Wedding and Event Planners Guide to Portable Toilets

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Our owners were nonprofit event planners before founding Portable Toilet Seattle. For over 15 years we have worked in events in the greater Seattle area. Supporting charity and nonprofit fundraising events for many different nonprofits. We also spent 8 summer’s managing the beer gardens at Seafair. You want to talk about a big event? Try spending 3 consecutive hot August days at Seafair managing a hundred volunteers and thousands and thousands of patrons in 3 different beer gardens. It is safe to say we are event people! 

The pages that follow are filled with as much portable toilet information as possible to help seasoned event professionals and rookies alike. We want you to have as much knowledge as possible so you can make informed planning decisions about the logistics, potential pitfalls and details of renting temporary bathrooms for your events. 

We are pleased (and proud!) to be the highest Google rated portable toilet company in Western Washington. We hope we get to share our culture of 5 star service with you and your event.

Proud of our team! Portable toilets are a service business. From the first call or email you make to our office through to the delivery, service and pickup of your rented portable toilet every step of the way the people of our Portable Toilet Seattle team commit to deliver our 5 Star Level of Service. In this day and age of big companies forgetting all about what customer service really means we are super proud to be the highest Google rated portable toilet company in Western Washington. This is a deliberate decision by us.  We work and train our team that on every portable toilet rental we deliver 5 Star Service.

Standard Event Rental Portable Toilet

Wheelchair Accessible “ADA” Portable Toilet

Hot Water Handwash (for food preparation) 

Single Basin Handwash Sink

Double Basin Handwash Sink

Hand Sanitizer Stand 

Flushing Portable Toilet (1 Day Events Only)

Luxury Restroom Trailer (ADA Restroom Trailer)

Flow, Congestion and Congregation 

With any event people use the space around them to either move through or congregate in. Experience with an event and an event venue will teach you how and where to expect people to flow through, or congregate in. If you have people crowding into areas that require flow you’re setting yourself up for congestion. Toilets need to be placed where you have flow into and out of. Placing toilets where people congregate is obviously a bad idea. 

If you have an event every year with a similar attendee count, in the same venue, with the same layout and logistics then your flow, congestion and congregation will be fairly similar from year to year. Predicting where flow, congestion and congregation will be gets challenging when any of these 4 factors are in place:

1. Hosting a first time or 1 time event
2. Using an event venue for the first time
3. Drastically increasing attendance
4. Alteration to layout, format and logistics from prior year 

All 4 of these scenarios can cause unknown and unexpected dynamics for the flow, congestion and congregation of your event site. Be very intentional and thoughtful when planning events where any of the above 4 elements are in play.

Close, but not too close….

Our goal for the best toilet placement is proximity, not too far away but not in the center of the action.  Proximity refers to being close enough to where people are going to be congregating, but not directly in the way. We don’t want our portable bathrooms to be so far obscured or hidden that people don’t know there are bathrooms available. Or placed so far away people won’t want to walk “all the way over there” to use them. We have to place bathrooms just visible enough that they are seen and used, but not the center of attention. We also can’t make your toilet placement so hidden that they become “out of sight, out of mind” because then your portable toilets won’t get used at all. The best placement has to strike the balance between visible and hidden, close but not too close. “Over there” is good. All the way, “way over there,” is probably too far 

Occasionally dynamics of a site require placing your toilets more out of the way than would be ideal. In these cases when toilets are “out of sight, out of mind,” obviously placed signs with arrows pointing people to the toilets is helpful. 

Placement of a wheelchair accessible unit is critical. Where you position your wheelchair toilet must be easily accessed by someone in a wheelchair. 

The ground must be:

Firm - no soft grass or mud 

Flat - no slope of any kind 

Smooth - no rocks or gravel

Sloped, slanted, uneven or soft ground is dangerous and it is extremely difficult for a wheelchair to go over. Placement of an ADA toilet on wood chips, thick gravel, tall grass or any other non paved surface is a no no.. Keep all wheelchair accessible units on smooth, flat, paved surfaces. Space must also be provided for the door of the toilet to be fully opened and closed. 

When users exit a portable toilet they will not be paying any attention. They must be able to safely step out of the toilet and down onto firm, flat ground. Toilets must be placed and positioned so when exiting the toilet the user can safely and immediately take their first step out onto safe, solid, level ground. No slip, trip or fall hazards anywhere near the door of a toilet. No puddles or standing water. No muddy or slippery surfaces near the porta potty door. Space must also be provided for the door of the toilet to be fully opened and closed. 

Position the door so it faces away from a running course, sidewalk, bike path, golf cart path, or any road. Users don’t pay attention when they are exiting the toilet and could easily injure themselves or someone else if the door of the toilet opens into a hazard. The door must face away from anything dangerous. The toilet must be placed well away from a curb, sidewalk, path or any roadway. 

Unfortunately guests typically don’t gently or softly close the portable toilet door. This leads to some level of noise when the door closes. Not a loud enough sound to be startling but the slamming of the plastic porta potty door does make a sound. Factor this sound into your placement and place away from anywhere that sound would be a distraction.  

Hot summer days are perhaps the worst for porta potty use. The plastic cabin acts almost like a sauna. A portable toilet placed on a heat increasing surface like asphalt makes it even hotter. The heat and placement on pavement in direct sun can make the temperature of portable toilet almost too hot to safely use the bathroom. Placing porta potties in a shaded space does make a huge difference in both the comfort, appeal and temperature of the toilet. If your event site doesn’t have a shady spot that is also accessible for service and on a flat, even surface, rented tents can be a solution. Renting a tent to house your porta potty and handwashing station can also help encourage your event goers to take advantage of getting out of the sun while using the bathroom. Placing your toilets in the shade makes a huge difference.

Nobody can use the bathroom if they are holding something. So whatever garbage goes into a toilet in the hands of a user remains littered inside the portable toilet once they leave. Coffee cups, beer cups, beer cans, soda cans, water bottles, food containers, banana peels, candy wrappers - all of these things need garbage, recycling or compost containers immediately next to the portable toilets. If you don’t have garbage cans then all of this trash will find it’s way into your portable toilet. Users will leave trash anywhere and everywhere inside the toilet. If this garbage gets into the waste tank of the toilet it really increases the “nasty factor” of the user experience. People now have to go to the bathroom on top of all that garbage. Prevent the issue by having plenty of garbage, recycling and compost bins easily seen and easily accessible all around your toilets. 

People are far more likely to keep a clean toilet clean and far more likely to not feel as bad about littering in an already messy toilet. Clean toilets stay clean and dirty toilets get dirtier. Keep your toilets clear of garbage and debris. Lots of well placed garbage cans are a great first line of defense. An important 2nd step (especially critical at large events) is a person or volunteer specifically assigned to go door to door into each toilet with rubber gloves, maybe a trash grabber and either a garbage bag or a plastic bucket for garbage. Just having this person remove the garbage from inside each portable toilet will go a long way to preventing more garbage from being left. Users will be more likely to use the toilet with respect when they see someone tending to them. This door to door check will also discover if there are any significant problems in any of your toilets. A significant messy problem like someone using the urinal for the wrong purpose or someone missing and covering the entire area around the toilet seat instead. When discovered - the unit with significant impact - can be closed off and users will use adjacent toilets in the row until our Green Latrine team can come for a proper full cleaning service.

Garbage Can Next to Every Hand-Wash 

1 handwash = 1 garbage can 

If users don’t have a garbage can immediately at the handwash sink once they finish drying their hands with paper towels those paper towels will go everywhere. The handwash unit itself will become the garbage can and users will try to shove their used paper hand towel into whatever crease or crevice they can find. These paper towels shoved where they don’t belong causes the handwash to clog and overflow so water won’t run and your next guests won’t be able to use the hand wash at all. You must have one garbage or compost container immediately next to every single handwash sink you have. 

No Smell Guarantee 

They Will NOT SMELL

Our toilets will never ever smell during a 1 day event. No smell. We promise. Before we deliver your event rental toilets we pressure wash with soap and hot water every toilet. Then once delivered to your event site we use the best chemical-free odor control products on the market. We use an enzyme biocide to control the odor and prevent any smell. We have been doing portable toilets in the Seattle summer since 2015 and unless your guests completely overwhelm a toilet - meaning we did not have enough toilets - your porta potty will NOT EVER smell for a 1 day event. Guarantee. No smell. That’s our 1 day event no smell guarantee. 

Are you Making Money from Concessions? 

Nobody wants to spend more money on toilets than they need to. We get that. But! Skimping on toilets can really actually cost you more. If you are selling concessions, either food or beverages, why don’t you look at your toilets as an opportunity to increase your profits? If sales of concessions are a driver of profit for your event then the more toilets the better.

People who are waiting in line for the toilet are not spending money on your concessions. Shorter toilet lines equals more people in line to purchase what you are selling. 

Clean and available bathrooms will cause event attendees to remain at your event for a longer duration. Nobody wants to wait in line to use a overwhelmed toilet. 

Are you Charging People to Attend or Selling Tickets to the Event?

Guests who have spent money to attend the event or who have purchased a ticket will have an additional expectation of bathroom accessibility and cleanliness. The more you charge for attending the less people are willing to wait in a line and the less people are going to accept suboptimal bathroom conditions. Paying customers expect a clean place to use the restroom.

VIP or Premium Areas

If you have up-sold an area as “VIP” or “premium” and you are charging guests an additional amount to access that area then you certainly need to ensure you have upgraded your restroom experience for those specific guests who are paying more to attend.

3 ways to upgrade your bathroom experience:

1. “Good” - Increase the number of standard event portable toilets above the typical ratio of 50 people to 1 toilet 
2. “Better” - Rent our Flushing Portable Toilets. Perfect for weddings and corporate events.
3. “Best” - Go all in and get the top of the line - our luxury restroom trailer.

Vendor or Staff Toilets 

If there are lines for public facing “front of the house” toilets then be sure you separate out a “back of the house” toilet and hand wash. Reserve use of this “back of the house toilet” for your event team staff, food service workers, volunteers, vendors, security, sponsors, and any workers you need to be working and not waiting in a bathroom line.

All at Once - When Do Bathroom Lines Form?

What is the flow of your event schedule? Will there be a specific time when all of your guests in attendance will simultaneously use the bathroom all at once?

Examples of the types of events when attendees will all use the bathroom at the same time causing there to be a long line for toilets:

Runs and Races - every runner or cyclist is guaranteed to go to the bathroom immediately before a race.

Concerts - in between bands - as musical acts take a break from the stage or performers switch.

Sporting Events - halftime or between quarters - the 7th inning stretch in baseball. 

Weddings - before sitting down to dinner, after dinner, after the speeches and before the dance floor opens.

Food Events - Before and immediately after food or meals are served.

Performances - before the show, at intermission and before people leave to drive home.

Beer Gardens - constant steady flow of people - in a beer garden the bathroom is always in use!

Quantity Matters! Rent Enough Porta Potties for your Event  

Everyone wants to save a dollar. That is important and we get that. We never want to ever “over sell” you more toilets than you need. But we want to make sure you have the knowledge to make an informed decision for your event. Cost savings from cutting your budget spent on bathrooms by reducing the number of portable toilets you rent is risky business. The main way that porta potties get dirty quickly is by overuse. More people than the toilets have capacity for is bad news.  The basic rule of thumb is to have one porta potty for every 50 people in attendance at your event. That ratio can be adjusted for certain situations and we have developed a sliding ratio based on the particular parameters of your event and your event site.

Good - a ratio of 1 toilet for every 100 attendees

Better - a ratio of 1 toilet for every 75 attendees

Best - a ratio of 1 toilet for every 50 attendees

Be realistic about the number of people that you will have on site so that you rent enough porta potties for everyone. Don’t forget to take into account in your head count staff, contractors, security, volunteers, vendors, food vendors, kitchen and catering staff and anyone else you can think of who will be there to use your bathrooms. When estimating guest count always assume the most, don’t underestimate your attendance.

If you need help deciding how many porta potties you need for your event give our event planning team a call and we’ll be happy to help determine how many porta potties you’ll need. We have been in the event planning business for a long time and want to share these tips so you can ensure that your porta potties stay clean and pristine as possible for your entire event.

Overnight - Camping Events

If camping is involved, hold on tight. Every summer we provide toilets to a number of awesome Seattle area festivals, events or concerts that involve overnight camping. There is just something about camping that so drastically increases the use of the toilets. When you have people camping that can imply increased after hours activity and potentially drinking. Alcohol and food always means you’ll need more toilets and when you stretch the length of your event overnight it means you’ll need even more toilets. If camping is involved you really don’t want to cut your toilet numbers short. People don’t want to have to walk too far in the dark to find a usable restroom. Please consider safety and if possible some kind of lighting to illuminate the area around your portable toilets.

Light it Up - Illuminating Your Toilets in the Dark

If your event is held during the hours of darkness you have to consider how people will safely navigate into and out of the area around your toilets. Some kind of lights are required for people to use toilets in the dark. If you have any “up lights” or “ground lights” you can carefully run extension cords and place these on the ground around your toilets. Be sure lights and power cords are not a trip hazard. Christmas lights and cafe lights (Bistro Lights) can be strung around your portable toilets. Battery powered lights can be used inside your units and many of these lights have an adhesive backing that you can peel and stick directly onto the plastic sidewall of your portable toilet.