<< Return to News

Restroom Odors: Is Ice in Urinals Helping or Hurting?

Ever since the invention of the urinal back in 1886, facilities have been battling unwanted odors. To combat the smells, facilities have tried many different treatments… some more beneficial than others. You might have noticed, a common technique amongst bars and restaurants is to fill the urinal with ice.

MDG Bio

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Rational Behind Ice in Urinals

The rationale behind the ice method is logical but unknowingly, not directed at the true cause of the odors. The belief is that the smell from the restroom is due, in part, to lack of flushing. Ice is loaded in and slowly melts, providing a constant flow of water through the urinal. While having a consistent water flow can help keep drains running smoothly, most odor-causing bacteria are hiding somewhere other than the drains. Our most recent article on tile and grout odor explained that when urine splashes onto the floor, the porous surfaces of tile and grout catch and accumulate urine and urea. This leads to the strong ammonia odor that is commonly emanating from public facilities.

Ice Causes Liquid to Splash onto the Floor

While facility managers have the best intentions in mind, they may not be aware that the ice can be contributing to the unwanted odors. Instead of having an empty urinal that is designed to reduce splashing, there is now ice that increases the splashing onto the tile and grout around the urinal. Yikes! The more splashing, the more odors… luckily, that’s a cycle you can help stop for your customers.

Bacillus Seek Out Ammonia for Growth

Facility owners need a solution that can get deep into the surface pores and reduce the amount of odor-causing bacteria; and that’s where Bacillus come into play. Bacillus cleaners seek out the ammonia and assimilate it for their growth and spore coat production. Interested in reading more about how this works? Check out our recent article on the difference with Bacillus.

Search Insights
Recently Posted Insights

The Changing Landscape of the Human Health Market in 2025

If you’re a probiotic supplier or manufacturer in the United States, you may be feeling uncertain about the state of the human health market. Unpredictable tariff adjustments and shifting regulatory guidelines on topics like self-affirmed GRAS status are just a couple...

MDG at SIMB 2025: Your Trusted Microbial Contract Manufacturer

Join us at the 2025 Society for Industrial Microbiology and Biotechnology (SIMB) Annual Meeting! We’re exhibiting July 27–30 at the Hyatt Regency in San Francisco. Visit us at Booth #20 to speak with an expert in person and learn more about our capabilities for...

How to Help Your Wastewater Customers Prepare for Winter

The changing of the seasons can have a pronounced effect on wastewater systems, particularly when the weather gets cold. Lower temperatures correspond to a decrease in microbial activity, which slows the treatment process. If you’re looking for a solution for your...

Bacillus: The Smarter Solution for RV Sewage System Treatment

Summer is here, which means your customers might be bringing out their RVs for the first trip of the season. However, even on a carefree camping adventure, RVs need to be maintained, particularly their sewage systems. If you’re looking to add an RV tank treatment to...

Choose Bacillus for Septic System Maintenance

According to the EPA, over 20% of US homes rely on septic systems to treat their wastewater.1 When these systems are not properly maintained, multiple issues can arise, such as backups, odors, and flooding. To offer your customers reliable septic system maintenance...

A Distributor’s Guide to Improving Water Quality

Water quality is crucial for wastewater treatment facility operators to maintain—not only to meet compliance standards for their effluent, but also to keep their systems running smoothly. As experts in helping you monitor and improve this key metric at your customers’...

Transform Your Probiotic Products with BoostBac™

Our mission to Feed, Clean, Save the World focuses on improving human health and diving deep into research and development of Bacillus-based probiotic ingredients. We recently released our new probiotic product, BoostBac™, which positively affects the gut microbiome...

Related News