We find that one of the most common misconceptions surrounding waterless urinals is the fact that all waterless urinals smell. This may have stemmed from a previous experience with a poorly maintained waterless urinal, or idea that they “must smell” since they do not flush.
The truth is, yes, waterless urinals can smell – but the cause of this is always down to the fact they are not being cleaned and cared for properly, which in truth applies as much to flushing urinals as it does to waterless urinals.
Why Do Waterless Urinals Smell?
The problem is often caused because waterless urinals need to be cleaned in a different way from a traditional flushing urinal. In fact, if you clean a waterless urinal in the same manner as a traditional flushing one, you will actually cause it damage, so, for this reason, your cleaning staff must be correctly educated in the cleaning process.
People often worry that if water isn’t regularly flushed through the bowl, it becomes less hygienic and therefore will start to smell – but in reality, it is the complete opposite. Every time you flush a urinal the limescale in the water starts to build up an absorbent layer in the urinal bowl, which is a prime area for bacteria to grow and smells to develop. But with the correct cleaning and maintenance, this will not be an issue for the waterless urinal.
In fact, one of the major benefits of a waterless urinal – aside from the cost and water-saving element – is how simple they are to clean in comparison to their flushing counterparts, as long as a few simple rules are followed:
Do Not Put Water Down a Waterless Urinal
Often, cleaners will have the temptation to ‘flush the system’ with a bucket of water or to use a urinal to dispose of a bucket of dirty water, but it is critical that no water goes into the waterless urinal. When water and urine meet, a chemical reaction takes place where the uric acid found in urine starts to solidify when it meets water, which can cause blockages and damages the pipework.
It only takes a small amount of water to mix with urine to cause this reaction, and without a constant flush of water trying to clear the deposit, they will continue to grow and block your urinals, which will also cause an issue with odour.
Use the Correct Cleaning Materials
As we mentioned above, our waterless urinals are easier to clean than their traditional counterparts, thanks to our SteriKleen spray. The urinals do not require an intensive cleaning programme; they simply need to be sprayed once a day (or twice if required) and then left, without the need for scrubbing or wiping. Due to the active enzymes contained within our SteriKleen spray, any bacteria on the urinal are “eaten”, along with any associated odours.
Our systems also use SteriKleer pods which are simply dropped into the pipes to lubricate and break down any calcium deposits that we previously mentioned, keeping both the pipes clear and the odours at bay.
Do Not Scrub the Urinal Bowl
Due to the nature of the SteriKleen spray, once it is sprayed onto the bowl, it needs to be left so the active enzymes can eat away at the bacteria. For this reason, the bowl mustn’t be scrubbed during cleaning as would normally happen with a traditional system. If the bowl is scrubbed, this disturbs the enzymes, meaning they will not be able to perform as they should, which will result in the cleaning not occurring properly and therefore odours are more likely to develop.
Correct Care Will Not Cause Odours
If you are investing in a waterless urinal system, it is important that you also educate and train your staff correctly, so that your urinals will be cared for correctly – if you take the correct steps to clean your systems, they will not smell.
You need to ensure that the critical message of care is relayed to your cleaning staff, so they are aware of the importance of correctly looking after the urinals. The good news is, as we mentioned previously, the cleaning process for the waterless urinals is much less strenuous and time-consuming – so even more cost savings!