As a portable restroom supplier, COVID has certainly changed what our summer looks like. Our busy season runs normally from late spring into mid-fall. We get tons of weekend portable toilet rentals for events of all sizes. With executive orders banning large get-togethers for months and all big events canceled for the foreseeable future, we have been doing far fewer big events than usual for this time of the year. What we are seeing, however, is a dramatic increase in portable toilet rentals and handwashing station rentals. These are needed for other kinds of gatherings and business applications. You’ll find our rentals at outdoor church services, home weddings, grad parties, neighborhood parties. You’ll also see them at car dealerships and repair shops, plant nurseries, restaurants, farms, and much more! But the relationship between COVID and portable toilets is not limited to the types of events we’re servicing.
Public Concerns about COVID and Portable Toilets for Rent
Throughout the pandemic people have been extremely concerned with cleanliness. With an increased focus on hand washing, cleaning, and using sanitizer people are more worried than ever about using porta potties. While people have always questioned how clean portable toilets are, they now have different types of sanitary concerns. Instead of being worried about foul smells or stepping in something gross, they are worried about whether the virus will be transmitted on frequently touched surfaces like door handles and through the air inside porta johns.
The Facts
We want to set your mind at ease while also sharing truthful information. How likely you are to get sick from any bathroom is contingent upon how often it’s cleaned. Whether it’s your home bathroom, the bathroom at your workplace, the bathroom at a restaurant, or a portable toilet the more often it’s cleaned, the less likely you are to pick something up. Clearly there is a risk of getting sick when you touch something (anything) that someone who is sick touched and then you touch your face, mouth, eyes, or nose without washing your hands. This is a well-known fact.
What We Know Right Now about COVID and Portable Toilets for Rent
Porta potties have the added element of being housed in a smaller space than most other bathrooms, which makes it more likely that you would be in the exact same spot that someone else was located when they used the bathroom too. If someone that uses the bathroom before you is sick and coughing, this could potentially make you more likely to get sick.
However, it’s also worth noting that viruses can’t stay in the air forever. So, someone would have to use the bathroom right before you for it to be a concern. If the porta potty you’re using is at a large event, this might occur. But if the porta potty you’re using is at a park or on a trail, this may be less likely. However, being at a large event where you would use a bathroom immediately after someone else, you are probably also raising your risk of getting sick from your interactions with people and close proximity to others at the event anyway. Transmission likelihood can also vary with temperature and other conditions. The precautions that you take (like wearing a mask) could come into play. Ultimately, it’s difficult to say whether using a porta potty makes you more likely to contract a virus.
Additionally, most porta potties don’t have flushing toilets. This means that the waste is visibly housed in a tank below the toilet. While this may seem more dangerous, it is not believed to be at this time. With porta potties not flushing like common commercial toilets, are they actually safer? There’s no way to know really.
The Verdict?
Right now, it doesn’t appear that there’s either an increased or decreased risk of using a portable toilet over a permanent indoor bathroom. Ultimately, if you’re out someplace and need to go to the bathroom, you don’t have much choice anyways (short of finding some woods). So, follow the most current CDC guidelines and local health regulations. Get in and do your business quickly, and get out. Wash your hands! Use hand sanitizer! Be well.
Disclaimer
DISCLAIMER: WE ARE OBVIOUSLY NOT MEDICAL PROFESSIONALS, HEALTH EXPERTS, LAWYERS, SCIENTISTS, OR ANYONE ELSE FORMALLY QUALIFIED TO GIVE YOU ADVICE ON STAYING HEALTHY OR AVOIDING COVID OR ANY OTHER DISEASE. PLEASE USE YOUR OWN BEST JUDGEMENT AND RELY ON THE PROFESSIONALS TO MAKE HEALTH-BASED DECISIONS FOR YOURSELF AND YOUR FAMILY.
Not Disclaimer: If you want to rent portable toilets, we’re your people. Give us a call at 616-662-2677. We are qualified to give you advice on portable restroom rentals!
Kerkstra Luxury Portable Restroom Service Inc. provides portable restroom service across Michigan and luxury restroom trailers for all of the states surrounding the Great Lakes. Take a look at our mobile restroom trailers and request a quote today!
