Watch Your Step: 93 Percent of Americans Cite Dirty or Sticky Floors as the Number One Indicator of

Watch Your Step: 93 Percent of Americans Cite Dirty or Sticky Floors as the Number One Indicator of a Dirty Restroom

- Dirty floors, unflushed toilets and odor top list of what contributes to users' perception of a dirty restroom -

CINCINNATI--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- 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 (NAS: 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:

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.

Photos/Multimedia Gallery Available:http://www.businesswire.com/multimedia/home/20130812005839/en/

Mulberry Marketing Communications
Jennifer Petersen, 312-664-1532
jpetersen@mulberrymc.com

KEYWORDS: United States North America Ohio

INDUSTRY KEYWORDS:

The article Watch Your Step: 93 Percent of Americans Cite Dirty or Sticky Floors as the Number One Indicator of a Dirty Restroom originally appeared on Fool.com.

Try any of our Foolish newsletter services free for 30 days. We Fools may not all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

Copyright © 1995 - 2013 The Motley Fool, LLC. All rights reserved. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.