CM/Spotlight: Restroom Care Dingy Grout — By: Phillip Lawless Phillip Lawless is Editor of Cleaning & Maintenance Management magazine; he can be reached at PLawless@ GrandViewMedia.com. A graduate of the University of Alabama at Birmingham, Lawless has over 13 years of professional writing and editing experience. Out! Retiring restroom grout discoloration using modern equipment and methods. You’re S for more info Visit www.cmmonline.com and type in search keyword: Tile Floor . For more information on related products, visit www.cmmonline.com , select BUYERS’ GUIDE from the main navigation bar, and enter keyword: Restroom . Sure, everyone uses them, but these rooms are rarely discussed in “polite” company. Restrooms, loos, powder rooms, water closets, latrines — no matter the name, at least one of these needed spaces can be found in 99 percent of public buildings. Inside each of these restrooms, there will be at least one troublesome cleaning challenge that in-dustrious JanSan workers must conquer. From soiled floors to contaminated surfaces, from funky toilets to overflowing garbage cans, high-use restrooms frequently require the lion’s share of a cleaner’s time and attention. This is especially true today, as orderly rest-rooms have proven to be an important indicator when it comes to public perception and comfort. When nature calls, no one wants use a public restroom that looks like a natural disaster, and few things can affect a customer’s or visitor’s opinion of a business or public space as much as dirty, unkempt restrooms. One of the most common restroom challenges can be found beneath a user’s feet — tainted tiles and grungy grout. Most grout found on floors and walls is porous, and acting as a sponge for bacteria and moisture, it absorbs contaminants and presents a consider-able cleaning challenge. “Dirt accumulates in the grout lines, liquids soak into the grout lines, both create unsightly and od-iferous situations,” says Bill McGarvey, director of training and sustainability for the Philip Rosenau 12 CM/Cleaning & Maintenance Management ® • October 2013
CMM – Archives October 2013: 12
