Tag Archives: restroom cleanliness

Water and the Pandemic

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Many years ago I had the opportunity of coordinating my work with Pete. Pete was a chemist and I sold industrial chemicals. I am also a non-science person. Pete, however, had this innate ability to explain chemical concepts to the lay person that I was.
One of the first things he taught me was “the best cleaner in the world is water.” He further explained that adding a chemical enhances water’s ability to clean. As it turns out, this amazing property of water also carries with it an ability to transmit all sorts of matter.

The Common Factor

I recently made an unanticipated trip to my dentist’s office. Upon arrival, one of the forms I was asked to review and sign was entitled:
       COVID-19 Pandemic Treatment Consent Form

Two of the sentences on this form are:

Dental procedures create water spray which is how the disease is spread. The ultra-fine nature of the spray can linger in the air for minutes to sometime hours which can transmit the COVID-19 virus.

These two sentences brought up a consideration that every business should be asking…What is the biggest source of water spray in my place of business?

  • water from the sink in the break/lunch room?
  • the water fountain in the hallway?
  • the utility sink in the shop/storage room?
  • the moisture that wafts into the business when exterior doors are opened?
  • sneezes and coughs from employees, delivery personnel or visitors?

The biggest source of water spray in your business is none of the above. It is:

The Research

Research into the health impacts of aerosolization is ongoing. Some of the conclusions garnered from this work are:

Methods for Containment

We know that the aerosolization caused by flushing a toilet carries with it all the properties (including bacteria and viruses) of the elements in the water that is flushed. These elements not only remain in the toilet but are also, through aerosolization, distributed onto all of the surfaces in the restroom (and beyond). So, as a business how do you contain this situation?

The best and first thing that can be done and that you are are now doing is – have our services. Complete and thorough cleaning and sanitizing of all restroom surfaces is essential. Other actions you can take include:

  • Examine the level of service you have right now and consider whether it is sufficient for the present environment; should you have more?
  • Ensure that ventilation is appropriate; keep exhaust fans operational and locate them in an area close to the source of aerosolization. Air flow should be directed away from the areas where people work/eat.
  • Do not use a restroom for storage. Everything that you put in the restroom becomes contaminated. If you want or need to store items in the restroom ensure that they are in a closed cabinet.
  • Maintain adequate resources for high personal hygiene, especially hand washing.
  • Anything that you have in a restroom should have a surface that can be wiped clean, or, sanitized. Do not have anything in the restroom that is porous.

Remember…you are now entering…

Person entering restroom with warning "Bio-waste transfer station"

Our Service Training Will Ruin You

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Frustrated business woman with message restroom mess causing management stress

Several months ago one of my trained workers injured her foot while playing pickleball. The injury was very disabling so doing any physical work in the near future was not a possibility for her. I found a replacement to do her work and she entered treatment.

Part of her recovery was to find work that matched her physical condition. I received this short note from her today.

Hey Cynthia, Hope you are well!  I was just thinking about you & felt I should tell you this.

Ever since working at Washroom Wizard!, I notice sooo many unclean places!! Where I work now, my employer has a 2-person crew that cleans our restrooms every few days.

However, they don’t clean the doors or walls & now that I’m attuned to that stuff (thanks to you!)…I can’t un-notice it. So I go in & spot-clean whenever I can.

Thank you for making me a more thorough & observant cleaner!! 

Is this a blessing or a curse? For the personal needs of our service workers, the training is a blessing. However, when they are out in the world, where they experience the results of other cleaning services, it can become a curse. Just as this former worker annotates “I can’t unnotice it…I go in & spot-clean whenever I can.” This is not an uncommon response from the workers that Washroom Wizard! has trained.

Not very many people are eligible, or would ever be selected, for training by Washroom Wizard! Pshhh! What do you mean? Anyone can clean a restroom.

If it was the case that anyone can clean, then why does this former worker see so many places in a restroom that are not getting cleaned by the so called “crew that cleans”?

This is exactly the problem that Washroom Wizard! is designed to solve. When your restrooms are “in fact” clean; your whole business runs smoother. Employee health and wellness is never an issue, morale is up, customers are happy, and businesses with clean restrooms have a stellar image.

However, be warned, anyone who chooses and is selected for work at Washroom Wizard! will continually run into not being able to “unnotice” the lack of cleanliness that other services leave behind.

Restroom cleanliness as a parameter for job acceptance

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I recently read an article about a job seeker who received two job offers. The offers were almost identical. This made comparison very difficult. The final decision making parameter became the condition of the restrooms. The assumption that the job seeker made was that the employer with the cleaner restrooms valued their employees more.

For employers this situation begs questions such as:

  • What kind of employees are you attracting?
  • What is your rate of turnover? Could it be lower?
  • How valued do your employees feel?
  • What about employee moral? Could it be improved?

So, what was the real significance for the job seeker to use restroom cleanliness as a parameter in the decision making process for accepting a job? Within a year the company that was not selected for employment because of the condition of their restrooms went out of business. The job seeker continued to be employed by the company with the cleaner restrooms and did not fall among the ranks of the unemployed again.

Are you missing out on good employees due to the condition of your restrooms?

Compliments? for a service station restroom?

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Screen Shot 2014-11-08 at 10.56.41 PMI recently had a call from a client who owns a service station. We have been cleaning his customer restroom for quite some time and he wanted us to also add his shop restroom to our cleaning schedule. What he said about his present service was:

We get a lot of compliments on our restrooms;
and that’s rare for a service station.

Exceeding the expectations of your customers produces goodwill, positive business image, and return customers. Feedback like this confirms my supposition that the value our customers receive as a result of our services is far greater that the cost of our services.