Cleaning your commercial restroom is not for the faint of heart, but it’s incredibly important in maintaining a safe facility for your employees and making a good impression on your clients and vendors.
Be clear about your expectations.
Create a checklist for employees responsible for restroom cleaning, and evaluate the quality of their cleaning on a regular basis. Depending on your specific facility bathroom, your restroom cleaning checklist should include:
- Emptying trash (main trash can and restroom stalls).
- Putting new bags in trash cans.
- Washing down counters and mirrors.
- Refilling soap, paper towels, toilet paper, and toilet seat liners/covers).
- Cleaning toilets and urinals (bowl, seat, handle, and tank).
- Disinfecting handles (toilet and paper towel dispenser), door knobs, and faucets.
- Sweeping and mopping floor.
Make sure you use the correct commercial cleaners.
To make the job easier and more efficient, get commercial cleaning products that can get the job done. For handles and faucets, purchase disinfecting products that can prevent the spread of illness and infections (i.e. cold viruses, stomach flu, influenza, hepatitis, etc.) which can reduce employee productivity and increase the amount of sick days taken by employees. Compile all your cleaning supplies into one container—and do not use these cleaners for other cleaning tasks—to ensure that employees can find supplies and get the job done quickly.
Supply protective equipment for employees cleaning your commercial restrooms.
Read the labels of your bathroom cleaning products carefully, and protect your employees accordingly. Don’t underestimate the need for protective equipment that can protect your janitors or employee cleaners. Provide gloves, masks, ‘wet floor’ signs, and other protective equipment that can prevent injuries and long-term health issues. Do not use sponges for commercial restroom cleanings, which can be a prime carrier of bacteria.
Make restroom cleaning a regular task.
How often should you clean your commercial restrooms? The answer depends on how many people (employees, vendors, clients, customers, etc.) are using your restroom. If your restroom is frequently used by many people, schedule a regular restroom cleaning several times a day (or outsource to a company that can). For a company restroom used by a smaller group, a daily or several times a week cleaning should be sufficient. Remember, more smaller cleanings not only make a good impression on your clients, customers, and vendors, but also reduces the work load during a deep cleaning.
Schedule a deep clean.
Depending on the amount of use of your commercial restroom, schedule an annual or bi-annual deep clean of your commercial restrooms (this can also be advantageous during times when a contagious illness is spreading throughout your business). A company restroom deep cleaning should include all the elements of a regular cleaning plus:
- grout and tile scrubbing,
- thorough cleaning of all toilets (top to bottom) and any spaces that don’t get cleaned often (behind toilets, toilet stall walls, sanitary containers, etc.),
- disinfection of all surfaces,
- cleaning and removing graffiti,
- washing down walls.
If you can, schedule your cleanings during slow times, such as over the holiday break or late in the evening, when there is not a lot of traffic entering and exiting the restrooms. If you don’t have employee availability or a large enough staff for an adequate deep clean, hire a cleaning service to take on the job (tips on how to select a commercial service for the job here). A commercial cleaning service has the availability and professionally trained staff to tackle your commercial restroom deep clean—and maintain the cleanliness and function you are trying to accomplish in your facility and office.
