If you own a restaurant, a retail store, or any other such location that requires a large washroom for many customers, something that you might be considering is getting waterless urinals. Waterless urinals are of course great because they help save a whole lot of water and therefore money too. They’re both cost-effective and eco-friendly.
Now with that said, they do still come with problems and need to be cleaned and maintained, which is exactly what we are here to explain right now.
How to Clean Waterless Urinals
The good thing about waterless urinals is that they’re actually extremely easy to clean.
You might think that they would require a whole lot more cleaning due to the fact that they don’t have water. However, the exact opposite is actually the case. Cleaning a waterless urinal can be done in a few simple steps, outlined below.
Step 1: Flush with Water
The first thing that you want to do here is to take a bucket of hot water and pour it down the urinal. It doesn’t have to be extremely hot water and you don’t have to put any soap in it either. Just something to wash down any excess urine that there may be leftover in the main compartment of the urinal.
Step 2: Spray with an Antimicrobial Cleaner
What is really important to note with waterless urinals is that you cannot use any kind of abrasive cleaner on them. You cannot use any core sponges and you also cannot use any harsh cleaners. Anything harsh or abrasive may damage the interior coating of the urinal and thus cause little cracks to form, which can then harbor smelly bacteria.
Improper cleaning of waterless urinals is, ironically, the number one cause of them getting dirty and smelly. What you want to do here is to get yourself an antimicrobial cleaner, a special kind of spray that uses enzymes to break down bacteria that cause odors.
Once you have your product of choice, simply spray the whole urinal from top to bottom with a generous amount of the solution.
Step 3: Wipe and Rinse
Once you have sprayed the urinal with the antimicrobial cleaner, take a very soft microfiber cloth and wipe down the interior, just to remove anything that might be stuck on as well as any urine stains.
You can now use some more hot water to flush down the rest of the debris and antimicrobial cleaner.
Step 4: Wipe the Outside
All you have to do now is to clean the exterior of the urinal. It might be a good idea to clean the floor under the urinal as well because as you know, men don’t always have the best aim.
Simply spray the exterior of the urinal as well as the floor underneath with that same antimicrobial cleaner, and then use a fresh microfiber cloth to wipe everything away.
Your waterless urinal should now be clean.
How to Maintain Waterless Urinals
OK, so in case you didn’t know, waterless urinals work by using a special gel or liquid that is much lighter than urine. When urine hits that gel, the urine is displaced and actually sinks under the gel. In other words, that gel forces the urine down the pipes and into the sewer. So, as you can guess, this gel or liquid does need to be replaced every so often.
In case you were wondering, depending on how often the urinals are used, the trap or the liquid inside of it may need to be replaced two to four times per year.
Moreover, what is also important to note is that this gel or liquid comes inside of a cartridge. Therefore, as you can probably guess, it is this cartridge or the trap as a whole that needs to be replaced, not just the liquid. Thankfully, these cartridges tend to be fairly affordable.
Follow the steps outlined below to change the cartridge in your waterless urinal.
Step 1: Use the Provided Tool
When you bought your waterless urinals, you should have received a special metal tool designed specifically to remove the urinal’s trap. According to the manufacturer’s instructions, use this metal tool and remove the trap. Generally, all you have to do is insert the tool into the trap and then use a gentle back and forth wiggling motion to pull it out.
Step 2: Drain the Trap
Once you have removed the trap from the waterless urinal, turn it around and drain any excess liquid that is still inside of it. Yes, there is going to be a bit of urine in it, so you may want to wear some rubber gloves when performing this task.
Step 3: Flush the Line
You will want to flush any remaining debris or sediment down the tubes, so get yourself a bucket of boiling hot water and pour it down the waterless urinal. Keep in mind that the trap needs to be removed while you do this.
Step 4: Insert the New Trap
What you need to do now is to insert a new trap or cartridge. Once you have the proper cartridge for the waterless urinal in question and you have inserted it back into place, fill it with anywhere from 11 to 13 ounces of water and between 2.5 to 3.5 ounces of the sealant gel or liquid. Exactly how much water and gel you will need to insert to the travel depend on the exact waterless urinal and the cartridge in question.
Mistakes to Avoid, Tips & Tricks
While the above should give you a good idea of what you will need to do to keep your waterless urinal clean and operational, below are some additional tips:
- This can be a really dirty job, so wearing rubber gloves is definitely recommended.
- Remember that you need to clean the underside and the floor under the urinal, as these areas are often covered in urine.
- Never use any kind of harsh cleaner or abrasive sponge on the interior of a waterless urinal as this will cause damage that will lead to increased maintenance and cleaning requirements.
- Always make sure that you use the right kind of waterless urinal gel or liquid for the job at hand.
Summary
There you have it. As you can see, cleaning and maintaining a waterless urinal is extremely fast and easy, much faster and easier than doing so for a normal urinal.