New to renting portable toilets? Don’t stress! Our tips for renting porta potties will give you the info you need to make rental decisions like a seasoned event planning pro.
Remember, unlike other types of event rentals, portable toilets have the potential to ruin your event if something goes wrong. Having too few, getting them delivered late, or putting them in the wrong places can spell disaster for even the best intentioned events. With so much at stake, don’t wing it! Do your research ahead of time to ensure that your event goes off without a hitch.
Our restroom rentals guide will give you some important tips for renting porta-potties based on the common mistakes we see people encounter when planning events.
Understand Your Options
When people think of portable restrooms, they usually think of standard, stand-alone porta-potties. And while porta-potties (aka “porta johns,” “porta janes,” or “porta toilets”) are certainly an option for your next event, they’re not the only option. Portable toilets come in two main styles: stand-alone toilet units and restroom trailers.
Stand-alone portable toilet units are the porta-potties you’ve likely seen at parks, on trails, in construction sites, and at events like outdoor concerts. These can be standard units or handicapped accessible units. Accessible units have ground entry, and are big enough to comfortably accommodate a wheelchair or stroller. These units can be added together to offer a giant bank of porta-potties for huge events as well.
Restroom trailers are luxury portable toilets that provide all of the amenities of a regular bathroom. These amenities include flushing toilets, sinks with running water, interior and exterior lighting, mirrors, and climate controlled interiors. Depending on the unit, they may also include homey touches as well such as wooden cabinetry, artwork, accent rugs, and faux plants. Luxury portable toilets come in trailer combinations of all sizes too. You can choose trailers with up to 10 stalls and these can be grouped together to offer even greater capacity if needed.
Take a look at your event type, preferences, and budget to determine which will be the best fit for you!
Get Plenty
The biggest mistake you can make is getting too few portable toilets for your event. Don’t try to cut costs by getting the bare minimum for your event. If you do, you’ll be left with long lines, units that get full and stinky, and very disappointed attendees. No one wants to wait in line for the bathroom instead of having fun. Not enough bathrooms can also cause attendees will leave early or eat and drink less while they’re at the event. For a social event, this can be a real let down, but for-profit event, this can spell disaster!
Book Early
Don’t wait too long to book your rentals with a portable toilet supplier, especially during busy summer months. As soon as you know when you want to have your event, start reaching out to portable restroom rental companies to check their availability.
If you need to rent units on short notice just keep in mind that you may have to be flexible about the number or type of restrooms you rent to get your preferred date.
Put Them in the Right Locations
Develop a plan on toilet placement for your event first so that you can give this information to your rental company. There may be places where we can’t set up units (or advise against it). If you aren’t sure where to put them, you can always ask for recommendations. A portable restroom provider can give you advice on where units should go and how many units can fit in the available area.
Keep in mind, the placement of your units may figure into how many you need to rent as well. If your event is being held over a wide area where attendees are expected to spend time at multiple locations, renting more units or a second trailer is always a good idea. For instance, during a farm wedding, the actual ceremony may take place in one area of the property while the reception is held in another area.
Kerkstra Portable Restroom Service Inc. provides portable restroom service across Michigan and luxury restroom trailers for all the states surrounding the Great Lakes. Take a look at our mobile restroom trailers and request a quote today!
