Restroom Cleaning Without Janitors

No one can honestly say they like to clean the restroom. And therein lies the rub.

Managers of businesses such as restaurants, fast-food chains, retail stores, gas stations and movie theaters must somehow persuade employees, who are typically young, part-time workers earning low wages, to correctly clean the public restrooms. And in some cases, to clean those restrooms several times a day.

The importance of the cleaning task comes from the fact that while restrooms take up about five percent of the space, they carry about 40 percent of the soil load and produce 50 percent of the complaints, says Jim Traudt, owner of RightChoice Janitorial Supply, Milwaukee.

Besides selling these facilities their essential restroom products, jan/san distributors can provide their customers with advice to ensure restrooms are kept clean and well-stocked.

The process of correctly cleaning the restrooms in these facilities begins well before any floor is mopped or any toilet paper dispenser is refilled, says Traudt.

“It’s about hiring the right people,” he says. “Businesses must hire the right people that have the right character and (who) are motivated.”
During the hiring process, managers should be clear about the specific job description and the step-by-step procedures the candidate will be expected to follow including the restroom cleaning process if they are hired, Traudt says.

“What happens so many times is they get a crew and they are totally disappointed on the way they do the work,” Traudt says.

Another human resources element comes with supervisors having a thorough review and job performance process that creates a paper trail on individual employees. This allows for supervisors to take action when there is evidence that the employee is not doing his or her job, including cleaning the restroom, says Traudt.