Clean It Do Not Cover It!

Clean It Do Not Cover It!

Even the most well-managed and well-maintained workplace or home can have lingering restroom odors that can plague our lives.

Excessive moisture in the air promotes micro-organism growth and if room is not properly ventilated, odor problems will be evident.

Most often, poor ventilation is the result of dirty vents that block air-flow; clean them on a regular basis to prevent this from occurring.  

When a toilet or urinal is flushed, a mist emanates from the fixture coating surrounding partitions, walls, and floors. This mist contains bacteria-laden water droplets. As they collect on surfaces and creates odors. To prevent this, regularly spray and wipe all areas surrounding toilets and urinals with a disinfectant cleaner and not an all-purpose cleaner in restrooms.

Properly cleaning walls, floors, partitions and all areas surrounding the base of items especially corners and crevices where caulk may have disintegrated and allowed bacteria to seep inside. Those challenging areas should be cleaned with a germicidal disinfectant and most all-purpose cleaners are not disinfectants, and a disinfectant (often called a germicidal cleaner) is what is required to kill the bacteria and other micro-organisms that cause restroom odors.

If you still cannot remove odors in restrooms, use a urine eradicator specially formulated to effectively remove and break down urine to quickly remove odors.  The product does not contain bleach and is intended for use on porous surfaces such as grout and concrete, effectively removing urine stains and breaking down urine to eliminate – not just mask – odors.

 Floor drains can be the odor breeding grounds and should be treated with enzyme-based drain cleaners. Final odor culprits may be the cleaning tools; dirty mops that are not cleaned and stored properly at the end of the day. Unkempt supply closets become a major source of odors. Keep any such closets clean, neat and sanitized. Air-dry mops and rinse out mop buckets.

The Science Behind the Smell

Why do restrooms smell bad to begin with?  In clean, well-ventilated restrooms, normal odors associated with the restroom shouldn’t linger. Lingering odors typically go beyond just normal use issues. In restrooms, especially the men’s restroom room, odors usually point to a buildup of urine. Urine eliminates water and salt from our bodies and some of the compounds present in urine, including nitrogen, chlorides, proteins and urea can create disagreeable odors when allowed to evaporate and concentrate in your restrooms. These urine salts not only create odor themselves, they attract a host of bacteria that also produce offensive odors. An ineffective restroom cleaning service is most often to blame in this area as grout, areas around urinals and toilets, and such must be thoroughly cleaned to remove the compounds.

When Your Restrooms Require Deep Cleaning

The best way to keep restrooms smelling good and looking their best is to do periodic deep cleaning. This entails a thorough examination and cleaning of all surfaces including counters, floors, urinals, sinks, toilets, stall partitions and more. Every inch of your restroom should get a detailed cleaning with the use of appropriately chosen and applied chemical disinfectants. If your cleaning company can eliminate the urine compounds and bacteria, they can banish the smells that make your nose wrinkle. Cleaning enzymes and chemical disinfectants have been demonstrated effective against germs, bacteria and odor but they need time to work. These products all come with manufacturer recommended dwell times, or the time the product should sit wet on a surface to effectively kill and reduce germs before being wiped away. If recommended dwell times are not followed, the removal of the bacteria, and therefore the odor, is less effective. In an ideal world, your janitorial company’s employees should spray down areas and let the disinfectant sit and do its job while they perform other duties like restocking supplies, cleaning mirrors and removing trash.