How to Clean Around Urinals: Eliminating Buildup, Bacteria, & Stains

March 20, 2025

Did you know that whether or not a restroom is clean has a profound impact on customer satisfaction and retention? A dirty restroom can lead to lost patronage due to poor hygiene, foul odors, and increased complaints. Not to mention they’ll be wondering how clean the rest of your facility is.

Men, we’ve all been there. You’re on a long road trip and need to stop and use the restroom. You finally find a place to stop, only to find the restroom is in rough shape.

Even though high-touch areas like the door handle, sink, and urinal have been cleaned, the floors and walls around the urinal have been neglected and are soiled with urine, leading to bad smells, sticky floors, and bacteria development.

You’re faced with a choice: use the dirty restroom and risk being exposed to illnesses such as diarrhea, norovirus, or respiratory infections from the bacteria, or continue on your trip and hope you find another restroom in better shape–a lose-lose situation.

Why is it Important to Clean Around Urinals?

Over time, urine splashes, mineral buildup, and bacteria can accumulate, leading to persistent odors and sanitation issues.

Even if the main areas of the restroom are cleaned regularly, easily missed or forgotten areas like around the urinal can quickly degrade the quality of your restroom. Let’s examine what left-behind urine residue can lead to:

Bacteria
Foul Odors
Urine Stains

1. Bacteria

Bacteria growth is one of the most concerning issues with an unclean restroom. When restroom surfaces are not disinfected properly, they offer high transmission potential because bacteria can survive on them for longer periods of time and spread through the air when the toilet flushes. This increases the risk of transmission.

2. Foul Odors

A hallmark of the undesirable and unclean restroom, foul odors are often the first thing a patron will notice when entering and can make or break the restroom-using experience. In many cases, a smelly restroom can be enough to deter a return visit to the establishment.

3. Urine Stains

Urine stains are very bad for public restrooms because they create unpleasant odors, indicate poor hygiene, and foster bacteria growth and spread. Not only that, but people find urine stains to be generally off-putting and unhygienic.

Now that we understand the why, let’s quickly discuss the benefits of a clean restroom.

Benefits of a Clean Restroom

A well-maintained restroom goes beyond aesthetics—it directly impacts hygiene, customer satisfaction, and even your business’s reputation. Here are some key benefits of keeping restrooms, including around urinals, clean and sanitary:

Improved Hygiene & Health – Regular cleaning prevents the buildup of bacteria, mold, and other harmful pathogens that can contribute to unpleasant odors and potential health risks.

Odor Control – Eliminating urine splashes and mineral deposits helps prevent lingering smells that can make restrooms unpleasant for employees, customers, and guests.

Enhanced User Experience – A clean, fresh-smelling restroom leaves a positive impression on visitors, whether in a restaurant, office, or commercial facility.

Compliance with Health & Safety Standards – Adhering to proper restroom cleaning protocols helps businesses meet sanitation requirements and avoid health code violations.

Extended Fixture Longevity – Proper cleaning reduces mineral buildup and corrosion, helping urinals, plumbing, and flooring last longer with fewer maintenance issues.

By prioritizing restroom cleanliness, businesses can create a safer, more welcoming environment while minimizing costly maintenance and negative feedback. Next, let’s explore the best practices for effectively cleaning around urinals.

How to Clean Around Urinals

Before you start cleaning, gather the appropriate supplies:

Supplies Needed:

Microfiber Cloths
Towels
Wet Floor Signs
Restroom Closed Signs
PPE (goggles, gloves, etc.)

Materials Needed:

Enzyme-Based Urine Cleaning Chemical
Foaming Disinfectant

Tools Needed:

Scrub or Grout Brush

Equipment Needed:

Air Mover

Always Wear PPE

Always begin any cleaning or maintenance procedure by putting on the necessary personal protective equipment. When cleaning around urinals, safety goggles, gloves, long-sleeved clothing, closed-toe shoes, and shoe covers should be worn to protect yourself.

Now let’s dive into the steps you need to follow for cleaning around urinals:

Your Step-By-Step Guide to Clean Around Urinals

Follow these steps for daily cleaning around urinals to keep your restroom in top shape:

Set Out “Restroom Closed” Signage
Use an Enzyme-Based Cleaner
Apply a Foaming Disinfectant
Dry the Area

1. Set Out “Restroom Closed” Signage

Before you start cleaning, it is important that the area is effectively prepped to make sure cleaning staff can do their job effectively.

Set out ”Restroom Closed” signage so that no one comes into the restroom while it is being cleaned. Outside entry could lead to someone slipping or being exposed to harsh chemicals.

2. Use an Enzyme-Based Cleaner

It’s time to begin cleaning. Start by spraying on an enzyme-based cleaner, which is the key to breaking down urine proteins. These proteins are the source of the urine smell you’ll find in the restroom. Using this type of cleaner will eliminate the smell at its source instead of simply masking it.

Spray the cleaner on, scrub it in with a scrub or grout brush, and then give it time to work before wiping it away with a microfiber cloth. Refer to the chemical’s label or SDS for recommended dwell times.

For stubborn urine stains or buildup, repeat this step as many times as needed.

3. Apply a Foaming Disinfectant

Next comes disinfecting. Choose a foaming disinfectant as the foam will cling to walls and other vertical surfaces, increasing dwell time and disinfection efficacy.

Spray the cleaner directly onto the area, allow it to foam and rest for your chemical’s recommended dwell time, then wipe away with a microfiber cloth. Rinse the area thoroughly with clean water to remove any cleaner residue.

Pro Tip: Make sure you’ve given your enzyme-based cleaner enough dwell time to work before applying your disinfectant. The disinfectant will also neutralize the enzymes in your cleaner if applied too soon.

4. Dry the Area

Now that the area has been cleaned and disinfected, we need to make sure it is completely dry before it is ready to be used again.

There are 3 ways to do this:

Dry it by hand with clean towels. Very fast drying, but manual labor is required. Not suitable for large areas. Make sure that your recommended dwell time has been met before drying if you choose to go this way.
Allow the area to air dry. Although this is the easiest way to dry, as nothing but drying time is required, it also takes the longest of these 3 methods.
Bring in an air mover. Our recommended method, this allows the area to dry quickly and without any additional elbow grease.

Challenges of Cleaning Around Urinals

In addition to being a commonly missed or forgotten area, keeping up with cleaning around urinals can be a logistical challenge. Here are some things to watch out for to make sure your restroom is as clean and hygienic as it needs to be for its users:

Urine Splash & Buildup
Hard-to-Reach Areas
Mineral Deposits
Bacteria & Biofilm

1. Urine Splash & Buildup

Over time, if left unmanaged, urine can accumulate around and underneath the urinal, leading to stains, odors, and bacterial growth. In order to combat urine splashing and buildup, change urinal screens and blocks regularly and complete daily and weekly cleaning regimens with cleaning chemicals designed to break down urine proteins.

2. Hard-to-Reach Areas

Because the space around urinals can be quite narrow, it can be difficult to clean properly. Do your best and pay special attention to this and other hard-to-reach areas to achieve a complete clean. Apply a foaming disinfectant as these will cling to the vertical surface and increase the chemical’s effectiveness.

3. Mineral Deposits

Urine contains uric acid, which can cause scaling and stubborn urine stains, especially in areas with hard water. Your best weapon against mineral deposits is dwell time; apply your enzyme-based urine cleaning chemical and give it time to work before wiping it away.

4. Bacteria & Biofilm

Restrooms tend to be warm and damp–the perfect environment for promoting bacteria and biofilm growth. In addition to regular cleaning and disinfecting, make sure your restroom is well ventilated. This will also help with odor control.

Quick Tips for Clean Urinals

Here are some quick tips to make cleaning around urinals easier to manage and much more efficient:

Check and replace urinal screens and blocks regularly: These help reduce splash and maintain freshness.
Use a foaming nozzle: This improves coverage and dwell time, especially in vertical and hard-to-reach areas.
Apply cleaners and let them work: Give chemicals a chance to break down stains and buildup by waiting for their recommended dwell time before wiping.
Install splash guards: These reduce urine splatter around the urinal.
Encourage proper aim: Signage or urinal screens with a target design can help reduce splashback.
Make sure your restroom is well ventilated: This will mitigate moisture, bacteria growth, and foul odors.

Preventative Maintenance for Hygienic Restrooms

In addition to regular cleaning and disinfecting, there are some steps you can take to maintain the quality of your restroom and make cleaning it even easier:

Seal the Floor & Wall Joints: This prevents urine from seeping into the grout lines and baseboards, which are much more difficult to clean.
Use Odor Neutralizing Urinal Mats: These catch and trap urine drips and splashes before they can reach the floor.
Regular inspections: Check for leaks, clogged drains, or broken flushing mechanisms that can contribute to increased moisture.

Final Thoughts

Public restrooms, particularly those with urinals, often suffer from poor hygiene due to neglected cleaning of hard-to-reach areas like the floors and walls around urinals. Even when high-touch areas like sinks and handles are regularly sanitized, residual urine buildup can lead to foul odors, bacteria growth, and unsightly stains.

This not only creates an unpleasant restroom experience but also poses health risks, including exposure to bacteria that can cause diarrhea, norovirus, and respiratory infections. Proper maintenance is essential to ensure cleanliness, prevent odor accumulation, and maintain a hygienic environment for restroom users.

To effectively clean around urinals, a step-by-step process should be followed. It starts with prepping the area, including setting up Restroom Closed signs and wearing appropriate PPE. An enzyme-based cleaner should be applied to break down urine proteins, followed by a foaming disinfectant to eliminate bacteria.

Once the area is scrubbed and rinsed, drying methods like air movers or towels should be used to ensure complete dryness.

Additional challenges include urine splash buildup, hard-to-reach areas, mineral deposits, and biofilm growth, all of which require regular attention and preventative measures.

Installing splash guards, replacing urinal screens frequently, ensuring proper ventilation, and sealing floor joints can help maintain a cleaner restroom and reduce future maintenance.

By combining daily maintenance with deep cleaning and preventative measures, you can effectively remove stains, buildup, and bacteria while extending the life of flooring and fixtures.

If you are located in the United States, Canada, or Puerto Rico, there is an Imperial Dade facility near you with experts that can help you implement a deep cleaning or preventative maintenance schedule. Make sure your facility has spotless restrooms by reaching out to an Imperial Dade expert today.