4 ways to automate the toilet cleaning checklist

Liam Jones

Liam Jones

Founder, Pilla App

Date Modified

26 May 2026

I'm Liam Jones, founder of Pilla and a qualified management consultant. I've helped hundreds of businesses set up workflows, and in this article I'm going to show you four real examples of how to set up your toilet cleaning checklist. I'll start from the simplest and then add some more powerful options. You can open up each template in our workflow builder playground as a starting point and experiment for yourself. If you have any suggestions or you need some help, you can email me directly.

Key Takeaways

Article Content

#1 - Simple checklist

Who it's for: Single-site venues where staff run the toilet round themselves and want the paper rota sheet on a phone instead.

What it is: A toilet cleaning checklist is the set of tasks done to clean, sanitise, and restock customer toilets. This version is the tick-list of 16 tasks, plus a notes field. It covers toilets and urinals, sinks and taps, mirrors and surfaces, floors, and restocking soap, paper, and towels, run each round through the day.

Available on: Basic.

In practice: A single-site pub checks the toilets every hour at busy times. Staff clean and restock, tick each task, note a hand dryer not working to report, and each round is logged rather than initialled on a sheet behind the door.

Why it works: The list lives on the canvas, so every round covers the same tasks. The notes field flags faults like a broken dryer or a blocked toilet for maintenance.

Steps included:

  • 1 checklist (16 tasks: toilets, urinals, sinks, mirrors, surfaces, floors, consumables)
  • 1 notes field

When to upgrade:

  1. The round is shared across rota staff who don't all do it the same way
  2. You want the round captured with a photo
  3. You want photo proof and a signature instead of a sheet on the door
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#2 - With guidance

Who it's for: Venues where the toilet round is shared across whoever is free.

What it is: The simple checklist with a guidance note: clean and sanitise every surface, not just the obvious ones, pay attention to high-touch points like handles and taps, and always restock soap, paper, and towels, since an empty dispenser is what customers notice and complain about.

Available on: Standard.

What it adds to the previous template:

  1. Every surface and high-touch point is called out
  2. Restocking is treated as part of the round, not an afterthought
  3. The round is consistent whoever does it

Why it works: The guidance sits with the list, so whoever picks up the round reads the standard as they work.

Steps included:

  • 1 guidance note (every surface, restock consumables)
  • 1 checklist (16 tasks)
  • 1 notes field

When to upgrade: When the round would benefit from a photo record (Toilet Cleaning #3), or photo and signature evidence (#4).

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#3 - With photo evidence

Who it's for: Teams that want proof the work was done to standard, not just a ticked list, whether for an EHO, head office, or their own peace of mind.

What it is: The guided checklist plus a photo, taken on completion, as a record of the finished work alongside the ticks.

Available on: Standard.

What it adds to the previous template:

  1. A photo of the finished work, captured at the time
  2. Proof that holds up to an inspector, not just a ticked box
  3. A visual record kept alongside the checklist

Why it works: A photo taken on completion is far stronger than a tick. It shows the state things were actually left in, not just that someone said the work was done.

Steps included:

  • 1 guidance note
  • 1 checklist
  • 1 notes field
  • 1 photo of the finished work

When to upgrade: When the record needs a name against it, a signature, for a multi-site standard (#4 - With photo and signature).

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#4 - With photo and signature

Who it's for: Multi-site groups where each venue's toilet rounds have to be checkable from head office, and the old paper rota sheet on the door isn't enough.

What it is: The checklist plus a photo of the cleaned toilets and a signature. The photo and timestamp replace the initialled sheet behind the door with something an area manager can actually trust.

Available on: Standard.

What it adds to the previous template:

  1. A photo of the cleaned toilets, captured at the time
  2. A signature naming who did the round
  3. A timestamped record that proves the rounds were spread through the day

Why it works: The paper sheet on the door is the easiest record in hospitality to fake, all initialled at close. A timestamped photo and signature per round prove the toilets were actually checked when they should have been.

Steps included:

  • 1 guidance note (every surface, restock consumables)
  • 1 checklist (16 tasks)
  • 1 notes field
  • 1 photo (the cleaned toilets)
  • 1 signature (sign-off)

When to upgrade: When you want Poppi to flag a missed round to the manager, or pull every site's rounds into one report. Those versions are coming in the next post update.

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How to pick the right version

You don't need to know our product to choose. Just answer three questions.

Is it always the same person doing the round, or is it shared?

If one person does it and knows the standard, a plain list is enough. The moment it's shared across rota staff, the standard needs to be on the screen. If it's just you, #1 is fine. If it's shared, start at #2.

Do you need photo proof?

A ticked checklist says the work was done; a photo shows it. If a record is enough, stop at #2. If you want visual proof, #3 adds a photo.

Do you need proof, or is a record enough?

A record tells you the round was logged. The paper sheet on the door is notoriously easy to fake. If a record is enough, stop at #3. If you run more than one site, #4 adds a signature an area manager can trust.

Related reading

Frequently asked questions

How often should customer toilets be cleaned?

At least hourly during busy periods, and more often at peak times. The exact frequency depends on footfall, but a regular round, recorded each time, is what keeps the toilets clean and proves they were checked. Toilets are one of the first things a customer judges a venue on.

What should a toilet round include?

Cleaning and sanitising toilets, urinals, sinks, taps, mirrors, and surfaces; doing the floors; and restocking soap, paper, and towels. High-touch points like door handles and flush buttons matter most for hygiene. An empty soap or paper dispenser is the most common complaint, so restocking is part of the round.

Why replace the sheet on the back of the door?

Because everyone knows the sheet on the door is the easiest record to fake, often initialled all at once at the end of the night. A timestamped, photo-backed round (versions #3 and #4) proves the toilets were actually checked through the day, which is what an inspector or area manager wants.

Who should do the toilet round?

Whoever is free at the time, which is exactly why the guidance and locked order in versions #2 and #3 matter, they keep the standard the same across everyone. The signature in #4 names who did each round.

Where to go next

Toilets are judged harshly and the paper sheet on the door fools no one. A recorded, timestamped round, with a photo, turns it into something you can actually trust and show. The versions above move from a simple list to a signed photo record.

Five more versions are coming in the next refresh that bring AI into the round. Poppi can flag a missed round to the manager, and pull every site's rounds into one report. Those need more review time and will land separately.

ā†’ Build your own toilet cleaning checklist on Pilla. The Basic plan unlocks the simple checklist today.