From negative online reviews to lost customers, many businesses
understand the potential impact of a dirty restroom, but a recent poll
conducted by Cintas Corporation (NASDAQ: CTAS) highlights what
contributes to a user’s perception of a dirty restroom. The survey,
conducted online by Harris Interactive from July 11-15, 2013 among 3,130
adults ages 18 and older, revealed 93 percent of respondents would
consider a public restroom as dirty if it had dirty or sticky floors.
Respondents also noted that un-flushed toilets (90 percent), odor (89
percent) and overflowing trash cans (88 percent) would also make them
perceive a public restroom as dirty.
“Consumers have a choice where they do business, and oftentimes, the
difference between a dirty and clean restroom can cause them to take
their business elsewhere,” said Dave Mesko, Senior Director of
Marketing, Cintas Corporation. “This research helps businesses
understand what factors contribute to the perception of a dirty
restroom, such as the lack of essential supplies, so they can focus on
neglected areas and better meet users’ expectations.”
Survey respondents identified the following restroom issues as
contributors to a dirty restroom:
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Paper towels or toilet paper on the floor
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80 %
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Lack of toilet paper
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67 %
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Empty soap dispensers
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55 %
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Water around the sink area
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42 %
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Old or outdated soap dispensers
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29 %
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In addition, respondents cited broken doors or toilet seats, dim
lighting, graffiti, dirty fixtures, soiled toilet seats and water or
urine on the floors as contributors to a dirty restroom.
Not surprisingly, women were more sensitive to restroom issues than men,
with 96 percent of women citing dirty floors as a contributor to a dirty
restroom compared to 90 percent of men. Older people were also more
likely to cite issues in the restroom compared to younger people
surveyed. For example, 94 percent of adults aged 55 and older indicated
that odor contributed to their perception of a dirty restroom, compared
to 83 percent of adults aged 18-34.
One of the more surprising findings in the survey was how the presence
of children impacted respondents’ answers. Overall, parents seemed more
desensitized to restroom issues than their childless counterparts. For
example, 71 percent of respondents without children identified the lack
of toilet paper as an indicator of a dirty restroom, compared to 59
percent of respondents with children. In addition, 59 percent of
respondents without children identified empty soap dispensers as an
indicator of a dirty restroom, compared to 46 percent of parents.
“Without a comprehensive restroom maintenance program that includes deep
cleaning, protecting against issues such as odor, and maintaining
restroom surfaces and dispensers with essential supplies, tools and
chemicals, businesses will routinely come up short when it comes to
meeting the expectations of its users,” added Mesko. “While each
facility has different needs based on traffic flow and types of users,
we hope this research will better enable them to define a maintenance
program that prevents users from going elsewhere.”
For more information about Cintas’ solutions for improving restroom
cleanliness and essential restroom supplies, visit www.cintas.com/facilityservices.
Survey Methodology
This survey was conducted online within the United States by Harris
Interactive on behalf of Cintas from July 11-15, 2013 among 3,130 adults
ages 18 and older. This online survey is not based on a probability
sample and therefore no estimate of theoretical sampling error can be
calculated. For complete survey methodology, including weighting
variables, please contact Jennifer Petersen at 312-664-1532 or via
e-mail at jpetersen@mulberrymc.com.
About Cintas Corporation:
Headquartered in Cincinnati, Cintas Corporation provides highly
specialized services to businesses of all types primarily throughout
North America. Cintas designs, manufactures and implements corporate
identity uniform programs, and provides entrance mats, restroom cleaning
and supplies, tile and carpet cleaning, promotional products, first aid,
safety, fire protection products and services and document management
services for more than 1 million businesses. Cintas is a publicly held
company traded over the Nasdaq Global Select Market under the symbol
CTAS and is a component of the Standard & Poor’s 500 Index.
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