfiber cloths and a high-quality streak-free glass cleaner to wipe all small mirrors and any other glass surfaces. For larger glass areas, you might need to use a squeegee for improved reach and speed.

Clean & Clear Floor Drains

Nothing gives a bad impression of a public bathroom faster than a clogged floor drain and water on the floor. Though there are two types of drain openers to consider using, acid or enzyme.

Most acid drain cleaners use concentrated sulfuric acid to dissolve blockages and unclog floor drains. Though the gases produced can be harsh. So, you should take respiratory protection measures and only use acidic drain cleaners for major problems. You should also note that acid drain openers should not be used in facilities that have septic tanks. C

Enzymatic drain cleaners are considered safer and less harmful. They are better for daily maintenance to help prevent floor drain clog in the first place. They are also considered safe to be used in facilities that have septic tanks.

Thoroughly Mop The Floors

Before mopping check to make sure that all dirt and loose soil were removed from vertical surfaces earlier in the bathroom cleaning process. You can then meticulously wet mop the public bathroom floor with a microfiber flat mop and a high-quality cleaner & disinfectant. A microfiber flat mop will reduce the amount of liquid being applied to the floor without sacrificing disinfection. It tends to trap microbes and contaminants, whereas old-fashioned string mops just tend to spread them around.

Though you might want to use a string mop to spot mop areas with bodily fluids. They do a good job of absorbing things like vomit, blood, and urine to keep it from impregnating the microfiber mop that will complete the cleaning process.

Consider Calling In The Professionals

If you lack a sizeable in-house custodial staff, or you are concerned about the investment needed to provide your public bathrooms with a professional level of cleanliness, you should consider contacting a professional cleaning company like Building Services Inc.

Our highly trained cleaning technicians have the experience and access to professional cleaning products that simply cannot be found on the retail level. As needed, we can clean your public bathroom during normal hours of operation or after your building has closed for the day.