Restrooms are found in nearly every facility a building service contractor is in charge of cleaning. Whether it’s a tenant-occupied high-rise office building, manufacturing plant, shopping mall or research center, BSCs know they’ll have to tackle some combination of sinks, toilets, urinals, paper dispensers and trash cans.

Beyond that, there are some variables. Not every contractor is responsible for diaper-changing stations, odor-control cabinets and feminine-hygiene- product machines, either because the facilities don’t have them or someone else takes care of them. But eventually, most BSCs must clean or service these fixtures, so here are some tips.

Diaper-changing stations
As recently as a decade ago, mothers of infants and toddlers considered themselves fortunate if there was enough counter space available in a public restroom to change a diaper. And fathers? They were out of luck.

But over the last few years, diaper-changing stations have been popping up in men’s and women’s restrooms in malls, stadiums, airports and just about anywhere else parents and children congregate. Some of these stations are simply countertop areas with appropriate signage, but some facilities have installed plastic, pull-down models that come complete with disposable liners in a built-in dispenser.

Eduardo Mont-Ros, president of Clean Choices in Woodbridge, Va., rarely encounters diaper stations; the few he cleans are in car dealerships. But, he says, they are becoming more common.

Keeping these areas clean can be a challenge for BSCs, who often think of their own kids and want to keep them and others healthy.

For instance, although a thorough cleaning and disinfection process would suffice, Willie Henderson, owner of Henderson’s Cleaning Service in Erie, Penn., also uses a sanitizer at the end of the procedure on these surfaces.

“When we’re talking about people’s children, I like to do a little extra,” he explains.

Mont-Ros suggests using an orange-based disinfectant daily on diaper-changing stations.

“It does a good cleaning job, and the customers like the scent,” he says.

Naturally, more high-traffic areas require more frequent cleaning. One of BG Service Solutions’ accounts is the busy Denver International Airport. Accordingly, diaper-changing stations in both men’s and women’s restrooms must be cleaned at least 10 times daily, using a non-acid disinfectant cleaner, says Holly Borrego, a division manager in Kansas City, Mo.

Odor-control cabinets
In contrast to changing tables, which aren’t in every facility, wall-mounted odor-control cabinets are quite a bit more common. Still, not every BSC will need to worry about changing the canister or battery; some facilities leave that up to the maintenance staff.

For example, odor-control-cabinet maintenance is handled in-house at most of Mont-Ros’ accounts. In fact, his only responsibility is to record the need for a refill in a log book.

Some contractors, conversely, are responsible for providing the products, but discourage their use.

“We try to talk folks out of using odor control,” says Carl Abramsen, owner of CTA Janitorial Service in Avondale, Ariz. “If the restroom is clean, why do you need them?”

But, psychology is very powerful and some customers demand the “clean smell” that comes along with an odor-control product, so Abramsen does provide them if asked. Churches, especially, seem to want the products, he adds.

Servicing the cabinets is relatively easy — most units let users know, via an alarm or light, when the canister needs to be replaced. Henderson says the units he sees are pretty durable and leak-proof, so wipe-ups of the chemical aren’t necessary.

Even if they don’t service the cabinets, contractors usually are charged with dusting the cabinets and other high fixtures, such as lights and vents.

Borrego’s employees are trained to dust daily, using an untreated static dusting tool.

“Dust clings to the static duster, and it doesn’t smear,” Borrego says. “It also has an extender pole so it’s easier for us to reach high up.”

Feminine-hygiene vending
Tampon and sanitary-napkin vending machines, also, are encountered frequently by BSCs, in most women’s restrooms. But again, who services the machines depends on the contract. In some facilities, the contractor provides the products, fills the machines and keeps the cash; in other buildings, the facility management provides the products for the contractor to use.

Abramsen isn’t responsible for any of his customers’ vending machines, but he does have keys to the units in case of an emergency. He doesn’t run the vending machines because they’re not used often enough for the payoff to be worth it. But Borrego says her customers’ machines are quite lucrative, and janitors refill some of them daily.

Whether they’re responsible for filling the machines or not, just about every BSC is responsible for disposing of discarded sanitary products. But it’s not a complicated process.

According to the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), feminine-hygiene products are not considered hazardous waste — if they are disposed of in plastic or waxed paper bags — so janitors need not receive bloodborne pathogen training or special disposal equipment unless they would be exposed to infectious waste elsewhere. They can handle the bagged products as regular trash.

But to be safe, all BG employees are trained on bloodborne pathogens, whether their normal duties include exposure or not.

“With 1,500 employees in the Kansas City area, it’s too hard for us to determine, at times, who’s going to need it and who won’t, so we offer the same training to everyone,” says Borrego. “That way, if we transfer someone from an office building to a medical facility, they have the proper training.”




POSTED ON: 2/1/2003