Restroom Quality and Customer Loyalty: Insights from the 2025 Bradley Survey
Key Highlights
- 84% of consumers believe unclean restrooms damage a business’s image, affecting customer trust and loyalty
- Nearly 80% prefer touchless fixtures to enhance hygiene and reduce contact with surfaces, especially post-COVID-19
- Design strategies like seamless surfaces, integrated handwashing systems, and smart supply monitoring can significantly improve restroom quality and operational efficiency
MENOMONEE FALLS, WI — For 16 years, Bradley Company’s Healthy Handwashing Survey™ has tracked how Americans’ restroom expectations influence behavior. The 2025 findings confirm what many plumbing and facility professionals already know: a restroom isn’t just a utility—it’s a direct reflection of a facility’s management, brand, and values.
The numbers make it clear:
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84% say an unclean or poorly stocked restroom damages a business’s image
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75% will think twice before returning after a bad restroom experience
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71% are more likely to return—and spend more—at businesses with clean, well-maintained restrooms
“A restroom is a very memorable space—good or bad,” said Jon Dommisse, Vice President of business development and strategy at Bradley. “Because we’ve conducted this survey for 16 years, we can show exactly how consumer expectations have risen—and what facility teams can do right now to meet and exceed them.”
What Customers Expect — and What Contractors Can Deliver
Survey results show that the same frustrations top the list year after year: clogged or unflushed toilets, foul odors, and outdated or dirty conditions. For plumbing and facility pros, the message is simple: these aren’t just housekeeping issues; they signal how a business values its customers.
When it comes to solutions, Americans consistently point to:
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More frequent cleaning and restocking — the #1 request for over a decade
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Paper towels as an option, even with dryers — 60% prefer them to avoid contact with surfaces
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Touchless fixtures throughout — nearly 80% say they improve the restroom experience
These expectations, accelerated by the COVID-19 era, now represent the baseline. Cleanability, hygiene, and convenience are no longer “nice-to-haves”—they’re standard features that plumbing and mechanical contractors are being asked to deliver.
A Case for Smarter Restroom Design
Bradley’s long-running survey also highlights which design and maintenance tactics drive real business results:
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Hygienic design — seamless, easy-to-clean surfaces and finishes
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Touchless fixtures — sensor-activated faucets, flush valves, and towel dispensers
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Integrated handwashing systems — all-in-one units with soap, water, and drying to reduce mess and improve traffic flow
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Smart supply monitoring — top-fill soap systems and maintenance indicators that cut downtime and service calls
“Our research shows more than 90% of Americans connect restroom quality to business quality, and 70% say they’ve chosen a business specifically because its restrooms are cleaner,” Dommisse noted. “For contractors and facility teams, that means restroom upgrades aren’t just aesthetic—they’re tied directly to customer loyalty and revenue.”
Best and Worst Performers
Survey respondents gave the highest marks to hospitals/clinics (43%), hotels/resorts/conference centers (43%), and restaurants (37%). Facilities with the lowest-rated restrooms include drug stores (15%), gas stations (15%), and schools (10%)—pointing to clear opportunities for improvement.
About the Survey
Bradley’s Healthy Handwashing Survey™ is conducted annually with a nationally representative sample of over 1,000 U.S. adults. Since 2009, it has tracked shifting attitudes around hygiene, handwashing, and restroom perceptions across public facilities.
For more information, visit www.bradleycorp.com/handwashing