Cleanzine: your weekly cleaning and hygiene industry newsletter 12th November 2026 Issue no. 1234
Your industry news - first
The original and best - for over 20 years!
We strongly recommend viewing Cleanzine full size in your web browser. Click our masthead above to visit our website version.
FMs urged to tackle odour as 47% judge clean-looking washrooms unclean
More than half of UK adults (58.2%) believe the air in a typical public washroom is unclean, compared with 16.7% who think it is clean, new research shows. Perceptions of hygiene extend beyond visible cleanliness to smells and concerns about the air.
The Handy Dryers survey of 2,000 UK adults found that visible dirt, overflowing bins or waste most influence perceived cleanliness (24.8%), followed by poorly maintained facilities (22.5%). Unpleasant smells and missing essentials such as soap and toilet paper rank equally at 21.4%.
Even if a public washroom looked clean, 47% would consider it unclean if it smelled unpleasant, compared with 24.1% who would consider it clean. At least four in 10 in every region would judge it unclean, from 41% in Greater London to 50% in the West Midlands.
"An unpleasant smell can make visitors question a washroom's hygiene, even when it looks clean,” notes Stephen Levy, founder and CEO of Handy Dryers. “Facilities teams need to consider what people smell and their concerns about the air, as well as what they see."
Concerns extend beyond surfaces…
Only 6.8% cite poor ventilation or stuffy air as the biggest influence on perceived cleanliness, yet 74.9% express a view on whether washroom air is clean or unclean. More than half in every region believe it is unclean, including 53% in Greater London and 66% in the East of England.
Some 76.8% are concerned about airborne germs, including bacteria and viruses, in public washrooms; 33.1% are very concerned. Four in five (80%) already knew that flushing a toilet can create a plume of tiny airborne droplets and particles.
More people leave than complain…
Because of a public washroom's condition, smell or perceived hygiene, 35.4% have left without using it and 27.1% have decided not to return to the venue. Only 23.8% have complained to staff, suggesting complaints alone may understate dissatisfaction.
For the same reasons, 36.5% have avoided breathing normally or held their breath in a public washroom.
Perceptions vary by age and region…
The age breakdown shows differences in how respondents judge washroom hygiene. Among 18 to 24-year-olds, 35% would consider a visibly clean but unpleasant-smelling washroom clean, rising to 40% among 25 to 34-year-olds. Among those aged 55 and over, just 14% would consider it clean and 56% would call it unclean. Similarly, 63% of respondents aged 55 and over believe the air in a typical washroom is unclean, compared with 49% of 25 to 34-year-olds.
The gender breakdown also shows differences: 62% of women believe the air in a typical washroom is unclean, compared with 54% of men. Some 37% of women are very concerned about airborne germs, compared with 29% of men.
In the West Midlands, 81% are concerned about airborne germs, against 76.8% nationally, while 33% have decided not to return to a venue because of its washrooms, versus 27.1% across the UK.
Continuous air treatment and user reassurance…
The findings accompany Handy Dryers' relaunch of Sterillo Duo, an electric hand dryer designed to sanitise surrounding air continuously and reduce airborne germs and odours. Technology designed to do this would reassure 81.8% about using a public washroom, including 40% who would feel much more reassured. The survey measured perceptions, not product performance.
"Surface cleaning remains essential, but air also shapes visitors' experience,” adds Stephen. “Continuous air treatment complements cleaning, rather than replacing it, giving facilities teams another way to address hygiene concerns between cleans."
The survey was commissioned by Handy Dryers and conducted by Censuswide among 2,000 nationally representative UK adults aged 18+. Fieldwork took place between 15th and 17th September 2026. Censuswide is a member of the Market Research Society and the British Polling Council and follows the MRS Code of Conduct and ESOMAR principles.
12th November 2026