Best Practices for Placement of Portable Toilets
Proper placement of portable toilets is an essential part of the job for portable restroom operators. No one wants to walk across muddy or rough terrain to get to a porta potty, and PROs want to avoid situations where their truck could potentially get stuck.
The challenge with porta potty placement is getting on the same page with the customer, who often wants toilets out of sight. The key is finding a balance between the customer’s wishes, the guests’ expectations and your knowledge and experience as a PRO with regard to what placement is ideal. Here are some best practices to consider:
Communicate with Your Customer
Initiate a conversation with your customer about the event and site at which you will be providing portable toilet rentals to ensure delivery and setup goes as smoothly as possible. Start by getting a lay of the land. Especially if it’s a large event, get a site map so you can locate the entrances, buildings, booths, walkways, etc.
- Listen to your customer’s ideas. It’s important to allow them to offer suggestions, even if you disagree with them. Part of good customer service is letting the customer voice their opinions. At the very least, they more than likely know the area and event layout better than you.
- Ask questions. Cover all your bases to ensure setup goes well. Find out if you have permission to stake units down or if enclosures are available.
- Upsell when possible. Communicating with the customer provides you with the opportunity to upsell. Many in the industry recommend charging extra for tie-down stakes or similar solutions. Other add-ons include walkways to portable toilets or additional lighting. When weather conditions are questionable or your customer’s guests could potentially be seeking a better experience, you have the opportunity to make extra money with added products and services.
Consider the Physical Aspects of Placement
Whenever possible, place porta potties on level ground. Paved surfaces are ideal. However, there are other things to keep in mind when it comes to placing portable toilets.
- Consider accessibility. Pick your placement location(s) carefully so portable restrooms can be efficiently serviced. You don’t want to put units in a spot where trucks could have difficulty maneuvering.
- Place toilets against structures. It’s beneficial to place portable toilets against building walls because it makes it easy to line up and secure several units. In addition, buildings provide protection from wind, and guests will appreciate the added privacy.
- Stake down units. Using stakes to hold down units doesn’t guarantee they won’t get tipped over, but it does add a level of security. Just make sure your stakes are hammered all the way into the ground so they aren’t trip hazards.
- Use ratchet straps if necessary. When staking units isn’t an option due to customer preference or paved surfaces, use ratchet straps as an alternative. The challenge is placing units near fences or trees so you are able to ratchet them down.
- Place units in banks. Grouping restrooms in banks helps prevent side-to-side tipping. It also makes servicing units simple because you won’t have to move your truck a bunch of times.
- Place toilets in an enclosure. This is the best way to protect against weather.
Other Considerations
- Entrances & exits. It’s common for guests to want portable toilets to be located near entrances and exits. These units tend to receive the heaviest use. Just make sure you don’t impede the flow of foot traffic by blocking walkways.
- Rough terrain. Whenever possible, keep portable restrooms away from low or unpaved ground. Rain could turn the area into a muddy mess, which makes accessing units a challenge. Units will get much dirtier as well, which will make the cleaning process take longer.
- Prevent tip-overs. A tip-over is one of the most annoying things to deal with as a PRO. Survey your terrain and take precautionary measures to keep your portable restrooms upright.
Portable restroom operators know that unit placement is critical. Listening to your customer’s needs and drawing from your previous experience will help drive your placement decisions. Picking a good location will protect your property and allow you to deliver a superior guest experience.