Furniture, flooring and window dressings are important parts of interior decorating. However, there is one element that is even more important. Lights can be very small or even hidden within the rest of a room, but they remain absolutely essential to getting the look you want. I've spent my career helping people decorate their homes, and I can tell you that lighting is the most important decision you will make for any room. From track lighting on the ceiling to floor lights along the baseboard, this blog will help you choose exactly the right type of lighting to fit your personal style.
Restaurants must be clean and hygienic for the health and safety of both employees and customers. Restrooms are important because hand washing is an essential aspect of safe food preparation and handling. Yet, the uncleanliness of restrooms is one of the most common sources of complaints. Clean restrooms are a delight for customers, but they also help increase revenues. Studies have found that patrons will leave a restaurant sooner than they planned if the restrooms are unclean. And it's not just dirt that customers are concerned about—odors are a big deal, too.
If you want to improve the cleanliness in your restaurant, here are some tips to help your staff clean and sanitize bathrooms quickly, efficiently and frequently in order to meet the expectations of your customers.
Establish a restroom maintenance routine.
Empty toilet paper dispensers, soap dispensers and paper towel dispensers often frustrate patrons. Studies have shown that 84 percent of customers equate empty toilet paper dispensers with dissatisfaction, and 83 percent felt the same way about wet surfaces. Most restaurants have employees that clean the bathrooms in the mornings and at night, but they're often ignored the rest of the time, resulting in unhappy patrons.
Task a couple of employees with checking the bathrooms every 30 minutes to replenish supplies and wipe down wet surfaces. During rush periods, such as lunch and dinnertime, increase the frequency to every 15 minutes.
Keep the cleaning tools together.
When cleaning a restroom, you only have a few minutes to get in and out without inconveniencing your patrons. Keeping your tools together allows you to get in and out quickly. Place the mop in the mop bucket, and put the toilet bowl brush, gloves, disinfectants and other restroom cleaning supplies in a caddy. Bathroom cleaning supplies should only be used in the restroom to prevent cross-contamination with other areas in the restaurant.
Start with the toilets.
You should start with the toilets first for two reasons. First, you don't want to have to touch dirty toilets after you've cleaned the sink, faucets, door knobs and switches because then you'd have to clean those again. Work from the back of the bathroom, and move forward. Second, the toilets are generally the most unpleasant task, so tackling them first means its downhill from there.
Start by spraying or squirting some toilet bowl cleaner into the bowl. While you let the cleaner soak in, restock the toilet paper dispenser, and wipe down the flush mechanism, the tank, the walls and the toilet seat. Finally, lift the seat, swish the brush around in the bowl to scrub it clean and wipe down the rim under the seat. You'll have a sparkling clean toilet in just a few minutes.
Wipe down the sinks.
Next, move to the sinks. After restocking the paper towels (if applicable), wipe down the mirrors, paper towel dispensers, hand dryers, faucets and sinks. Make sure you wipe up any soap splatters off the wall or on the sink.
Restock hygiene products.
If your restaurant has vending machines in the bathrooms for selling hygiene products, check them at least once a day to make sure they're well stocked. These should also be wiped down daily when the sinks are cleaned.
Sweep and mop the floors.
Working from the back of the bathroom, sweep and then mop your way to the door. Empty trashcans as you go to make sure you don't have to track up the wet floors with your dirty shoes. Remember to place a "wet floor" sign in front of the door to warn patrons of slippery surfaces. As you leave the room, wipe down light switches and doorknobs to disinfect them.
Using this routine, your restaurant bathroom should be clean and pleasant for any patron who visits your restaurant. If you find that you don't have the staff or resources to keep up with a vigorous restroom maintenance routine, consider hiring a commercial cleaning service for weekly deep cleaning, leaving only the quick pickups to your staff.
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