Urinal Blocks And Restroom Deodorizing

Urinal blocks or urinal cakes, as many call them, are small round blocks that look similar to a hockey puck, and lay in the bottom of a urinal to help control odors in restrooms.

Urinal blocks are air activated and are place above the drain in the urinal. When in contact with the air, they will dissolve providing the deodorizing properties controlling the odors. They do not dissolve in water and therefore they do not deodorize the flushing water or the urine.

The chemicals composing the urinal blocks will vary with the most common base chemical being Para dichlorobenzene, which is a paraffin, type chemical. However, this chemical has been recognized to have carcinogenic risks and now urinal blocks are available in a “free” version.

Each block is enhanced by saturating it with a scenting compound of fragrances such as cherry, which is the most common. A urinal cake comes in either 3 ounce or 4 ounce sizes, though other sizes are available. Each urinal block will last approximately 30 to 60 days.

The Odors: If you have ever walked into a restroom and the urine odor is so fowl that it will knock you down, then using urinal blocks will help control those odors. This is not to say that you do not have to clean the restroom. The cleaning process is to rid the area of germs and bacteria that will cause the odors in the first place. Once the restroom is cleaned placing urinal blocks in the urinals will do their job keeping the room filled with a pleasant fragrance. There are other deodorizing products that can also be used to help fight odors.

For a selection of urinal blocks and other deodorizing products, click here.

What Do I Use To Clean...

This is a question that people are asking everyday, what do I use to clean. There are thousands of cleaning products all designed for cleaning specific type products. From restrooms to floors, kitchens to showers there is a product designed for each specific cleaning task.

In the janitorial cleaning business the question is asked everyday, many times per day. To make it easier to answer what do I use to clean, take a look at this cleaning chart.

It's not a complete list but it gives one a good starting point.

So what do you use to clean?

Hospital Grade Disinfectants

Disinfectants are antimicrobial agents that are applied to non-living objects to destroy micro-organisms, the process of which is known as disinfection. The choice of the disinfectant cleaners to be used depends on the particular situation. All disinfectants have a kill claim indicating the percentage of micro-organisms they will kill under specific lab conditions. Most disinfectants will have a 99.9% rating.


Some disinfectant cleaners as well as hospital grade disinfectants have a wide spectrum (kill nearly all microorganisms), while others kill a smaller range of disease-causing organisms but are preferred for other properties such as their cleaning ability. Most all of these products manufactured today will have both properties, disinfecting and cleaning. Therefore, depending on the exact application, one would have to choose which product would be the better choice.

Another factor that comes into play when choosing the right disinfectant cleaners is the dilution ratio. How much of the product to be used per gallon of water can make a difference in the end use cost. Some may dilute at 4 ounces per gallon while others may dilute at only 1 ounce per gallon of water. These may cost a bit more up front but usually they will cost less in the long run.

Levels of Disinfectants: Many of the disinfectants manufactured today are classified as hospital grade disinfectants but there are also other grades as well. So what are the different levels of disinfectants? There are 3 basic levels: Hospital Grade Disinfectant, General Disinfectants and Low Grade Disinfectants.
Hospital Grade Disinfectants.

General Disinfectants will have a kill claim with 400 ppm, while low grade disinfectants are less than 400 ppm.

More on disinfectants