Dirty restrooms are unsafe and have led many students to develop unhealthy personal habits that can follow them into adulthood.
When Your Restroom Is So Dirty Students Don't Eat
Imagine a time in the recent past where you had to use the restroom badly and quickly.
Now imagine the restroom was so unsanitary that you decided to go in your pants instead.
What if that restroom was your only available option, day in and out--would you forgo eating and drinking just to avoid it?
According to research acquired by Essity, this nightmare scenario is the all-too-real reality for many students.
More than half a million students in British secondary schools say they don’t consume liquids at school and another 10 percent say they skip eating so that they can better avoid the restrooms, the story says, citing research from Essity.
When asked why they were avoiding the toilets, about half of the students say it's because they find them to be dirty, while nearly 20 percent say they’re unsafe.
Just over 10 percent of those surveyed say they skip the restrooms due to a lack of toilet paper or soap.
Health risks tend to arise shortly after kids begin skipping the restroom.
Some students are soiling themselves because they’re skipping the restroom, making them susceptible to bullying.
These issues have led to further challenges in the classroom, with a significant population of the student body claiming that not eating or drinking during the day has led to issues with focus and performance in the classroom.
The research also found that over a third of students who avoided eating or drinking had suffered from headaches and 31 percent had struggled to concentrate in class, as a result.
What Happens When Students Skip Lunch
Skipping meals is an unhealthy practice for anyone, especially developing youth.
The practice deprives the brain, as well as several other organs, of fuel, in the form of glucose, which it derives from the process of breaking down food, leading to:
- Issues with concentration.
- Headaches.
- Physical and mental sluggishness.
- Difficulty storing new information or recalling previously stored memories.
- Low energy leading to difficulty with physical activity, and;
- Probable unhealthy weight gain after prolonged abstainment.
In short, skipping lunch is counter-intuitive to every single function going to school is supposed to serve.
Source:
Keeping Restrooms Healthy By Returning To The Basics
Maintaining a clean, safe, and hygienic restroom requires adherence to a higher standard of service delivery and a return to the basic principles of cleanliness.
- Check the restroom every hour it is in service to ensure cleanliness and the availability of necessities--soap, paper towels, and toilet paper.
- Regularly disinfect germ hot spots, such as faucets and door handles with a non-toxic disinfectant.
- Scrub the floor, walls, partitions, toilets, urinals, sinks, counters, and any other fixture every day before thorough disinfection.
- Test the facilities and report and repair any maintenance issues as soon as possible to ensure usability.
- Use green cleaning products to avoid indoor air quality issues that can cause headaches, itchy eyes, nausea, or trigger respiratory issues.
- Increase the airflow to address odors--do not try to mask them with perfumed aerosols or other products.
References & Resources
Takeaway
The challenges facing public schools in the U.K. is an extreme example of budgeting issues leading to poorly conceived solutions whose unintended consequences negatively impact the operational focus of the organization.
Put simply; the attempt by school administrators to navigate budgetary challenges by reducing custodial staff and cleaning procedures has created the unintended consequence of negatively impacting student performance in the classroom, as well as establishing unhealthy dietary practices and potentially leading to numerous physical, mental, and emotional issues as adults.
Outsourcing your facilities cleaning and infection control procedures to a service provider focused on a clean for health first approach is a proven method for cost-effectively improving facility hygiene and occupant health and performance.
When combined with advanced green cleaning equipment and procedures, as well as facility-wide air quality controls, a clean for health first approach can generate positive financial returns.
If you would like more information regarding the benefits of outsourced green cleaning services for your school or office or would like to schedule a free onsite walk through of your facilities, 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
