Domestic Cleaners Kew 5th August 2018

Everybody has experienced that dreadful feeling when you need to use the toilet while outside, especially in places such as fast food restaurants, some of which can have a reputation for smelling and being quite disgusting. But how much of an effect does that have on our experience of a certain establishment? According to a global report taking in 5,000 subjects from places such as France, the UK, Italy, Malaysia and Australia, quite a big one!

The study found that 73% of UK residents say that an unpleasant odour in a bathroom would negatively adversely affect their opinion of a venue, with almost two-thirds stating that a bad smell would actually make them less likely to spend money with the company in question.

Furthermore, according to the study, bad experiences in the washroom can also negatively impact reputation and repeat customers; more than 6/10 said they would be put off a business if it had unpleasant-smelling bathrooms, with almost 25% of workers being embarrassed about a client or visitor using their bathrooms due to their state. It seems that food retail has caught on, with one quarter of those who were asked reporting that cafes, bars and restaurants have cleaner washrooms than their place of work.

Odour in bathrooms is relatively common in many areas, however it still does not fail to make people feel incredibly uncomfortable, with three quarters stating that they felt disgusted when noticing an unpleasant smell, and almost a quarter stating it left them 'fearful of getting sick'. These smells are, by the public, strongly associated with uncleanliness (said 79%), poor hygiene (said 75%), and bacteria (said 60%). This often leads to emotive responses, such as leaving and/or not returning to a restaurant (51%), posting a bad review online (6%), or even complaining to the owner or manager (25%).

Dr. Peter Barratt from Initial Washroom Hygiene added that "our report highlights the significant impact that unpleasant smelling washrooms can have on perceptions of a particular brand - it makes business sense to pay attention to what consumers are saying. While some businesses are still unaware of advances in air care methods, the necessity for effective washroom odour control is easy for businesses to understand."

just over 6 out of 10 believed that air fresheners demonstrate care and concern towards the state of the washrooms in general. Over 40% claimed that the presence of an air freshener will reassure them that the washroom is clean.

Dr. Peter Barratt also stated that "good air care solutions can remove malodorous smells, effectively ‘cleaning’ the air by neutralising the bacteria and fungi that cause bad smells, as well as destroying or masking existing malodour. Good air care also filters, cleans and intelligently fragrances the air – targeting and neutralising airborne microorganisms and odour molecules – so that fragrance particles are not simply concentrated in one area, but leave behind a pleasant, gentle fragrance throughout the washroom."

Even so, just air fresheners will not always be enough. For times such as these, you can call us at 020 8144 7173, email us at enquiries@cleaning-circle.co.uk, visit our website at cleaners in Chiswick for a helping hand or cleaning contract.