While you might wash with a bar of soap on the countertop in your bathroom at home, would you go into a commercial restroom and use a common bar of soap? We think not. As a business owner, whether you have five employees or 500, you are required to provide and maintain sanitary restroom facilities. Unlike your bathroom at home, commercial restroom cleaning must be a top priority for the health of your employees, customers, and your business itself. We’ve cleaned thousands of restrooms and created this list of best commercial restroom cleaning tips.

Step 1. Empty trash

An overflowing trash can is not only unsightly, it can trap odors and harbor viruses. Plus, it sends a visual message on how much, or little, pride you take in your business. Empty trash cans and clean up any floor litter as soon as you see it.

Step 2. Refill soap and paper products

Always keep hand soap, sanitizer, paper towels and toilet paper fully stocked. The restroom is a thriving breeding ground for bacteria, so make sure you never run out of germ prevention products. Consider using dispensers that minimize the need to touch surfaces.

Step 3. Clean toilets/urinals

Spray the outside surfaces of toilet and urinal bowls with a disinfectant first and let it sit while you clean the inside of the bowls. In a toilet, force the water down into the base of the bowl, called the u-bend, so there is less water and the cleaner will work better. Blanket the inside of the toilet bowl and under the rim with cleaner. Use cleaner in urinal bowls as well. Use a brush to clean bowls and flush. Flushing can send millions of water particles into the air and onto surrounding surfaces so wipe down the outside surface areas (which have already been sprayed with a cleaner/disinfectant) after you flush. Consider putting plastic screens over urinal drains to minimize splashing and help control odor, and change the screens at least once a month or when they are visually shrinking or deteriorating.

Step 4. Clean sinks, mirrors, countertops

You should treat glass, porcelain, ceramic or laminate with Sani-Guard, a germicidal fog product, which completely disinfects your restroom surfaces, to prevent buildup of soap scum, stains, rust, or hard water minerals. It will also make routine cleaning easier. Keep your mirrors and surfaces smudge, dust and dirt free with regular cleaning.

Step 5. Clean walls and fixtures

Often the germiest places in a bathroom are the fixtures, like doorknobs and sink handles, so don’t forget to clean every surface, even the walls! An electrostatic sprayer, a machine which puts a positive charge on a cleaner/disinfectant so it adheres to surfaces better, is a great way to cover large and hard-to-reach areas. Spray all restroom surfaces and allow them to air-dry, the time it takes for it to dry will kill 99.999 percent of germs.

Step 6. Mop floor

Finally, don’t forget to mop the floor. Between the spillage from toilets, urinals and sinks, and the normal dirt and grime dragged in with foot traffic, the floor takes a beating. Sweep first and then follow with a wet mop that disinfects. Work from the back of the restroom to the front.

Step 7. Put up wet floor signs

Unlike your bathroom at home, in commercial restrooms, you need visible safety precautions. Invest in a few “wet floor” signs to post inside and at the entrances of restrooms to ensure customers and employees don’t slip and fall.

Step 8. Freshen the air

Whether you install a system that automatically emits a fresh scent, affix fresheners in the bathroom, or simply offer air fresheners to be used on an as-needed basis, take the extra step of creating a pleasant or at least non-offensive smell in your restroom. Bad smells signal uncleanliness, and employees and customers may talk badly about your restroom (and business) behind your back. Bad smells can hurt sales and even incite vile comments and bad reviews on your social media channels.

Step 9: Stay on schedule

How frequently you choose to clean your bathroom is up to you, and is usually dictated by how many employees or how much foot traffic your facilities receive. Small companies may clean once a week while larger businesses will need daily cleanings. Set a schedule and stick to it. It’s the best way to keep your bathroom from becoming a breeding ground for germs and bacteria while creating a bad reputation for you and your business.

For more information on how Enviro-Master can help keep your commercial bathroom sanitary and clean, call 1-833- GERMPROS for a free quote.