Are you having trouble keeping your restroom odor under control? According to CleanLink, “restrooms are the building service contract industry’s main complaint center”, which isn’t a huge surprise. As you already know, bathrooms, especially in high-trafficked facilities, have a tendency to harbor some less than pleasant odors.

It should (hopefully!) come to no surprise to you that the most effective way to minimize restroom odors is to frequently clean the bathroom, toilets, floors, and fixtures. If you currently use all-purpose cleaners in your restrooms, we highly recommend switching to a disinfectant or germicidal cleaner or enzyme-based cleaner which will be more effective in killing odor-reeking bacteria.

If you notice lingering and persistent smells in the restroom facilities, you may need to sniff around for the culprit. We have identified common sources of bad restroom odors:

• Trash cans and waste receptacles that aren’t regularly serviced and cleaned can trap all kinds of funky smells.

• Floor drains have a tendency of hiding mold and other microorganisms that foul up the bathroom air quality.

• Urinals are a common source of bad odors, with the trap areas and non-visible areas inside frequently harboring smelly bacteria.

• Walls around commodes and urinals can surprisingly be the source of your bathroom odor problems. We don’t even want to think about how often people “miss” when doing their business! 

• Grout in ceramic tile floors have a tendency to soak up the smells around it. A study found that there are at least nine different types of bacteria hanging out on tile floors, most likely carried there from people’s footwear.

One of the best ways to both prevent and reduce bad odors in the restroom is to ensure that there is proper ventilation. Poor ventilation can trap the moisture in the bathroom air, resulting in the growth of microorganisms like bacteria and mold that emit terrible smells. Here are some quick tips to improve your bathroom ventilation:

• If your bathroom has windows, consider keeping them open to let in the fresh air.

• Don’t forget to use the ventilation fan to circulate fresh air into the bathroom

• Regularly clean out your bathroom vents, since dirt and dust can block the flow of air and trap bad odors.

Neglecting to properly control your restroom odors will not only create a negative, and smelly, experience for visitors and employees, it can also cause people to get sick. Hope this guide will help you out the next time you need to deal with unpleasant bathroom odors!

At ACTION Unlimited Resources, we offer state-of-the-art cleaning and facility maintenance supplies. If you are looking to stock up, our team is here to chat about the best solutions to fit your business needs!