LUCAS, KANSAS – A new public bathroom at the Bowl Plaza debuted this past weeked in Lucas, Kansas with the help of a state grant. The entrance is shaped like a toilet tank and then the door has the shape of a toilet seat lid around it. Hundreds of people gathered to celebrate the new restrooms, with a day of toilet seat toss and the Tubular Olympics with empty toilet paper rolls. Thanks to KSAL for the picture!

Today we are featuring a guest post from the blogger, Joyce Kwon who reviews NYC bathrooms at jazz clubs and publishes them on her blog JAZZ TOILET.

JAZZ TOILET is a blog on toilets and other extramusical considerations in New York City jazz clubs. To release our issue of Tuesday Toilet Talk on the second and fourth Tuesday of each month, I go on assignment to a new venue in the week or two leading up to the publication date with another correspondent, my Ken doll. While I take a more holistic approach in assessing restrooms and don’t necessarily adhere to a checklist, below are a handful of things I note:

•  Is the door clearly marked?
• What kind of lock is on the door?
• Is the ceiling high enough for tall people?
• Is the bathroom large enough to be comfortably used?
• Are there seat covers available?
• Is there soap in the dispenser?
• Are there paper towels and/or a hand dryer?
• Is it wheelchair accessible?
• Are they unisex or divided according to gender?
• Is it one single room or comprised of multiple stalls?
• Is the room well-lit?
• What is the quality of the toilet paper?

I’m always deeply impressed if the restroom has thick, soft, cushy toilet paper, as a small luxurious detail like that can elevate the venue to a different level in my perception. An informal jam session at a seedy site or a headliner at a legendary club – no matter the setting, the bathroom factors into the overall experience of a place for all involved and deserves more attention than it’s given.

When not writing about toilets, Joyce Kwon, the founder of jazztoilet.com, writes music and sings. She also spends time comparing various brands of hand soaps and generally gravitates toward green produce-scented soaps, as well as the foamy kind. Visit voicekwon.com to view her complete portfolio of writing, singing, eating and more and follow JAZZ TOILET on twitter for the latest in toilet news.

I recently visited a public restroom at a gas station, and was fine with the cleanliness and available supplies, until I was done washing my hands.

I was faced with this as my only hand drying option:

Place hands in dryer, it stated simply. That’s an awful idea, I thought to myself. Knowing that hand dryers leave bacteria on hands, I was shocked to see that I had no paper towel option for hand drying. Automatic air hand dryers are not safe usually because of lack of regular cleaning maintenance. This particular air hand dryer looked even more menacing because it was an enclosed space that the air was being pumped into and back up onto hands. Who knows what was on the surface of this hand drying cavern of doom!

So, I did what any informed person would do, I shook my hands as dry as possible and then wiped them on my clothes! I am not usually a germaphobe, considering I dared even to use a public restroom at all. But with air hand dryers leaving as much as 254% bacteria on hands, I figured I might as well not wash them at all and roll around on the floor instead.

What do you do when faced with no hand drying option except an automatic air hand dryer?

Today is the 25th birthday of the Kimberly Clark innovation, Jumbo Roll Tissue (JRT) Toilet Paper. This is significant because jumbo toilet paper has contributed to restroom culture, found in airports, restaurants, stadiums and movie theaters. These extra big rolls of toilet paper reduce the need for servicing bathrooms to replace supply.

When the jumbo-sized roll was first introduced in 1985, most public restrooms only offered single toilet paper rolls, similar to what people use at home. JRT changed all that by providing the equivalent in length of 10 standard toilet paper rolls in one giant roll.

To celebrate, Kimberly Clark unveiled a jumbo toilet paper cake at the ISSA/Interclean trade show in Orlando (shown left).

Stock your restrooms with toilet paper dispensers and rolls at ToiletPaperWorld.com for big savings and fast delivery!

Many people have aversions to using public restrooms. Who knows how many people are using these toilets and sinks? At least, at home, you know who you are sharing germs with!

If you must use a public bathroom, there are some important things to remember! Some of recommendations for using a public bathroom include avoiding air hand dryers, using touchless dispensers. Carrying a hand sanitizer with you might also be a good idea, in case you do pick up any germs on door handles or faucets.

Check out this blog by Joseph Morris that discusses Public Restroom Statistics. You might be horrified by these public bathroom facts!

Ever have to go to the bathroom and can’t find a public restroom?

CapeCodOnline.com recently ran a story about how the Provincetown Art Association and Museum tried to discourage use of their public restrooms by removing town signage. Public works employees have restored the restroom signs.

After a summer resident was denied bathroom access, a complaint letter was sent to the town. The Water and Sewer board warned the museum that they were violating their sewer permit and to fix the problems.

Other Provincetown public restrooms are in town owned buildings. The museum’s executive director Chris McCarthy complained that a non-profit organization shouldn’t be included in the town’s public restroom system without funding assistance. He estimated that 8,000 people in the summer season came to the museum only to use the restrooms, costing $1,100 annually for maintenance and supplies.

If you need a public bathroom anywhere, check out the Charmin sponsored website SitorSquat.com. Should organizations like museums be mandated to provide public restroom access? Do you think the restroom signs should have been restored?

Last fall we posted about Harvard grad students’ bathroom etiquette rules, some of them being so obvious that people questioned their necessity. It seems that everyone, whether it be at work, at home, or in any public bathroom, has been guilty of violating bathroom etiquette. Whether it be leaving the toilet seat up at home, or forgetting to flush, there are so many ways to offend the other bathroom users.

A search on the web for “bathroom rules” found a wide variety of signs and postings regarding bathroom rules and etiquette. Here are some of these signs that remind us to use these shared facilities with consideration.

Posted by TheContinental

From Gyani Jarnail Singh

From The Copper Cow

From IdealMoments

What other bathroom rules do you have that you think are important?

When you’re on the road or on the go, shouldn’t it be easier to find a clean public restroom to do your business in? Well to simplify the task, the beloved Charmin Bears are acting as a guide.

There’s a new website called SitOrSquat.com that helps travelers find clean public restrooms. The site, hosted by Charmin’s owner, Procter and Gamble, is an interactive web page and mobile application that depends on public feedback to identify where clean, comfortable restrooms are. Originally based off of a smaller, personal blog, SitOrSquat.com may just change the way that you, well, go.

According to the official About Us page, SitOrSquat.com is a site that is “dedicated to telling you where the closest place to relieve yourself is and whether or not that place is worth even sitting or squatting (or standing) at. We all find ourselves needing a public restroom every once in a while, whether it’s walking down a city block or driving on a highway with a few whining kids in the backseat.”

The site can be personalized for each member based on their needs and preferences in bathroom usage based on several criteria. A member is also able to create a list of their favorite toilets as well as share them with their friends, so that going to the bathroom moves beyond a private matter and now becomes an interesting topic for discussion. As time goes by and more data is recorded, the site will continue to get more accurate in ratings as well as more options in places to go – an essential for the busy traveler or picky public bathroom user.

Do your hiney a favor and add it to your mobile phone or bookmark it as a favorite website. Trust us – it’s worth it.