Are you hosting a multi day outdoor event? Whether it’s a fair, a carnival, group of concerts, or a full wedding weekend, the cleanliness of the outdoor bathrooms is important to the event’s reputation and success. However, there are unique sanitation and hygiene challenges when renting bathroom facilities over a longer period. What can you do to meet these challenges successfully? Here are five easy tips.
1. PLACE FACILITIES CAREFULLY
The first way to ensure cleanliness is to know how to place the bathrooms themselves. Toilets and hand washing stations should be scattered strategically throughout the venue space so that everyone can easily find facilities when they need them.
Avoid placing units in full sun during the summer, since this can cause them to become hot and humid. And be sure to choose a solid surface that avoids mud or other debris as people enter and exit the facilities.
2. ORDER ENOUGH TOILETS
Never scrimp on the quantity of outdoor bathrooms. Your toilet rental provider can help you figure out the recommended number of facilities based on the size of event and its length.
In addition, you should also include handicap accessible bathrooms and baby changing stations based on the numbers your rental provider gives you.
Too few bathrooms is a quick recipe for a sanitary disaster. You may be able to make up for such as lack by ordering additional cleaning and servicing throughout busy days, but keep in mind that too few toilets carries some risk.
3. INCLUDE HYGIENE SUPPLIES
There are many accessories you can rent or buy to help keep the toilets clean. Start with proper hand-washing stations to accompany each bathroom or bathroom grouping. If soap, water, garbage cans, and towels are convenient, people are more likely to clean up after themselves and will spread fewer germs.
You may also want to add other sanitation supplies to encourage cleanliness and keep the restrooms odor free. Consider things like hand sanitizer, cleaning tablets, air deodorizers, hygiene supplies, and disinfectant wipes. Keep plenty of towels and toilet paper stocked at all times.
4. ASSIGN BATHROOM ATTENDANTS
Ensure that there are persons assigned to oversee the restrooms. If possible, have bathroom attendants who will remain around large bathroom facilities most of the time to ensure that things run smoothly. Your rental company may even be able to provide staff to serve this purpose.
If you can’t afford to hire or find volunteers to serve as full-time attendants, assign a cleaning department to keep tabs on the facilities. These individuals should check the cleanliness of bathrooms, ensure that everything is in working order, and refill supplies as needed. When possible, attendants should also open the doors occasionally to air out the bathrooms.
5. HAVE TOILETS SERVICED PROFESSIONALLY
If you only hold an afternoon or evening (such as a wedding), you likely won’t need to have toilets serviced. But this is a must when keeping facilities for more than one day. Consult with the outdoor toilet provider to determine the recommended schedule for cleaning out and emptying toilets based on your number of guests as well as the length and type of the event.
If possible, have toilets serviced professionally after each day’s use. If you need to do some cleaning while attendees are around, stagger the schedule so that there are always some toilets available.