The Grand Finale: Cleaning Restrooms After a Concert
It’s no shock that music sales have been on the decline for years. Why buy the album when Limewire, Spotify and Apple Music gives you the songs for free? (Or the almost-free cost of a monthly subscription.) Don’t cry too hard for musicians though. They’re making up the loss of revenue with robust concert ticket sales. In 2016, American spent $7.3 billion to see live music, according to Statista.
Concert venues take many forms: grungy dive bars, small theaters, large stadiums and outdoor amphitheaters. No matter the size of the stage, or the type of music, cleaning restrooms is the most important job one once the lights come on.
Everyday Restroom Risks
Restrooms are inherently risky to start. An article in Cleaning & Maintenance Management magazine lists the threats. Micrococacceae, which can cause skin infections, coryneform, found on over 80 percent of all toilets tested, which can cause diphtheria and hepatitis, streptococcaceae, found on 39 percent of all toilet seats tested, which can result in sore throat and bronchial pneumonia, pseudomonadaceae, found on 22 percent of toilet seats, which can cause urinary tract infections and blood poisoning and enterobacteriaceae, found on 19 percent of toilet seats, which is associated with kidney infections, salmonella and shigellosis.
And don’t forget good old E. coli and hepatitis A.
Born to be Wild
These threats, while dangerous, are common, everyday occurrences. Concerts, however, seem to bring out the worst in people. For proof check out this Cracked article about cleaning up after Bonnaroo, the music and arts festival in Manchester, TN. Along with having to move literally tons of trash, maintenance workers found filthy bathrooms littered with used condoms.
Even enlightened people behave badly at concerts. The first annual Global Citizen Festival in India was billed as a reward for volunteers working to fulfill sustainable development goals. Concertgoers left the venue a mess, with garbage, food waste and water bottles everywhere.
Taking Care of Business
Cleaning restrooms after a concert is important, but it can’t be too time consuming. Many small venues book several shows a night, limiting turnaround time. Even staff at large venues have to hustle, as a concert may end a 1 am with another event is scheduled for the next morning.
A No-Touch, Spray-and-Vac system allows venue staff to clean bathrooms quickly, safely and thoroughly. Machines like these power through heavily soiled areas, leaving restrooms sparkling clean, dry and ready to rock on.
Click here for more ideas on how to clean your venue’s restroom.
Image source: freeimages.com
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Amy Milshtein
Amy Milshtein covers design, facility management and business topics for a variety of trade publications and consumer magazines.
Her work has won several awards, most recently a regional silver Azbee Award of Excellence.
She lives in Portland, OR with her family and Clyde, a 15-lb tabby cat. Once an avid hiker, these days she finds herself on the less-challenging -but-still-exciting 'creaky knees' trails.