Cintas Commissioned Survey Confirms Dirty Restrooms Impact Americans’ Perception of a Business

CINCINNATI – A new survey commissioned by Cintas Corporation (Nasdaq: CTAS) 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.

“Facility cleanliness has been in the spotlight since the onset of the pandemic and is more important than ever in protecting a business’s reputation,” said John Engel, Director of Marketing, Cintas. “This survey confirms that a clean and well-stocked restroom is important to any business’s 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 18-34-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
• 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.

From restroom deep cleaning to disinfectant and sanitizer spray services to mat services, Cintas offers a variety of services to help businesses meet their customers’ expectations around facility cleanliness. For more information about Cintas facility services, visit cintas.com/facilityservices.

About Cintas Corporation 

Cintas Corporation helps more than one million businesses of all types and sizes get Ready™ to open their doors with confidence every day by providing products and services that help keep their customers’ facilities and employees clean, safe, and looking their best. With offerings including uniforms, mats, mops, restroom supplies, first aid and safety products, safety training, fire extinguishers, sprinkler systems and alarm service, Cintas helps customers get Ready for the Workday®. The company is also the creator of the Total Clean Program™ — a first-of-its-kind service that includes scheduled delivery of essential cleaning supplies, hygienically clean laundering, and sanitizing and disinfecting products and services. Headquartered in Cincinnati, Cintas is a publicly held Fortune 500 company traded over the Nasdaq Global Select Market under the symbol CTAS and is a component of both the Standard & Poor’s 500 Index and Nasdaq-100 Index.