by Shane Henson — August 21, 2013—From negative online reviews to lost customers, many businesses understand the potential impact of a dirty restroom, but a recent poll conducted by Cintas’ Facility Services division highlights what contributes to a user’s perception of a dirty restroom.
The survey, conducted online by Harris Interactive from July 11-15, 2013, among 3,130 adults ages 18 and older, revealed 93% of respondents would consider a public restroom as dirty if it had dirty or sticky floors. Respondents also noted that un-flushed toilets (90%), odor (89%), and overflowing trash cans (88%) would also make them perceive a public restroom as dirty.
Survey respondents also identified the following restroom issues as contributors to a dirty restroom:
- Paper towels or toilet paper on the floor: 80%
- Lack of toilet paper: 67%
- Empty soap dispensers: 55%
- Water around the sink area: 42%
- Old or outdated soap dispensers: 29%
A recent poll from Cintas highlights what contributes to a user’s perception of a dirty restroom. Graphic: Business Wire
(Click on image to enlarge)
Business owners wanting to ensure their restrooms do not keep customers from coming back also need to be vigilant in checking for other signs of a dirty restroom: respondents cited broken doors or toilet seats, dim lighting, graffiti, dirty fixtures, soiled toilet seats, and water or urine on the floors as additional contributors to a dirty restroom, says Cintas.
“Without a comprehensive restroom maintenance program that includes deep cleaning, protecting against issues such as odor, and maintaining restroom surfaces and dispensers with essential supplies, tools and chemicals, businesses will routinely come up short when it comes to meeting the expectations of its users,” said Dave Mesko, senior director of marketing for Cintas Corporation. “While each facility has different needs based on traffic flow and types of users, we hope this research will better enable them to define a maintenance program that prevents users from going elsewhere.”
Cintas offers restroom cleaning among its facilities services offerings.
