Public Reaction to Unclean Restrooms

Study Shows that Majority of Americans Don’t Trust Businesses with Dirty Restrooms

How clean are your restrooms? While some businesses may not put much thought (or effort!) into the cleanliness of their public bathrooms, their customers frequently do.

In fact, according to a recent survey, 56% of Americans said that they probably wouldn’t go back to a business if they encountered an unclean bathroom.

Most people have a bad restroom story. And those stories aren’t something they forget. One incident can be retold hundreds (if not thousands) of times, doing tremendous harm to a business’s reputation. Perhaps more importantly, where 20 years ago this harm might have been limited to word of mouth, today it can be immortalized on review sites like Yelp. What could that mean for your business? If you work in the food services industry, it might make people doubt the sanitary conditions in other areas of your business.

The same survey noted that 88% of respondents believed that the condition of a restroom gave some indication as to the condition of the kitchen. In other words, your dirty restroom might lead customers to believe you have a dirty kitchen.

Customers are reportedly becoming more conscious about these kinds of issues. When the survey was conducted in 2015, 60% of respondents reported having an unpleasant bathroom experience. The 2017 edition noted that the number had jumped to 70% of respondents. So while you may be ignoring the state of your restroom, your customers are increasingly paying attention.

The good news is, it’s not just a matter of getting caught doing something wrong. Customers also tend to notice when your facilities are clean. 70% of Americans report that they have consciously selected certain businesses because their bathrooms were cleaner and better maintained.

Likewise, customers have preferences about restroom fixtures. Because of concerns about germs being transmitted by touching handles, most customers favor touch-less lavatory fixtures. Both men and women go out of their way to avoid certain fixtures, such as using their foot to operate a flusher.

Restroom maintenance should be taken seriously. The condition of your bathrooms clearly affects your customers’ perception of your facility and, even if there isn’t anything wrong with the other parts of your business, customers will believe there are other problems.

No matter your industry, well-kept restrooms are an important investment which, if nothing else, can prevent damage to your reputation.

How do you know for sure what cleaning solutions are best for keeping your particular restroom clean? Let a Johnston expert conduct a complimentary site visit and assessment so you’ll know for sure.

Johnston partners with its cleaning service customers, performing a site audit where we will come into your facility and make custom recommendations. We then can support those recommendations by measuring and monitoring your success on an ongoing basis.

With a variety of straightforward and effective cleaning products, Johnston will work with you to ensure your ability to keep your restrooms clean and reflecting the best look for your company will always be fully met.

Image matters, and Johnston is committed to making sure your image is kept professional – and pristine.

Reach out to us and let’s learn what solutions we can customize for you! Visit our Contact page today.

About Johnston

Johnston has always stood for reliability, commitment, quality, and service. Our heritage means years of accumulated industry knowledge, the ability to see the bigger picture, and the know-how to determine the best possible approach. Combining this mastery with the drive to deliver exceptional results, Johnston goes beyond sales, developing strategic, end-to-end tailored solutions for each customer since 1881.

Contact a Johnston expert today!

See what solutions we can customize for you.

Call us at 800-800-7123 or visit our Contact page.