Ensuring the correct cleaning of public toilets is extremely important, as it can impact the health of your workers, as well as their sense of pride in the place that they work. According to our survey, 40% of people wish that their employer would pay more attention to the cleanliness of their workplace washroom. In some workplaces, toilets will double as changing rooms, or places to take personal phone calls, or even for a little alone time, so their cleanliness is vitally important.

Here at Bunzl CHS, we understand the importance of a loo that your business can be proud of. These five toilet facts cover toilet hygiene and sanitation all over the world, as well as closer to home.

Fact #1. 4.2 billion people in the world live without proper sanitation

In the UK, it’s easy for us to take flushing toilets for granted. But today there are around 4.2 billion people living without safely managed sanitation, according to UNICEF. This disproportionately affects women, who are at risk of being assaulted when they have to defecate somewhere that isn’t private.

Fact #2. It might look like a toilet to you, but to someone else, it’s a lifesaver

Without toilets, diseases spread rapidly. In many countries, the lack of sanitation is a killer – with 800 children dying every day from unsafe water, bad sanitation, and poor hygiene. According to WaterAid, many of these sanitation-related diseases are caused by faecal particles getting into food or water – this is easily prevented with the provision of decent toilets and clean water.

Fact #3. Toilet seats aren’t the worst offenders in the bathroom

Although toilet seats and bowls should be regularly cleaned with antibacterial cleaning products, they aren’t the dirtiest places in the washroom. Light switches, door handles, taps and even flush handles are most likely to be the dirtiest place in the bathroom – as they’re also the less obvious places to clean.

Fact #4. Always close the toilet seat before you flush

Each time the toilet seat is left open when it’s flushed, bacteria is sprayed into the air around the toilet. If you wouldn’t like to ingest faecal matter, it’s probably best to keep the toilet seat closed before you flush. Scientists at Leeds University found that C.difficile can be sprayed up to 10 inches above toilet seats. They also found that an unused, unoccupied toilet with an open lid can spread bacteria. You might want to relocate your toothbrush and keep it inside your bathroom cabinet!

Fact #5. Clean the toilet properly

Cleaning a toilet isn’t complicated, but like many things, there’s a right way and a wrong way to do it. Doing it incorrectly could result in the spread of bacteria around your bathroom.

How to clean a toilet – the right way

1. Flush, and then add Cleanline Daily Toilet Cleaner or another toilet cleaner around the inside of the bowl. Apply it upwards under the rim, evenly around the outside, so that it trickles down towards the water.
2. Spray and wipe the exterior of the toilet, and the area immediately around it, including the floor and tiles. Dettol Antibacterial Surface Cleanser is ideal for this job, as it kills 99.9% of bacteria.
3. Spray and wipe the seat, under the seat, and the inside of the seat lid. Don’t forget the edge and top of the toilet bowl. Clorox Urine Remover Spray is ideal for this part of the job.
4. Clean bowl using a toilet brush, starting from the top and working downwards in a circle.
5. To finish, press the flush again, holding the toilet brush into the flushing water to clean it. Spray the toilet brush with antibacterial solution, and then store it away.

An important role

Everyone in the business has a duty of care to ensure that toilets are up to scratch. In order to carry out their jobs properly, cleaners must be equipped with the best cleaning products and equipment that the industry has to offer. Staff members should be encouraged to leave the toilets how they found them. When everyone plays their part, toilets in the workplace can be clean and comfortable places.