What we value the most in our work is to make sure we don’t cause any harm to the toilet. Compared to indoor restrooms, outdoor toilets must be maintained under harsh conditions that include wind and rain. Toilets that are part of THE TOKYO TOILET are made of various materials such as stainless steel, glass, and painted walls, so it is necessary to find unique and suitable ways to manage each design. To ensure that these public toilets are used for a long time, we are careful to select the right cleaning tools and agents that do not harm the materials. Public restrooms can become dirty if they are not properly sanitized on a regular basis, but people find it hard to spoil something that has been carefully cleaned. We believe that, by keeping the toilets clean every day, users will come to appreciate their cleanliness and think about others who will be using the facility after them.
To achieve this, we have formed a maintenance team consisting of multiple organizations and companies. We will continue to improve our operation, searching for efficiency and the best cleaning methods until the installation of all 17 locations were completed and opened to the public in March 2024. From April 2024, this project has been maintained and managed by Shibuya City onward.
Cleaning is divided into three types: daily cleaning performed up to three times a day; regular cleaning performed once a month; and special cleaning performed once a year. In addition, the toilets are inspected by a third-party toilet consultant. We also hold regularly maintenance and management meetings to exchange the opinions and improve the maintenance operations, based on daily cleaning and diagnostic reports.
※ Daily cleaning frequency is determined based on the level of dirt in each restroom
We have created a uniform for the staff members who are working every day to clean the toilets, with NIGO® overseeing its design.
The staff have reported that wearing this uniform has helped them interact more frequently with toilet users, with many people approaching them to talk, take photos, and even give them drinks and snacks.
Cleaning staff uniform.
As a third-party toilet consulting agency, we are responsible for conducting scientific analysis from a professional standpoint and providing feedback to administrators. Public restrooms inevitably suffer from equipment defects, odors, and stains that cannot be solved through standard cleaning alone. We use specialized equipment to closely examine facility defects, odors, stains, ventilation, and airflow. We have been inspecting all toilets every month, and because the cleaning staff has been cleaning regularly, selecting the best approach for cleaning each time, the ATP (contamination index) has become much lower than it was at the beginning of the project. We hope to help make beautiful toilets like THE TOKYO TOILET become the standard of public restrooms in the future.
Consulting: Amenity Co., Ltd.
To maintain public toilets that can be used comfortably and continuously, we need the cooperation of each and every person. There have been reports of graffiti and damage at toilets that are used more frequently, such as at Jingu-Dori Park and Ebisu East Park. Public toilets belong to all of us. Let’s think about the next person who will use the facility after you.
