Cleaning Accessible Washrooms in Ontario: What Matters Beyond Clean

Most washroom cleaning checklists are about hygiene: fixtures disinfected, floors mopped, paper and soap stocked. For an accessible washroom, that is only half the job. A spotless room can still be unusable if a cleaning cart is parked in the turning space, a grab bar is blocked by a bin, or the soap dispenser has been moved out of reach. This guide covers how cleaning crews keep accessible washrooms usable, and how Ontario's accessibility rules apply when one has to be closed.

The rules in Ontario, briefly

Two different sets of rules touch accessible washrooms in Ontario, and it helps to keep them apart:

• The Ontario Building Code sets the design requirements for barrier-free washrooms in buildings: things like clear floor space, door width, grab bars, and the height of fixtures and accessories. These apply when a building is built or renovated.
• The Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, 2005 (AODA) and its Integrated Accessibility Standards Regulation (O. Reg. 191/11) set standards for how organizations provide goods, services and facilities. The Customer Service Standard in that regulation includes a requirement to give notice when facilities or services that people with disabilities usually use are temporarily disrupted.

A cleaning crew does not design washrooms, but daily cleaning and maintenance decide whether the washroom stays as accessible as it was built to be.

Keep the clear space clear

Accessible washrooms are designed with open floor space so a wheelchair or mobility device can turn and transfer. That space is also the most tempting place in the building to store things. Common problems include:

• Cleaning carts, mop buckets or supply boxes left in the room
• Extra garbage bins or sanitary bins placed in front of the toilet or under a grab bar
• Wet floor signs left standing after the floor has dried
• Baby change tables left folded down

A simple rule for crews: leave the room exactly as laid out, with nothing added. If the building needs more storage, that is a conversation for the property manager, not a corner of the accessible stall.

Leave accessories where they were installed

Soap and paper towel dispensers, toilet paper holders, mirrors and coat hooks in a barrier-free washroom are installed at heights and positions that people using a wheelchair can reach. If a crew moves a portable dispenser to a shelf, or refills a dispenser by placing spare rolls somewhere higher, the room becomes harder to use. Refill dispensers in place, and report any dispenser that is broken or has been moved so maintenance can put it back.

Clean, but also check

Cleaners are often the only people who visit every washroom every day, so they are well placed to spot problems early. A short check on each visit catches most issues:

• Grab bars firmly attached and not loose
• Automatic door opener working, and the push button not blocked
• Emergency call button or alarm, where installed, not obstructed or tied up
• Door closing and locking properly, and the lock usable with one hand
• Taps, flush handles and dispensers working
• No standing water or slippery residue near the toilet transfer space

Anything broken goes on the visit report and straight to the property manager. Crews should not try to repair fixtures themselves.

Floors and slip risk

Wet floors are a hazard for everyone and a greater one for people using canes, walkers or crutches. Mop accessible washrooms with a well-wrung mop, use the right dilution so no slippery film is left, and keep wet floor signs out of the turning space. If possible, clean accessible washrooms at quiet times so the floor is dry before people need it.

When the washroom has to close

Sometimes an accessible washroom must be closed, for a deep clean, a plumbing repair or a broken door operator. Under the AODA Customer Service Standard, organizations covered by it must give notice of a temporary disruption in facilities that people with disabilities usually use. The notice should explain the reason, how long the disruption is expected to last, and what alternatives are available, and it should be posted where people will see it. In practice:

• Schedule deep cleaning of the only accessible washroom at the quietest time, and keep it short
• Post a clear notice on the door and at the entrance before closing it, naming the nearest alternative accessible washroom
• Tell reception or security, so they can direct people
• Reopen and remove the notice as soon as the work is done

The legal duty to give notice belongs to the organization providing the facility, but the cleaning contractor should know the procedure and follow it.

Universal and single-user washrooms

Many newer buildings have universal, single-user washrooms that serve as the accessible washroom, a family washroom and a gender-neutral washroom at once. They are used heavily, so they often need more frequent visits than multi-stall rooms. Because there is only one, closing it for cleaning has a bigger impact, which makes short, well-timed visits even more important.

Products and scent

Strongly scented products can make a washroom hard to use for people with asthma, migraines or chemical sensitivities, and many Ontario workplaces have scent-reduced policies. Choose unscented or low-odour cleaning products where they do the job, ventilate the room while cleaning, and avoid air fresheners that only cover odours instead of removing their cause.

Change tables and other fold-down fixtures

Fold-down change tables and seats should be cleaned and disinfected and then folded back up, because a table left down can block the turning space or the approach to the toilet. Check the hinges and straps while cleaning and report any that are damaged.

Restocking in busy buildings

In a busy building the accessible washroom often runs out of paper or soap first, because it is the single-user room people choose. If a building only has one or two accessible washrooms, it is worth adding a mid-day check to the cleaning schedule so supplies do not run out between night cleans. An empty dispenser is a small thing for most users and a real barrier for someone who cannot easily go elsewhere.

Winter conditions

Toronto winters bring water, slush and salt into every washroom near an entrance. Wet, salty floors are slippery and make wheels and crutch tips skid. In winter, check accessible washrooms near entrances more often, dry the floor rather than leaving it to air-dry, and remove salt residue with a neutral cleaner so it does not build up into a slick film around the toilet and sink.

A checklist for your cleaning contract

• Accessible washrooms listed separately in the scope, with their cleaning frequency
• A no-storage rule for accessible washrooms
• Dispensers refilled in place and broken items reported
• A short functional check on each visit, recorded on the visit report
• A closure procedure that includes posting notice and naming an alternative

How CMG Clean handles it

We list accessible washrooms in the written scope, keep carts and supplies out of them, refill dispensers in place, and pass any broken fixtures to the property manager through our supervisor. For buildings where we clean lobbies, corridors and shared washrooms, see our page on building cleaning in Toronto.

Tenant offices with their own washrooms can include accessible washroom checks in a nightly contract; the full routine is described under office cleaning services in Toronto.

This article is general information. For your organization's specific obligations, check the current AODA standards and the Ontario Building Code, or ask your accessibility advisor.