A new survey commissioned by Cintas Corp. has found that nearly three-quarters of Americans (74%) say dirty restrooms would cause them to have a negative perception of a business. More than two in three Americans (68%) also say restrooms with empty hand soap, toilet paper, and paper towel dispensers would impact their opinion of a business negatively. The survey of more than 2,000 U.S. adults was conducted online by The Harris Poll.
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“Facility cleanliness has been in the spotlight since the onset of the pandemic and is more important than ever in protecting a business’ reputation,” said John Engel, director of marketing at Cintas. “This survey confirms that a clean and well-stocked restroom is important to any business’ image.”
The survey also found that restroom cleanliness is more likely to impact perceptions of older Americans. For example, more than half (56%) of 18- to 34-year-old Americans say dirty restrooms would cause them to have a negative perception of a business. In comparison, 92% of adults 65 and older would have a negative opinion of a business with dirty restrooms.
Well-stocked and pleasant-smelling restrooms are also more likely to impact older adults’ perceptions of a business compared to younger adults. For example, 58% of 18- to 34-year-old Americans say foul-smelling restrooms would cause them to have a negative perception of a business. In contrast, 86% of adults 65 years of age and older say foul-smelling restrooms would cause them to view a business negatively.
Additionally, more than half of 18- to 34-year-olds (56%) say restrooms with empty hand soap, toilet paper, and paper towel dispensers would cause them to have a negative perception of a business compared to 85% of those 65 years of age and older.
In addition to restroom cleanliness, the survey found other areas of facility maintenance can impact people’s perceptions of a business. Other key findings include:
- More than two-thirds of Americans (68%) say dirty floors would cause them to have a negative perception of a business; and
- More than half of Americans say dirty building entryways (57%), obvious use of dirty mops (56%), dirty windows/exterior glass (51%), and poorly maintained parking lots (51%) would influence their opinion of a business negatively.