| Safe & Effective Restroom Cleaning: Remove Soil, Sanitize and With
Minimal Impact |
When it comes
to cleaning the restroom, it only makes sense to do it as
safely and effectively as possible. Clean restrooms reflect
positively on your employees, customers and visitors.
To reach this goal you need to use the right chemicals in the
right way. The U.S. EPA’s Janitorial Pollution Prevention
Project recommends that service providers look for restroom
cleaning products that:
• Easily remove soil from counters, floors, walls and fixtures;
• Eliminate bacteria, germs and viruses;
• Make the restroom appear and smell clean;
• Are safe to both the user and building occupants; and
• Have minimal environmental impact.
You can maintain clean and sanitary restrooms by following a
two-level cleaning schedule - a combination of regular daily
cleaning and weekly deep cleaning.
Regular Daily Cleaning
Trash removal, surface cleaning, disinfection, and restocking
supplies needs to be done daily for most commercial or office
restrooms. Facilities in airports, restaurants and other high
traffic sites may need more frequent touch-up cleaning and
restocking of soap and paper supplies.
Routine cleaning involves the following tasks:
• Removing trash & replacing can liners;
• Refilling dispensers;
• Dusting high surfaces;
• Cleaning toilets and urinals with a nonacid bowl cleaner;
• Cleaning showers with a non-acid soap remover;
• Cleaning mirrors and other glass surfaces;
• Cleaning walls, ceiling, partitions, doors and light switches;
• Disinfecting all surfaces and fixtures; and
• Vacuuming floor and wet mopping with a cleaner/disinfectant.
Some products combine cleaning and disinfecting ingredients into
one container. These combined products work well only on
surfaces that are already relatively clean. For dirty surfaces
it is important to clean first, and then apply a separate
disinfectant. To work well, this disinfectant must remain in
place for at least 10 minutes.
Fairly mild products are available for daily restroom cleaning.
Such products are reasonably safe to use, and have little
environmental impact. Check the sup-plier’s directions, and mix
the cleaning product with as much water as you can. A diluted
product is usually safer to use than a concentrated one.
Deep Cleaning
Deep restroom cleaning needs to be done weekly in most cases.
However, a deep cleaning may also be required when you do a
restroom for the first time, or when you encounter particularly
dirty situations. High traffic restrooms may need a deep
cleaning once a day, even if routine cleaning is done more
frequently.
Most deep cleaning can be done with your regular chemicals,
perhaps mixed with less water so that they are stronger. In
addition, it may be necessary to spend more time removing soils
with brushes and scrub pads.
However, some deep cleaning tasks require stronger chemical
products to remove stubborn deposits or stains. Examples
include:
• Removing graffiti;
• Cleaning stained toilet bowls; or
• Removing shower tile deposits.
Toilet Cleaners
Many toilet bowl cleaners contain acids and other chemicals that
are harmful. Use the mildest product you can find, and always
wear gloves and goggles to protect yourself. Most non-acid
toilet cleaners are relatively safe to use, and have only a
small impact on the environment. Disinfectants require a bit
more care, but are still fairly safe. Acid cleaners are the most
dangerous of all.
Use a mild cleaner for daily toilet polishing. Unless the
toilets are already in good shape, clean them first and then use
a separate disinfectant.
Use acid cleaners only when you have really stubborn stains to
remove.
Acid cleaners are very dangerous; always protect yourself by
wearing gloves and goggles.
Regular Toilet Cleaning — Use a strong non-acid cleaning product
for your daily toilet maintenance. Also use a disinfectant.
Some suppliers combine the cleaner and disinfectant into one
product. You can use a combined cleaner-disinfec-tant only if
the toilet fixtures are not too dirty to start with.
Otherwise you should clean the toilets first, and then use a
separate disinfectant. Leave the disinfectant in place for 10
minutes to get good results.
Stain Removal: Sometimes lime stains, rust, or other stubborn
deposits will form in the toilet bowl. Your regular daily
cleaner might not remove these materials. You have two choices:
use a powdered cleaner and scrub pad to scour the bowl, or use
an acid cleaner.
Acids can cause harm very quickly, so always protect yourself
with gloves and goggles. Pour the acid cleaner from low down so
it won’t splash. Use your scrub brush carefully to avoid splash
as well.
Flush the toilet twice to remove excess cleaner when you are
done.
Important Safety Tips
Use stronger chemicals sparingly and carefully to avoid harming
the user or building occupants. Be sure that each janitor is
well trained, and if possible, have your people work in buddy
teams when using stronger chemicals.
When using strong chemicals keep the following in mind:
• Corrosive chemicals (acids or caustics) can blind you in
seconds. Always wear goggles to protect your eyes.
• Corrosives can also damage your skin and leave scars. Wear
gloves to protect your hands.
• Some poisonous chemicals absorb through your skin. Always wear
gloves when using products containing glycol ethers or
ethanolamines.
• Some poisonous chemicals are easily inhaled. Be sure that your
work area has enough ventilation.
• Mixing different products together can create poisonous
chemicals. Avoid mixing products, and be sure to rinse out work
buckets after each use.
Restroom Cleaning Ingredients
Manufacturers make several products for restroom cleaning. These
products range from mild to strong, and have many different
ingredients. Some of these cleaning products have acids and
other chemicals that can harm you.
There are chemicals found in strong restroom cleaners that are
relatively safe if you wear gloves and goggles, while others you
should not use. In addition, there are some chemicals that may
be safe to a janitor wearing gloves and goggles, but that can
harm the environment.
Where to get more information
Here are four ideas for obtaining more information about the
health and safety risks of the cleaning products that you use:
1. Read the product label and care-fully follow the directions
it gives for safe use.
2. Get a material safety data sheet for each product you use.
Look for a phone number on the container label and contact
customer service at the manufacturer. Or ask the store where
you got the product. Read each material safety data sheet when
you get it — don’t wait for an accident.
Focus on the risks the product presents to the user. Look for
the personal protective gear that the supplier recommends.
3. Contact either your county health department or local sewer
agency. Staff of these organizations can answer health, safety,
and environmental questions that you have.
4. Search the Internet. You can find general information about
chemicals and janitorial products on the Internet. Many chemical
companies also have web sites at which they provide product
safety information. ❑
Source: EPA Janitorial Pollution Prevention Project
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