Bacteria can and will transfer to other parts of a restroom when a toilet flushes. This phenomenon, known as the "toilet sneeze," allows dangerous contaminants to float in the air for hours before settling on restroom surfaces. Without proper cleaning, toilet sneeze will be a lingering source of bacteria in your facility's restrooms. Here are ways to cut down on this health hazard through proper cleaning and measurement.
Airborne Bacteria with Every Flush
The bacteria expelled from a flushing toilet can remain infectious for weeks or even months after they have landed on a restroom surface. This issue creates numerous challenges for custodial crews, especially when cleaning restrooms with multiple stalls, as in gym locker rooms or schools. Cleaning the toilet bowl and the areas around the toilet does not always take care of the bacteria. There could be bacteria on the windowsill or on toiletries that visitors have left on sinks or other parts of the restroom.
Janitorial staff obviously can't clean personal items such as toothbrushes, so visitors must be educated to make sure their toiletries are not exposed to the bacteria floating through the air. Cleaning crews can never consider a restroom clean unless it has been disinfected that same day. The germ-filled mist that hits the air when a toilet is flushed may take as long as two hours before it settles on a surface. Gravity ensures that the bacteria will eventually land, and you must make sure your cleaning crews address the problem.
Combating the Effects of Toilet Sneeze
Restroom cleaning techniques that involve mops and rags will always fall short of the mark. These inadequate cleaning tools are known for transferring bacteria rather than removing them. To achieve a truly clean restroom, janitorial crews must be able to remove the soils on restroom floors, in toilets, and on sinks. Kaivac's no-touch system allows a cleaning crew to remove and dispose of dangerous bio-waste on the spot, leaving only a clean restroom in the process.
The final step in the process is measuring the microbial content after the cleaning takes place. Your team can measure the effects of cleaning with handheld devices. Results can be stored electronically, so you can keep full records of restroom cleanings in schools and other facilities.
Spray-and-vac cleaning systems let your staff remove soils from toilet sneeze and other restroom offenses on the spot. Measurement tools make the process even more scientific and ensure that surfaces are truly clean.
To learn more about Kaivac's advanced restroom cleaning system, contact the company.