Public restrooms are usually cleaned by municipal agencies or private companies contracted by local governments. Often the person charged with cleaning the public restroom will use a checklist to ensure that no task is left undone. While checklist items will vary according to the facilities and local requirements, a number of tasks are common to most lists.

Clean Sinks and Countertops

Maintenance people should spray the sink and all countertops with antibacterial disinfectant and then wipe the surfaces down with a wet paper towel, which should then be disposed of.

Disinfect The Toilet

Any fecal matter or other obvious stains on the toilet bowl should be wiped off or scrubbed out. The toilets should then be sprayed with disinfectant and wiped down, both inside the bowl and outside.

Empty Wastebasket

The bag in the wastebasket should be thrown away and replaced with a new bag. Any garbage contained inside the wastebasket but outside the bag should also be thrown out. Periodically, the wastebasket should be wiped down.

Replace Urinal Cakes

Urinal cakes should be replaced when they have begun to substantially disintegrate. Urinals should also be checked for foreign detritus, which, if present, should be disposed of.

Replace Toilet Paper Rolls

All toilet paper rolls that have less than one-fifth of their paper left should be removed and replaced with a new roll.

Replace Hand Towels

The hand-towel dispenser should be opened and examined for blockages. Once is it determined that the machine is operating correctly, it should be refilled to capacity. The electronic hand drying machine should also be examined to make sure it is working correctly.

Refill Hand Soap

All hand soap dispensers should also be examined to determine that they are in good working order and then refilled to capacity.

Refill Toilet Seat Covers

The toilet seat cover dispenser should be refilled with new covers.

Polish Fixtures

All fixtures, including the knobs on the door, the toilet seat cover dispenser, the electric hand dryer, the paper towel dispenser and any other metal object, should be wiped down and polished so that all visible stains are removed.

Sweep and Mop Floors

All floors should be first swept and cleared of perceptible dirt and trash, which must be collected and deposited in a garbage receptacle. Floors should then be thoroughly mopped. A "Caution" sign should be placed and kept up until the floors are dry.

Wipe Mirror

Mirrors should be sprayed with glass cleaner and wiped clear of all obvious smudges or stains.

Clean Walls and Partitions

The walls and partitions should also be wiped down. If any graffiti or other markings that cannot be removed with a simple scrubbing are observed, they should be reported to a supervisor.