If you don’t clean them, then everyone suffers. Yep, you guessed it. We are talking about portable restrooms. They are no different from any other restroom, so they require regularly scheduled maintenance to function properly.
It’s not as simple as grabbing some bleach and a sponge. Cleaning a portable restroom goes beyond standard bathroom cleaning. If you’ve ever wondered how maintenance crews handle porta-potty cleaning, then continue reading for the answer.
Stick With a Routine
First and foremost, you must stick with a routine. If you have recently purchased Floods Royal Flush portable restrooms for your construction site, you need to clean them out once a week. No exceptions!
There might be moments when your portable restrooms require more than a weekly cleaning. A twice-a-week cleaning and maintenance check can only help improve the performance and atmosphere of the porta-potty. The important thing to remember is to never more than a week without cleaning your portable restrooms.
Neglecting to clean porta-potties can result in severe consequences like malfunction of the portable restroom and bacteria build-up. We’ll give you a more detailed run-down on those different types of bacteria later. Make sure you have scheduled weekly maintenance and cleaning appointments with us for your portable restrooms.
Cleaning Steps
Now for the fun part. The actual maintenance of a portable restroom happens in four parts. Each one is equally as important as the last. It’s vital that these points happen in a sequenced order, and nothing gets glanced over. At Floods Royal Flush, we make sure we follow these steps down to the last detail.
Evacuate
Nothing can get cleaned without a proper evacuation first. You must get rid of the waste before moving forward with the other steps. Effectively evacuate the waste by removing it from the holding tank. We insert a vacuum hose inside the toilet’s opening. That hose sucks away all the waste and stores it inside a secure container.
You won’t need to concern yourself with transportation because the container is attached to a truck that will whisk the problem away. We are very environmentally conscious, so after we collect the waste, we dispose of it properly.
Charge
Next up is charging the unit. Charging simply gets it ready for usage again. That blue water you see normally see inside porta-potties is the additives professionals use to properly charge the unit. The formula helps to keep the toilet sanitary and smelling fresh.
It’s important to clean these restrooms weekly because after so long, the blue additives lose their effectiveness, and the odor from the porta-potty will seep outside. Luckily, the chemical lasts a full week, so you don’t need to worry about additional services. If an emergency does occur, feel free to schedule an appointment with us.
The blue chemical compound in porta-potties is environmentally safe, but still strong enough to break down toilet paper and waste. However, this does not mean you can abuse the toilet. Only dispose of toilet paper. Any other products or materials belong in the garbage.
Scrub
Now, it’s time to clean the interior of the portable restroom. You probably know that portable restrooms go through a lot. Whether you have purchased them for an event, festival, or construction site, all situations require a thorough and deep cleaning.
Pay special attention to the interior walls and joints inside the unit. These are the areas with the most contact, and we all know how fast germs can spread. Instead of waiting for your weekly scheduled maintenance and cleaning, feel free to give these areas a brief wipe down every other day or daily.
During the deep cleaning, our technicians will inspect, scrub, wash, and wipe the walls, toilet, and any other high-contact surfaces. Our chemicals will eliminate any lingering bacteria and foul odors.
Restock
Last but certainly not least, we restock the unit for you. After a week of usage, you’re bound to run low on amenities, namely toilet paper. We stock you up with plenty of amenities to last until our next maintenance visit, and that means more than just toilet paper.
If you purchase our porta-potty rentals in Chicago, do yourself a favor and get our hand sanitizer stations, too! On our maintenance visit, we’ll also cater to the sanitizer station and refill it to ensure everyone can properly clean their hands after using the restroom.
If you get a handwashing station, we’ll also perform maintenance for these contraptions and leave you with plenty of napkins and paper towels.
Porta Potty Consequences
Earlier, we mentioned there are severe consequences if portable restrooms do not get the weekly cleaning they require. There are about five major illnesses people can contract from portable restrooms that do not receive proper maintenance.
Norovirus
This virus causes diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, and stomach pains. Needless to say, it’s not something anyone wants. Victims can expect to see these symptoms about 12 to 48 hours after being exposed.
Salmonella
This bacterium thrives on more than raw or undercooked chicken. You can get infected from an unclean restroom, too, which is why it’s vital to clean and maintain porta-potties weekly. Symptoms for a salmonella infection look similar to norovirus, along with a fever, loss of appetite, and a headache.
Shigellosis
Infection from shigella bacteria causes pain in the rectal area. Symptoms are sudden cramping, fever, nausea, diarrhea, vomiting, and bloody stool, hence the pain.
Hepatitis A
The Hepatitis A virus, or HAV, is scary enough. Most people know the damage of this virus. It can cause liver disease, and symptoms might not show up until 15 days after infection. They will look like a fever, stomach pains, dark urine, and yellow eyes and skin.
Influenza
The influenza virus has an infamous reputation and needs no introduction. The symptoms are similar to a cold but can escalate to bronchitis or pneumonia if untreated.
We think we’ve made our point. You cannot neglect your portable restrooms under any circumstances. Our maintenance crews properly handle porta-potty cleaning, so schedule an appointment with us today. For more information visit our website.
