No matter what kind of large event you’re planning, you’ve got to have enough working restrooms to keep your guests comfortable. Whether it’s a wedding, family reunion, fundraising event, or concert, no one wants to stand in a long line to use the restroom.
Portable toilets are a great way to supplement whatever restrooms your venue already has, but what if you have limited outdoor space? What if there’s inclement weather, or you just don’t want to force your guests to leave the building?
Fortunately, with some planning and safe practices, you can utilize your portable restrooms even indoors.
Safety First
The most important consideration when placing a portable toilet indoors is ventilation. As the restrooms get used, they start to fill with gases. These gases are not just offensive to the senses but can even be a health risk.
Make sure you’ve got the most well-ventilated area you can find for your restrooms. If you can open nearby windows and doors, even better. Your goal is not to cover up the smell (though proper ventilation means that shouldn’t be an issue), but rather to give the released gases somewhere to go.
Another important tip is to keep the toilet lids closed. You may even want to put up a sign asking guests to close the lids when they’ve finished. A closed lid gives the gas in the toilet tank nowhere to go but out of the ventilation pipe. An open lid, on the other hand, lets those gases fill up the restroom itself. It’s not pretty.
What Are My Options?
Texas Outhouse offers a variety of portable restroom models for you to choose from. With the proper ventilation, any of these models could be used indoors if your venue permits it. (The notable exception is the European Urinal, which should always be placed outdoors.)
If you’re leaning towards our luxury models, there’s another perk that may interest you for indoor use: they come equipped with ventilation fans. This does not mean that they won’t need to be placed in ventilated areas, only that the removal of offensive gases is even more efficient. You may even be able to skip keeping the toilet seat down.
Where Can They Go?
Depending on your venue, you may have a few options for where to place your portable toilets. Some spaces have multiple entryways with multiple exterior doors and maybe even windows. One option is to designate a single entrance for your guests and use the other entry for your restrooms. Make sure all of the doors are propped open and also open any windows you can.
Community centers and schools usually have large, high-ceilinged gyms. Of course, it’s still a better option to place the restrooms as near the exterior doors as possible, but the extra space provided by a gym will help with dispersing gases.
You might also have a hybrid solution available if your venue has a covered outdoor area like an unused dance floor or a basketball court. While technically not indoors, these covered spaces can provide protection from the weather while allowing for maximum ventilation.
Schedule Your Rental
With a little bit of forethought and safety planning, you don’t have to be restricted to leaving your portable toilets outside. Just remember to make sure there’s plenty of ventilation (we can’t stress this enough), and remind guests to close the toilet lid when they’re finished.
If you need portable toilets for indoor or outdoor use, contact Texas Outhouse today. Check out our selection of restroom options and start planning your next event.
