A clean restroom projects a positive image of your business. It says you care about the health and satisfaction of your employees and customers. Similarly, a commercial restroom or public restroom that’s out of toilet paper, has a funky smell, or questionable stains projects the image of an owner who isn’t giving much thought to the people who support their business. A recent study found 78 percent of restaurant customers believe a clean restroom strongly reflects on whether the kitchen is clean too.

Here is a list of restroom cleaning procedures to keep your restrooms sparkling clean and show the people who count on your business that you’re invested in keeping them healthy.

How Often Should Restrooms Be Cleaned?

For best results, dirty restrooms should be have daily cleaning to kill germs and bacteria. It may sound like overkill to clean a restroom every day, but frequent cleaning prevents things such as E. coli, the flu virus, and salmonella are nothing to mess with!

Did you know every time a toilet is flushed, it “sneezes” microscopic amounts of water, germs, and bacteria several feet in every direction? Yes! All those nasty microbes end up on faucets, stall doors, door handles, the floor — everywhere! A clean toilet leads to a healthy environment overall. Let’s talk about what you’ll need to get started when it comes to commercial restroom cleaning.

Tools of the Trade

Besides good old-fashioned elbow grease, for effective cleaning you will need general cleaning tools and products. Those include:

• Broom, dustpan, and mop
• Bucket
• Glass cleaner
• All-purpose disinfectant cleaner
• Floor cleaner
• Antibacterial wipes
• Toilet bowl cleaner and toilet brush
• Rags or paper towels

Let’s Get Down to Business

You have the right tools, now it’s time to roll up your sleeves and start scrubbing when it comes to restroom cleanliness! Following these restroom cleaning procedures, it should take 30 to 60 minutes to clean each dirty bathroom on a regular basis, depending on the size and number of toilets and sinks. This cleaning process provides effective cleaning solutions and can serve as a cleaning checklist for future use.

Declutter – Remove items from the counter, including soap bottles, stacks of paper towels, and decorations. This makes it easier to quickly clean all areas.

Pretreat Toilets and Urinals – Apply toilet bowl cleaner to the inside of each toilet bowl, including under the rim. Allow to stand while you move on to the next step.

Clean Mirrors – Spray glass cleaner on mirror. Using a rag or paper towel, wipe surface in a small circular motion from top to bottom. Using another dry cleaning cloth or paper towel, wipe again and buff out any streaks on glass surfaces. Repeat process for additional mirrors.

Scrub Sink Area – Spray all-purpose disinfectant cleaner on counters, sinks, and faucets to kill germs and bacteria. Scrub all surfaces, focusing on stains, fingerprints, and other grime. Rinse with water. Use a dry rag or paper towel to get a streak-free shine on faucets and remove excess water from other surfaces. All these steps will ensure clean sinks and longevity for this aspect of the bathroom.

Tackle Toilets and Urinals – Spray disinfectant cleaner on the outside of toilets and urinals, including toilet seats. Scrub all surfaces and wipe clean. Use toilet brush to clean inside of pretreated bowls and urinals. Flush to rinse.

Disinfect Door Handles and Light Switches – Use antibacterial wipes to disinfect commonly touched surfaces, such as stall door handles, doorknobs, soap dispensers, and light switches.

Restock Toilet Paper and Paper Towels – Check supplies and make sure each restroom has extra paper towels and rolls of toilet paper in the toilet paper dispensers. Order more supplies when you’re getting low.

Refill Soap Dispensers – Check soap levels, refill, and order more soap as needed.

Sweep and Mop Floor – Sweep floor. Fill bucket with water and add floor cleaner according to product directions. Mop floor surfaces. Rinse with clean water for a wet floor and allow to dry.

Take Out Trash – The final step of the restroom cleaning procedure is to empty trash cans, replace liners, and take trash out to the dumpster.

Since you didn’t get into business to fail, these are some tips to make your business more appealing to employees and customers and protect your bottom line. As a busy entrepreneur, we understand custodial cleaning procedures and cleaning services was not something you thought about when you opened your business. Taking an extra hour out of your busy work schedule each day to clean a restroom, or convincing an employee to take over the job for you, can be overwhelming.

Enviro-Master’s weekly commercial bathroom cleaning is an affordable compromise. Our products keep killing germs for a whole week, and you can get back to running your business. We can also make sure you never run out of toilet paper, paper towels, or soap again! Contact us today for a free quote.