Needless to say, keeping your washroom clean can influence your staff’s performance and overall mood. But, why not go a step further and make it not just clean, but eco-clean?
What’s the Difference?
Having eco-clean washrooms is not just about the appearance. The thing is, bacteria, odours and all other unpleasant things are less likely to be found in an eco-friendly washroom.
This also means that your employees will be healthier and less likely to catch some disease.
Just because a washroom looks clean, it does not necessarily mean it is healthy as well. This is due to the fact that the contaminators, viruses, bacteria, etc. are way too small to be cleaned with simple things such as a broom and a dustpan. That’s probably one of the reasons why most offices use reliable service providers.
How Bad Can It Be?
Considering the fact that you’ve probably been in hundreds of different toilets by now and never got sick after using them, you may be wondering how bad it can really be. The thing is, not everybody is equally likely to get ill, but studies have confirmed that a certain risk does exist – hepatitis A, flu, and gastroenteritis are just some of the possible diseases you can catch.
Health Tips
With all the above-mentioned in mind, we’ve come up with a list of things that should be considered when it comes to eco-clean washrooms.
Proper Disposal of Rubbish
Throwing used tissues and other trash in a designated bin goes without saying; if the rubbish is not disposed of properly, it might lead to the spreading of harmful bacteria.
Thus, having bins of suitable sizes is essential. The bins should contain biodegradable liners that will make the disposal of filled bags much easier, and the disposal should be taken care of every day.
The ladies’ washroom, of course, needs special facilities to fit the user’s needs. For instance, it should have sanitary napkin disposal units that will make the disposal safe and easy.
These disposal units are highly reliable and most manufacturing brands make sure that the units contain a disposable biodegradable liner that is placed inside a specially designed cartridge that also has essential oil deodorisers. The most important thing, though, is that the napkins cannot fall out once properly placed inside.
Taking Care of the Odour Issue
We are all aware of the odour problem inside washrooms. The well-familiar smell is usually due to the built-up uric acid crystals in urinals and toilet bowls.
These crystals are full of bacteria, so that smell is actually a sign of bad hygiene. One way of dealing with the problem is installing automated air freshener dispensers. However, these don’t actually solve the problem, they just cover it.
Sanitisers, on the other hand, are much more effective since they not only clean the surface of the urinals and bowls but also prevent the uric acid from building up again.
Cross-Contamination – What Are the Risks?
In order to prevent any potential spreading of illnesses and keep your washroom eco-clean, you have to make sure the risk of cross-contamination is minimal. The cross-contamination can happen in a few ways:
- When flushing the toilet
- When using the hot air hand-dryers
- When touching faucets, sinks and other already contaminated surfaces. Research has shown that sinks are actually the dirtiest areas in the washroom.
This is especially important to be aware of if a school is your workplace.
Our School Washroom Guide will not only teach you how to reduce the risk of cross-contamination but everything you need to know to maximise the health and safety in schools.
The best and safest way to have an eco-clean washroom is to actually clean it regularly and thoroughly. Also, although toilet sanitisers can kill bacteria in the air, it is also a good idea to add hand sanitisers and to replace the hot-air dryers with cloth towel dispensers, since studies have also shown that cloth towel dispensers keep the bacteria inside the dispensers and thus prevent it from spreading.
Eco-Clean Washrooms
Keeping your washroom clean and fresh shows that you care about your employees and customers. It makes a great impression and preserves the health of everybody who uses the washroom. To make sure that washrooms and other areas of your place always smell fresh, our Fresh & Clean automatic wall mounted air fresheners are programmed to dispense a measured dose of fragrance at selected intervals. Since cleanliness is your top priority, we at Alsco would like to help. Our friendly representatives are waiting for you. Call us now.
Photo courtesy of Flickr Images by Gary Bembridge
