| News
we can use: Where's the best public restroom?
By Natasha Austin
December 4, 2007 | Several years ago
while living in Southeast Asia I encountered the worse
public restroom of my life. When I asked a vendor in
the open air market if there was a public restroom he
gave me instructions to walk straight through the meat
market to the end, where I would find a building that
was the restroom. After walking through several stalls
with animal carcasses hanging at eye level, I found
the building. On the right side, painted on the brick
was a picture of a woman. As I rounded the side of the
building to enter, I found the building had no back
wall as it was open to the hillside it was built into.
In the middle of the building was one short wall that
you could see over into the men's section of the restroom.
There were no stalls, no toilets, no sinks, no toilet
paper; just a long trough dug in the ground with a constant
flow of sludge, going who knows where. And each woman
squatted in a line over the trough staring at the behind
of the other.
Although I will never be able to
erase that memory from my mind, it seems sometimes I
run into the same horrifying obstacle right here in
Logan, Utah. When out and about on the town I am always
plagued with the constant question of where I could
stop and go and feel clean when I come out. On several
occasions I have felt the urge to lather myself in Purell
antibacterial hand sanitizer. This past week, I visited
several public restrooms to find the cleanest and safest,
and graded them accordingly.
Chevron, 400 North and Main.
Grade C-
Gas stations are common 'rest' stops for most people
on the road traveling and Chevron is smack dab in the
middle of town, making it accessible to anyone passing
through. The restroom is not located inside the gas
station itself, but shares the building outside with
the car wash, making it very cold this time of year.
While I only observed the toilet, I can only imagine
it would have been very cold to sit down. The interior
of the toilet was clean, unlike the seat, but comfort
that they offer protective shields. The handle was scary,
and I shuddered at the thought of using it.
The mirror was covered in a black
splotchy liquid that had dried on. I would be nervous
washing my hands as the sink and fixture was unsightly
and unclean. Be careful of using the paper towels, I
suspect this could be a breeding ground for many diseases.
It was covered with several different colors of grime
and dirt with gunk in every open crack. There was a
plastic cover sheet on the back of the door, for what
I presume used to be a checklist.
Smiths MarketPlace, 700
North Main. Grade D
Hands down this was the worse restroom experience this
week. Of all the overwhelming factors accounting for
its low grade, the smell was the largest of them. The
musty moist smell was a vivid trip down memory lane
I didn't want to take, ripe and overpowering. The floor,
another large contributor to the low grade, was filthy.
It was not only covered in paper and garbage, but the
muddy footprints everywhere, and puddles under the toilets
were hard to avoid. In addition, three out of four of
the stalls were low on if not missing toilet paper.
The last poor performance factor
was the baby-changing station. Usually this addition
to a public restroom is an appreciative and welcome
site; however I would rather not change a baby here.
There were numerous thick and hardened fluid stains
everywhere, it clearly had not been wiped off for several
days, weeks, or hard to think maybe months.
The irony of this restroom experience
was leaving and catching a glimpse of the employee check
list that hung on the door with the initial of the last
person who cleaned the restroom at 8 p.m. I had entered
the restroom approximately at 8:23, so clearly it was
a blind check of the restroom. Next time, I can hold
it.
Wal-Mart, 1550 North Main,
North Logan. Grade B
I tried several times during the week to grade the restrooms
at Wal-Mart and found myself unable to enter. The restroom
was closed 'due to cleaning', a good way to start my
evaluation. When I finally could visit the establishment,
I found it relatively on good terms. There was no specific
odor, but also void of any obvious freshener. The floor
was scattered with some garbage, but was noticeably
recently cleaned. Garbage was surely due to the congestion
of heavy traffic encountered in the restroom, as it
was the only public restroom I had to wait for.
The sinks were large and clean, with
regulated water spouts. The toilets were not spotless
but did not make me run, either. What I truly appreciated
about this restroom was the absence of a door! Instead
they have a small wall in front and you circle around
the corner into the restroom. Being void of a door means
I do not have to dread opening it with the handle which
I know hundreds of people, who do not wash their hands,
have touched. If you are in the need to stop and you
are in a hurry, don't stop here, you will have to wait.
Cache Valley Mall, 1300
North Main. Grade B+
My visit to the public restroom inside the Cache Valley
Mall was a pleasant surprise. The smell was fresh and
clean, with no obvious hint to the purpose of the room.
The garbage can was clean with a freshly changed bag.
This restroom boasted several stainless steel stalls
that were virtually smudge free. This was a sign it
had recently been cleaned because stainless steel is
hard to keep clean as it shows every little hand and
fingerprint.
The best part this restroom was the
array of different soaps to use, provided by Bath &
Body Works. You have a choice of warm chestnut, winter
apple, frosted cranberry, or holly jolly mistletoe.
The downfall of this restroom was the slightly dirty
counters and grimy grout on the tile throughout. Despite
its downfall, it would be a safe place to stop in a
hurry.
Lowe's, 313 East 1400 North.
Grade A
When you want a really clean bathroom, venture a few
blocks off of Main Street and use the restroom at Lowe's.
I wasn't planning on grading their restroom, but a trip
in for some home repair items quickly turned into a
restroom evaluation. Lowe's has definitely gone 'green'
with their restroom concept. Automatic lights turned
on as I walked in, saving energy. They also had low-water
toilets, automatic faucets, and recycled paper for toilet
seat shields.
The restroom had a pleasant smell
making me forget all other restrooms I had evaluated.
The sinks were clean, and the mirrors spotless. The
floor was impressive with warm ceramic tiles, an uncommon
item found in most public restrooms. Besides its uniqueness
the floor looked as if it had recently been swept and
mopped. With eight stalls were clean and full of toilet
paper, your choices were endless. The restroom at Lowe's
also has a clean baby station, unlike its competitors.
---
When using public restrooms there
is always risk involved. Next time you need to stop
and use a public restroom when you're in town, use caution.
Remember who made the grade, and if you can manage driving
a bit off course from Main Street, Lowes is the place
to go.
NW
NA |
