Smell – the sense we love to forget about.
Your humble sniffer has some hidden powers, though. It can work like a time machine; a gateway to forgotten memories…
Have you ever had the smell of disinfectant zap you right back to school as a child? Or does the smell of the sea ever remind you of a holiday you once took? Even just thinking about the smell of rain on a summer’s day can make you feel like you’re right back in the moment you got caught in it.
Smell is a powerful, emotive force. But it also stinks. And that’s the side of smell we could do without most of the time. Of course, foul smells exist for a reason: they’re there to remind us of what to avoid – rot, mould, disease, danger. It’s a core sense that has ensured our survival over the aeons.
And all of these warning smells can be found in poorly maintained bathrooms. For an office environment, where you want your teams and clients to feel comfortable, dealing with bathroom odours quickly should be high on your priorities list. But how do you identify and deal with lingering odours, and keep them from coming back?
Here’s a guide to keeping your office bathrooms fresh, with practical steps for tackling odour at the source – and tips to maintain a super-smelling space!
Common office bathroom smells
When you’ve picked up on an unruly scent, it helps to know what you’re dealing with – and the main offenders aren’t always the ones you’d think…
Let’s start with the obvious ones though: toilets and urinals. While they might look clean to the untrained eye, unmaintained urinals and toilets can emit some serious pongs. Residue build-up, splash back, stagnant water – and um, “missed targets”, can all contribute to unseen areas of odour buildup.
Bins are the next most stinky thing to tackle. If they aren’t emptied regularly, can cause a noticeable smell – especially if they contain hygiene products (although proper hygiene bins should be used, they aren’t always available to smaller businesses). The bin itself has to be cleaned and disinfected, to remove any leaks that can lead to smells.
Flying under the radar somewhat are sinks and drains. If water isn’t flowing through regularly, or a buildup of stuff has clogged them up, they can start smelling. At best, you’ll get an unpleasantly musty, mouldy smell… And at worst, it’ll rival the foulest toilet you’ve ever encountered!
So, once you’ve identified the source of the stench – how should you tackle it?
Regular office bathroom cleaning is the only answer
Regular cleaning is key to office bathroom odour prevention. Buildup over time is what leads to the smell, so the only cure is time put back into cleaning.
A well-maintained office bathroom not only looks better – it smells better, and reduces the risks of poor air quality and health impact. It’s worth doing, so follow this guide for a foolproof odour-banishing bathroom clean.
1. Clean toilets and urinals (as regularly as needed)
How often you do this depends on how many people you have in your office. Small teams sharing a couple of toilets can happily be served with weekly bathroom cleans, but bigger offices with large toilet blocks to serve hundreds will need daily – sometimes even hourly – maintenance.
Use toilet cleaners that tackle limescale, bacteria and waste buildup. And don’t just clean the insides of bowls or the tops of seats – clean the entire area around the toilet and urinals, including the walls and floors behind and directly below. A lot of hidden splashes can land here, and over time, they can really kick up a stink.
2. Flush sinks and drains once per week
Flush all your office bathroom drains and sinks weekly. This will prevent any stagnant water from developing musty odours. It’ll flush out gunk and prevent blockages from building up over time, too.
Also, if you don’t have a fully staffed office due to hybrid or remote working, the regular flushing of fixtures can also prevent Legionnaires’ disease, which can be spread through unused water pipes and drains.
3. Wipe surfaces
Regularly clean all bathroom surfaces, especially those that can collect dust, dirt and moisture. This includes toilet handles, sinks, countertops, floors – the works! This should be a weekly task in smaller office bathrooms, and more frequent in areas with higher usage.
4. Empty bins daily
Emptying bathroom bins daily – yes, daily – is the secret to preventing odours. Hygiene bins should be handled separately. The bins themselves will require less frequent cleaning if they’re emptied every day, but it’s still advisable to give them a regular once-over in between full sanitation cleans.
Read more – Office Cleaners: It’s Time to Talk TOILETS
Last but not least, there’s airflow to consider. Without good airflow, smells tend to linger. Small, enclosed spaces can trap odours, making them more persistent – and if you don’t have windows in your office bathroom, you should at least have a ventilation system installed. Check that it’s working regularly, and that the vent is clear.
Use air fresheners sparingly
While air fresheners are useful for masking odours temporarily, they can also mix with unpleasant smells – and some members of your team might find them harsh or more offensive than the smell they’re trying to mask! Instead, look for odour neutralisers, or natural options like essential oil diffusers.
An odour neutraliser doesn’t just mask smells – it actively eliminates them. Odour neutralisers can be bought as gels you install, or as aerosol sprays (like Oust or Febreze). Charcoal is a great option for a chemical-free bathroom odour solution; it naturally absorbs smells without fuss or mess.
Finally, enzyme cleaners break down odour-causing bacteria and prevent them from coming back – these can be useful when cleaning toilets and their surroundings.
Bring your team up to speed on smell prevention
Keeping a fresh-smelling office bathroom is about good daily habits. Brief staff on key practices that will keep the bathroom fresh between cleans, like proper bin use and cleaning up after themselves.
If you need some help shifting stubborn smells, then maybe it’s time for a deep clean for your office bathroom. And we’ve got just the team to help…
Professional Office Cleaning Services
Get professional office cleaning from The Abbey Cleaning Service, and we’ll help you keep those office bathroom spaces smelling fresh!
Call 029 2067 9323 today, and find out how our office cleaning services can work around your core business hours – for a professional clean, without disrupting your workday.
