Whether you are in charge of looking after your office or are simply experiencing a bad toilet smell at home, this can be one of the most unpleasant experiences for office managers and homeowners to deal with. A foul smell coming from the toilet can disturb the atmosphere in your office and make it difficult to concentrate on the task at hand. Let’s take a look at some top reasons for a bad smell in toilets and how you can remedy this problem with commercial plumbing services.
The Number One Culprit – Urine
Poor bathroom etiquette can be one of the top toilet odour causes in your lavatories. In a workplace environment, with so many people sharing the same facilities, urine is likely to build up at times and create an unpleasant working environment which can impact your mood. When urine starts to change from acid to alkaline, it then attracts moisture, and unless the bacteria is destroyed, the horrible smell will just continue to increase.
The easiest way to minimise this issue is to educate your colleagues about your expectations, which can easily be done with a few posters in your lavatories. If you have a team of cleaning staff, ensure you have a daily cleaning schedule for the lavatory and that expectations are created regarding where cleaning takes place each day. We recommend using a sanitising solution that releases between each flush, and then use a deep cleaning solution from time to time to keep everywhere clean and sanitary.
High Temperatures and Moisture
Particularly during the summer months, the increase in temperature can quickly cause toilet odour. Bacteria love the high moisture levels, and this allows them to grow, only increasing the smell. Make sure your loos are well ventilated, with open windows and an extractor fan. Ensure your cleaning team are regularly mopping down the moist surfaces in your lavatories, such as windowsills. This will stop any bacteria from gathering and growing here and will hopefully reduce the unpleasant smell.
Issues with Your Toilet Pipes
While the previous two issues are more concerned with cleanliness and your environment, leaking and blocked pipes can cause odour. Blocked pipes are also caused by the build-up of salts, scale, and uric acid, which can result in a horrible smell. On top of that, any leaking pipes might attract more bacteria, which then breeds to create a nasty odour.
While minor leaks may be able to be dealt with by your team, you’ll want to ensure anything more major is treated by a commercial plumbing company. Make sure your team know how to report any issues with your plumbing so that you can call plumbing companies out straight away. They’ll be able to diagnose the problem and then use the correct tools to remedy the issue.
Cleaning Your Office Toilets
When buildings don’t have a proper cleaning schedule in place, this is often when bad smells start to occur. Poor cleaning and irregular cleaning are the top reasons for this issue, and it’s something that you can easily avoid with a little prior planning. If you have a team of cleaning staff or someone is assigned to clean the toilets each day from your team, discuss your expectations during a quick briefing each day. Encourage them also to check smaller fixtures and wipe them down, including handles, toilet seats, and bins. Make sure you are offering your team all the supplies they would need for cleaning the toilets and keep a toilet brush available for each toilet in your office.
To keep on top of your cleaners, make sure they have a checklist to complete so you can see the time at which your toilets were cleaned. While a daily cleaning routine is essential, consider also hiring commercial plumbing contractors or cleaners from time to time for a deep clean and to double-check all the fixtures in your toilets. You could also book an antibacterial fogging treatment, which will disinfect all the corners of your toilets. During this current time, health and hygiene are more important than ever, so ensure you are giving your WC the attention they need.
One key issue to be aware of is the storage of your cleaning supplies. When damp items are left out, they’ll easily start to gather germs and create an unpleasant smell. This can be easily fixed by avoiding leaving cleaning supplies in a bucket of water and making sure everything is left out to dry.
A foul smell coming from the toilet is unpleasant for everyone in your office, but following these simple toilet fix solutions can eliminate this issue for good. Of course, if you notice a more significant issue, always contact commercial plumbing services such as Clear Choice Ltd, who will be happy to resolve any maintenance issues in your office toilet.
