In restrooms of restaurants, bars, hotels, cleaning and odor control can often be challenging tasks. Those in the service industry often share small tricks to make these tasks easier. One example is pouring ice cubes directly into the toilet bowl.
You may have seen this but not fully understood its significance.
And here’s the real reason. Toilet bowls in restaurants, bars, and hotels are often filled with ice cubes to deodorize and unclog them.
The principle behind this is explained as follows:
Firstly, pouring ice cubes into the toilet bowl helps dilute the ammonia solution as the ice melts and gradually helps water drain into the sewer quickly. This also helps reduce odors when you forget to flush after using the restroom. As the ice melts, less water vapor is emitted, reducing odors, and the water flows into the sewer.
Secondly, pouring ice into the toilet bowl helps prevent the growth of bacteria, deodorizes, and prevents the accumulation of residues on the bowl’s surface, thus greatly aiding in toilet sanitation.
Thirdly, at lower temperatures, chemical reactions occur more slowly or may not occur at all, making it harder for substances in urine to adhere to the toilet bowl’s enamel layer, thus keeping the toilet cleaner.
Fourthly, when you pour ice into the toilet bowl and flush forcefully, the ice gets swept away, creating a strong pressure pushing downwards, effectively clearing any clogs in the toilet bowl.
If you’re concerned that adding ice might worsen a clogged toilet, don’t worry, the ice will gradually melt into water and won’t exacerbate the situation. Additionally, ice can actually be flushed away by water flow.
