Good quality Houston janitorial services are necessary for your entire building, but bathrooms are one of the most critical areas for proper cleaning and disinfecting. Yet, many facility managers unknowingly neglect these areas in an attempt to save money on cleaning services. This, in turn, can cause serious issues for your building, including making people sick and driving people away due to dirty facilities. In this article, we’ll go over how often you need to clean restrooms in your commercial building as well as key services you need for clean, sanitary bathrooms.
How Often to Schedule Houston Janitorial Services for Restrooms?
One of the most common questions we get is how often restrooms need cleaning and disinfecting. Many facility managers try to save money by reducing Houston janitorial services for restrooms down to once or twice a week. However, this generally isn’t enough to keep restrooms clean and germ-free for any facility. In most cases, you want restrooms cleaned and disinfected at least daily, though our team can help you determine the right frequency for your building.
Consider Traffic in Your Building to Determine Cleaning Frequency
When considering cleaning frequency for bathrooms in your commercial building, it’s important to consider the amount of traffic they receive. Once you do the math, usually it becomes pretty clear why most businesses need daily restroom cleaning.
Consider this: the average person will need to use the restroom at least four times during an eight-hour shift. So, if you have 100 employees, that means bathrooms get used 400 times or more a day. Therefore, it makes sense that you might need restroom cleaning once a day or even more, depending on the size and traffic of your facility. If you need multiple cleanings throughout the day, it may be helpful to have a day porter provide bathroom cleaning and also help with other necessary tasks throughout the day.
Types of Houston Janitorial Services Needed for Restrooms in Commercial Buildings
There are many types of Houston building cleaning services you need to keep restrooms in top shape. It’s important to choose a team that provides these services and focuses on good quality work to ensure your work bathrooms are sanitary for employees and customers. Here are some cleaning services you likely need:
Houston Janitorial Services to Clean & Remove Soils
Cleaning is an important part of maintaining sanitary restrooms. Cleaning is using a general cleaner like soap and water to remove dirt, grime, and soils from surfaces. Therefore, these Houston janitorial services are necessary for bathrooms.
Cleaning Every Surface in the Restroom
Basically every surface in the bathroom needs cleaning. Cleaning helps remove general dirt and grime as well as many germs living on surfaces in the bathroom. Thoroughly cleaning surfaces is also essential for disinfectants to work, so this is critical.
There are a few surfaces that usually only need cleaning and don’t need the second step of disinfecting. These include floors, walls, or mirrors. The exception is if there are bodily fluids on these surfaces, at which point they need both cleaning and disinfecting Houston janitorial services.
Houston Janitorial Services for Disinfecting
In restrooms particularly, disinfecting is also needed for many surfaces. Bathrooms are a major source for harmful germs, including things like E. Coli, staphylococcus, and hepatitis. While cleaning helps remove these germs as well as any soils, disinfecting kills them.
Surfaces to Disinfect in the Restroom
There are many different surfaces in public bathrooms that need disinfection. These are mostly high touch surfaces that many people touch throughout the day. High touch surfaces are a major cause of disease transmission in buildings. Here are some of the surfaces that may need disinfection:
- Door handles
- Light switches
- Toilets
- Bathroom stalls
- Stall latches
- Faucet handles
- Counters
- Changing tables
- Soap dispensers
- Hand dryers
- Paper towel dispensers
These are some of the highest risk areas in bathrooms for germ transmission and therefore need disinfection.
How Disinfection Houston Janitorial Services Work
It’s important to choose the right Houston janitorial services team for disinfecting your restrooms. Many cleaning companies cut corners to save time and money, which can make disinfecting less effective. For instance, over-diluting disinfectant concentrates, not allowing for proper contact time, and using the wrong disinfectants for the surface are all, unfortunately, common practices that reduce a disinfectant’s germ-killing abilities. For peace of mind, ensure that your janitorial team:
- Cleans the surface before disinfection
- Uses the right disinfectant
- Follows all disinfectant label instructions
- Allows the disinfectant to remain wet on the surface for the listed dwell time
- Wipe the surface after the dwell time passes if necessary
Other Houston Building Cleaning Tips for Restrooms
There are many other things to think about when it comes to cleaning and disinfecting restrooms in your building. Here are some things to consider and ensure your janitorial team is doing properly:
Avoiding Cross-Contamination During Houston Janitorial Services
Cross contamination is a serious issue when cleaning. Rags used for cleaning often pick up germ particles and, if used incorrectly, can also leave them behind on a surface. Many people know this by instinct. Imagine using a cloth to wipe down the toilet and then using it on your kitchen counter. You probably cringed and that’s because of the potential for cross-contamination. Cross contamination occurs when you transfer germs from one surface to another. Therefore, it’s essential to choose a Houston janitorial services team that takes steps to prevent cross-contamination. Using color-coded cloths for different surfaces is one common strategy.
Address Odors at the Source, Don’t Just Cover Them with Fragrance
Bathroom odors are unpleasant, which causes many facility managers to immediately reach for fragrances like room sprays. While these can help for temporary relief, it’s essential to make sure you’re addressing odors at the source. Usually, odors are due to bacterial growth from improper cleaning and disinfecting. Therefore, if you have persistent odors in the restroom, alert your Houston building cleaning team and they can identify the problem and attack the odors at the source.
Houston Janitorial Services Help Keep Your Restroom Stocked with Supplies
We’ve talked a lot about cleaning and disinfecting, but let’s not forget that janitorial teams also are responsible for restocking your restroom with essentials like toilet paper, hand soap, and paper towels. Having the right supplies for the restroom can also cut down on the amount of germs spread through your office, as handwashing is an effective tool for preventing the spread of many diseases.
Need Houston Commercial Cleaning Services Near You? Call Our Team at Accredited Building Services
When you need building cleaning and maintenance services, our team at Accredited Building Services is here to help. We have locations in Houston and Beaumont to serve facility managers and business owners through superior building services. We are experts and have built a reputation for excellence since our founding in 1980. If you need Houston commercial cleaning services near you, consider our team for your needs. Get in touch today to request a free quote for your building!
