The majority of consumers in the United States had demonstrated a preference for local business establishments with clean, well-maintained restrooms--going so far as to claim they would pay strictly for the use of a clean bathroom.
Clean Restrooms Impact Repeat Business
A recent survey conducted by Bradley Corp. has discovered that, more than ever, purveyors of local businesses are willing to pony up extra cash and repeatedly patron an establishment with clean, well-maintained bathrooms, with many going so far as to state they would happily pay just for the use of the facilities.
Highlights of the survey include:
- 52% would definitely or probably spend more money at the business.
- 64% claimed they made a conscious decision to choose a company based on the maintenance and cleanliness of the bathrooms.
- Approximately 33% of respondents claimed they would pay to use a restroom if they felt confident it was clean and well-stocked, and;
- Women (67%) were more likely than men (61%) to be attracted to a business with clean bathrooms.
- However, 55% claimed they would not return to an establishment if they had a bad restroom experience.
Those statistics are not insubstantial.
According to the same survey:
- Approximately 60% of U.S. citizens use a public restroom between one and five times per week, and;
- Another 21% claimed to use a public bathroom six or more times per week.
That means that approximately 80% of Americans use a public restroom at least once per week, and more than half of them would never return if the bathroom was dirty or had other issues.
Source:
Keeping a Clean Restroom
People use restrooms for all kinds of reasons, including:
- A private place to use their cell phone.
- A getaway from the world.
- To cough or blow their nose.
- Checking their appearance.
- Avoiding others, and;
- Compose themselves during or after dealing with mental or emotional trauma.
It's easy to see why a clean restroom is so essential.
However, it turns out many business owners and facilities managers have not gotten the message, with customers increasing complaints and frustrations including mundane irritations, such as:
- Clogged and unflushed toilets and urinals.
- Empty or clogged toilet paper dispensers, and;
- Stall doors with broken latches.
To address these, and the vast array of other challenges facing businesses and consumers alike:
- Either check the facility routinely to ensure cleanliness and functionality, or install IoT monitoring to keep everything flowing smoothly.
- Physically check to make sure that all the equipment is working correctly, and quickly make any repairs necessary.
- Sweep the floors and remove any garbage daily, at a minimum.
- Clean the restroom regularly with a green or certified Safer Choice cleaning product, and don't forget the walls, behind the toilet, soap and paper towel dispensers, faucets and handles, sinks, stall doors and partitions, as well as toilets and urinals.
- Dust all window fixtures, vents, and horizontal surfaces at least weekly.
- Outside of medical or other care facilities, disinfect after cleaning with an EPA certified Category IV disinfectant, and;
- Use flat microfiber mops, color-coded microfiber towels, and cleaning buckets with two compartments to avoid cross-contamination.
References & Resources
Takeaway
Maintaining a public restroom is a dirty and complicated business.
On the one hand, maintaining a restroom with a high-performance cleaning and maintenance program can appear expensive, but on the other, not doing so is even more costly and will almost certainly cost your business far more in lost sales than you could ever estimate.
Outsourcing your facilities' cleaning, maintenance, and infection control needs is a cost-effective and demonstrably superior approach than employing, training, and continuously replacing in-house cleaning staff, which suffers from a nation-wide turnover rate of 200%, on average.
If you like to learn more about the business impact of clean, well-maintained bathrooms, would like more information regarding the advantages of outsourcing your organization's facilities maintenance and cleaning requirements, or would like to schedule a free, no obligation walkthrough, contact us today for a free quote!
In Bakersfield CA, call (661) 437-3253
In Fresno CA, call (559) 206-1059
In Valencia CA, or Santa Clarita CA, call (661) 437-3253
