cleanthoughts The Dirty Fingernails Of The Restroom Soiled grout lines are the restroom equivalent to having dirt underneath your fingernails. Publisher Micah Ogburn [email protected] Editorial Director Rich DiPaolo [email protected] Managing Editor Aaron Baunee [email protected] (518) 640-9177 (516) 404-4532 (518) 640-9167 Assistant Editor Amanda Martini-Hughes [email protected] (518) 640-9168 Account Executives Susan Pierce [email protected] Matt Moberg [email protected] Art Director Marty Harris [email protected] Graphic Designer Justin Lancaster [email protected] Director of Business Operations Michael Perkins [email protected] (518) 640-9156 Ad Materials Manager Rebecca Wilson [email protected] W When I cross the threshold and enter a public restroom, I am often appalled by what I see. While some suffer unwarranted fears about these human waste transfer sta-tions, others are simply displeased by their unkempt nature. I am not suggesting that all public rest-rooms are filthy, but I’m certainly not claiming that they all smell like roses either. I have been wholly impressed by the meticulousness of a select few custodial professionals who mind the details of rest-room cleanliness. But, for the most part, there is a com-mon theme with the restrooms I see: Soiled grout lines. It might not be apparent at first glance, but after more scrutinous observation of a given restroom over time, it becomes clear that the porous mortar binding each indi-vidual ceramic tile is not as bright and clean as it once was. While there are numerous reasons for this — infrequent cleaning, dirty cleaning solution, improper techniques, insufficient equipment, etc. — the end result is nearly constant: Malodors. The single largest source of complaints from building occupants and cleaning staffs alike is restroom odors. They can permeate from other areas like around fixtures or inside floor drains, but offense restroom odors tend to be traceable to grout lines harboring odor-causing germs and bacteria. The solution is simple in theory but rather difficult in practice; the key to minimizing odors from bacterial off-gassing is to keep the grout lines clean and not allow microor-ganisms to replicate. lines in their restrooms, yet fail to deliver the necessary training, education, tools and equipment. By no means am I claiming that the solu-tion is simple — if it was, I would likely be ranting about something else. I am, however, making an inference to the solvable nature of the issue by estab-lishing and following protocol and utilizing the equipment and chemicals specifically designed, engineered and formulated to address soiled grout lines. I’m not offering a step-by-step guide to follow, but I will make a handful of points that can assist in your efforts to maintain clean grout lines. 1. Apply a hydrogen peroxide or similar oxidizing cleaner to the floor and allow it to dwell 2. After mopping, scrubbing or other-wise agitating, completely remove all soils and moisture with a squeegee or the suction of a spray-and-vacuum machine 3. Some grout lines might be too dirty or damaged and require complete remov-al and replacement or dyeing to hide stains 4. Once the grout lines are clean and dry — and any new grout lines have been laid and damaged areas fixed — apply a sealer so that soils are unable to pen-etrate the impermeable coating 5. Once grout lines are cleaned and sealed, adhere to daily cleaning proce-dures to maintain their appearance. CM (256) 715-0342 (518) 640-9172 (518) 640-9164 Editorial, Advertising & Publishing Offices NTP Media, division of 19BritishAmericanBlvdWest•Latham,NY12110-6405 (518) 783-1281 FAX: (518) 783-1386 Subscription Questions or Inquiries Toll Free (866) 721-4807 Outside U.S. (847) 763-1867 or e-mail [email protected] Subscribe / Renew / Change of Address: http://www.CMMOnline.com/Subscribe Canada Post: Publications Mail Agreement #40612608 Canada Returns to be sent to: Bleuchip International, P.O. Box 25542, London, ON N6C 6B2 Corporate General Manager Barry Lovette [email protected] Vice President of Operations [email protected] Brent Kizzire Chief Marketing Officer, Publishing Services Group [email protected] Hank Brown Vice President of Business Publishing [email protected] Tracy Aston-Martin Vice President of Finance [email protected] Brad Youngblood Director of New Business Development [email protected] Matt Gallinger Group Director of Circulation & Fulfillment [email protected] Delicia Poole Circulation Manager Anna Hicks Circulation Analyst Lindsay Cook [email protected] [email protected] Editorial Advisory Board: Benjamin Tanner, Antimicrobial Test Laboratories; Bill McGarvey, Phillip Rosenau Company; Darrel Hicks, St. Luke’s Hospital; David Holly, The Ashkin Group; Kathleen Stanton, American Cleaning Institute (ACI); Jeff Cross, Cleanfax magazine; Russell Kendzior, National Floor Safety Institute (NFSI). Provide The Solution Building owners, custodial supervisors and facilities managers all insist that their work-ers strive to achieve clean, odor-free grout Aaron Baunee, managing editor Send comments or thoughts on this topic or any other article that appears in CM/Cleaning & Maintenance Management ® magazine, to [email protected]. CM/Cleaning & Maintenance Management Online™ Service at www.CMMOnline.com 4 CM/Cleaning & Maintenance Management ® • March 2013
CMM – Archives Mar 2013: 4
