Johannesburg – As we enter peak season, businesses across retail, hospitality, and beyond are bracing for an influx of customers.
High traffic means more people passing through your doors and, more importantly, your toilets.
While a pristine toilet is certainly not why customers choose to visit your establishment, an unclean one can be why they decide not to return.
A restroom’s appearance is only part of the story, though.
“What you can’t see is just as critical,” said Jeffrey Madkins, Marketing Manager at Unilever Professional.
“It’s no secret that public toilets can be breeding grounds for bacteria and a source of cross-contamination.
“Contagious diseases can spread easily through commonly touched surfaces like taps, sinks, paper towel dispensers, doors, and soap dispensers, making it essential to clean and disinfect regularly.”
Madkins explains that while cleaning removes visible dirt using soap, water, or detergents, disinfecting goes further by killing and stopping the spread of germs.
“Using the correct disinfecting products is essential for restroom cleaning, yet this step is often overlooked or done incorrectly,” he explained.
Whether you manage a bustling shopping centre, a busy store, a popular restaurant, or a sought-after hotel, keeping your spaces – especially restrooms – germ-free and ‘showroom ready’ is essential.
Madkins offers six tips to help you achieve this, even during the hectic lead-up to Christmas:
1. Educate and Equip Your Cleaning Staff: It’s no secret that well-trained staff can make a significant difference to your business, which also applies to your cleaning team. The result? Consistent excellence that will keep your customers coming back.
2. Enforce a Strict Cleaning Schedule: During peak season, restroom traffic increases significantly, increasing germs and the need for more frequent checks and clean-ups. If your usual schedule is every two hours, consider switching to hourly checks. A good rule of thumb is to double the normal frequency over the festive season.
3. Prioritise High-Touch Surfaces: Toilet handles, faucet knobs, and door handles are hotspots for germs. Focus on sanitising and disinfecting these high-touch surfaces regularly to reduce the risk of contamination. Disinfectants such as Domestos are specifically designed for these areas and are safe for use on all surfaces.
4. Use High-Quality Cleaning Products: As the Afrikaans saying goes, ‘goedkoop is duur koop’ (buying cheap can be costly). Don’t cut corners when it comes to hygiene and sanitation, especially with increased restroom usage during peak season. Products like Handy Andy Cream are both effective and gentle on surfaces, ensuring cleanliness without causing long-term damage to fixtures.
5. Keep Replenishing Supplies: Few things are more frustrating than discovering an empty toilet paper roll when entering a stall or that the soap or hand towels have run out. Increase your orders to account for higher traffic and schedule regular checks.
6. Deodorise to Enhance Customer Experience: While running out of supplies is frustrating, nothing drives customers away faster than a toilet with a bad odour. As part of your cleaning routine, incorporate deodorising products that both mask and neutralise odours, along with sprays to keep the restroom smelling fresh.
Unilever Professional understands the importance of maintaining hygienic toilets, especially in high-traffic areas.
In fact, their Cleaner Toilets Brighter Future Programme, which has been active since 2017, supports schools across South Africa by equipping them with the resources to maintain clean, safe restrooms for their learners.
So far, this initiative has positively impacted over 1 369 schools, reaching over 1 500 school cleaners and benefiting more than 800 000 learners.
Their experience working with schools has reinforced a key lesson: consistent hygiene practices are essential for the well-being of any high-traffic environment, whether it’s a school, a shopping mall, or a restaurant.
So, as the busy season approaches, remember that a spotless restroom might go unnoticed; its absence, however, is hard to ignore.
“Clean toilets reflect an establishment’s commitment to hygiene and respect for its customers,” said Madkins.
“They quietly communicate a brand’s standards and can shape a customer’s perception and experience in a matter of seconds.
“Remember, while restrooms may not be the reason customers come in, they can certainly be the reason they come back.”
Today, Tuesday, (19 November 2024) is World Toilet Day, and the theme is “Toilets – A Place For Peace”.
This annual United Nations observance aims to bring attention to the lack of toilets for billions of people globally and encourages action to tackle the global sanitation crisis.
