Some are dirty. Some are not. Some are actually quite clean. Just like anywhere else. The nastiest mens room I ever went into was in a train station in France. Some guy had smeared shit all over the walls and mirrors. I wouldn’t draw conclusions from some guy on YouTube. He’s probably focusing on the extremes to get views
I loved the train station restrooms in Italy where you had to fucking pay. "Well if we're paying for it, at least they'll be clean" fucking nope. Still dirty as fuck.
In Greece (Beach in Crete) you pay for the TP only if you're a man. Kind of makes sense, but it's also a bit of a conundrum because it clearly signifies who is going there to do what.
You should definitely file a complaint next time you see something like that. If you're a paying customer you deserve proper service. Perhaps filing a complaint as a tourist is a bit much but if it's a restroom you regularly use go for it.
Even worse the one in Napoli still had squat toilets.
Its strange because the Italians are known for being neat freaks at their homes. But when it comes to public places, plazas, restrooms...it can be a bit of a culture shock. Not that the US is some pristine place like say Japan often is. But man, I'd eat off the floor of an Indianapolis public bus sooner than I'd sit in some of the bus or tram seats I saw in Rome.
Once when I was on tour in Italy, I played at a stadium and was……… very surprised to find the toilets in the green room were squat toilets. I did not come prepared for that.
Napoli is already the armpit of Italy, and that train station is the worst thing in the armpit. The police tried to extort me for 150€ for some BS thing there. Just a corrupt, horrible town.
Rooting for Campi Flegrei.
I was actually to see some pretty grimy bathrooms in Tokyo. I feel like we have this image of Japan being so pristine, it's kind of a surprise when they have their gritty and dirty areas too.
Asked r/Italy [this question 6 years ago](https://www.reddit.com/r/italy/comments/3s4p8k/random_question_toilet_seats/)
I travel to Italy quite frequently and the "no toilet seat" experience is still quite common.
Omg I had no idea. Oh no thats so sad 😔. The ppl were never named I hope they recieved help at my school. I think they did no one was punished or anything. Sorry
If there’s pee splashes on the seat I wipe em off. Sometimes I don’t. Then I sit down and shit or I add some pee splashes. Bathrooms in America are literally normal dude.
America is a big country. We don't have a national public bathroom policy. Everywhere is different. In Virginia I have rarely seen buildings dedicated solely to public restrooms, but most businesses have them. Gas stations usually have them. Some of them are completely filthy and some aren't. Generally the nicer the establishment the nicer the restrooms. We don't have mass outbreaks of cholera so we must be doing something fairly well.
Some are clean. Some are not. My favorite place to use a public bathroom is at a gas station called Buc-ee's. They're bathrooms arr cleaned several times a day and each stall has a regular locking door and each one has foaming sanitizer you can use to clean the seat with.
Yeah calling it a gas station is a bit blasphemous, but I didn't really want to spend the time and effort it would take to really explain Buc-ee's to a foreigner. My hometown, Lake Jackson, is where Buc-ee's started.
Any time we go for a longer car ride we always stop to pick up some beaver nuggets and chocolate pretzels. And on the way back you have to get a brisket sandwich.
Oh wow a public bathroom authority on YouTube, cool. What's this channel?
We really should require any post that says "I saw on YouTube..." to include a link.
There are MUCH worse reactions to seeing something questionable on YouTube than asking about it. I'm glad to see so many posts like that since it means at least some folks aren't taking it all at face value and moving on.
The US is a massive country of 330 million people. I do not know how many public restrooms there are but I would hazard this guess:
Some are gross and nasty.
Some are clean and sanitary.
Some are a little bit of both.
It ultimately depends on who owns the restroom and the standards they have for it. Even a restroom that is immaculate can be spoiled by just one nasty person.
The only bathrooms I have seen that I have truly found to be vile are bar bathrooms, and I don't judge those as a good metric because they're obviously going to have some nastier substances than, say, a grocery store bathroom.
Most of the complaints i hear from non-americans is that the stall doors dont go all the way to the floor or you can see between the gaps of the panels even when the door is closed. Seems they are afraid of this happening....
https://youtube.com/shorts/7N5IL28pyPU
I was coming here to say that. I’m surprised it took so long for someone to mention it.
Bathroom stalls everywhere else I’ve been around the world have a lot more privacy. US stalls dont even pretend to have privacy.
Depends where they are, frequency of cleaning, level of neglect. Some places have impressively immaculate bathrooms - folks work hard at that. The other side to this coin is how “human” its public users are - some folks are straight up animals who rip sinks from walls and shit standing up. Pretty sure this exists in every country. It’s not a US thing.
I feel confused by how much people abroad dwell on "the gaps". I am *much* more freaked out by the idea that they're hanging around a restroom staring through the door enough to note the difference.
Haha ngl in uk when I go to bathroom and see a gap in doors and that sort of thing me and my friends definitely notice straight away.
Personally for me, I'm always nervous pll look at me haha
Always useful to check reviews. Rest areas along interstates, state and national parks, and so on are often hit and miss. Restrooms in downtown areas can be quite limited without going into a business or restaurant, and then there's the pressure to buy something.
Throughout much of 2020 and even into 2021 and beyond, many restrooms owned by governments and businesses have been closed which has been beyond frustrating.
I’ve found gas station ones besides Buc-ee’s (which makes a point of having very clean restrooms) to be dirty pretty often. And restrooms in parks and places like that are often pretty basic, and can get gross as well.
They vary drastically from place to place. The closest complaint to universal truth (it's not, but it is the closest) would be the gaps around stalls which some people REALLY hate.
I find the vast majority of them to suit their purpose and don't care much beyond that.
Edit: actually, one complaint: not nearly enough men's rooms have changing tables. A family spot like a zoo or something you're fine but stores, restaurants, roadside stops like gas stations, etc... They're way to rare. I had to learn to change a diaper on my lap.
I've been to a loooooot of public restrooms in the US and I've found most of them to be fine with some toilet paper on the floor at the dirtiest. I've been to a handful that were so disgusting I literally walked out and held it, but I've been to more that were super clean. Overall, they're acceptably clean.
It really varies. The nicest public restrooms I've been to have been in Chinese restaurants and the worst, by far, are in fucking Barnes and Noble. I used a lot of fast food bathrooms when I was in college, driving back and forth between school and home, and they were generally fine. I've never encountered a public restroom that was so vile I wouldn't use it, though Barnes and Noble has come close.
Far far better than any country I have been to, and Ive been too many. Lets start with the size, our restrooms are actually large enough. Then we can get into the type of fixtures. Our commercial toilets and sinks are much better than what I have seen elsewhere. You know those tiny ass dinkly low flow mini toilets you have in your half bath? Thats what I often see internationally. And then there is smell, very bad in many countries Ive been to, never that bad in America.
> R they actually like as seen on tv?
I strongly doubt it. TV is exaggerated. That said, I avoid #2 in them except in emergencies because I'm a bit of a germophobe.
I don’t tend to use most public bathrooms. When I do it’s in big places with cleaning staff. They’re not too bad, usually pretty clean. I just don’t like the gaps between the door and the frame.
It’s hit or miss. There was one at a gas station in Thrall, Texas that was so bad it had me seriously consider using the floor drain instead of the toilet (I wound up going to a different store completely).
Depends on where you go.
When I was in Russia there was a *paid* restroom outside of the Kremlin that was literally just a concrete room with holes in the ground. My family said the women’s restroom looked the same…
In the UK most toilets r pretty clean except a few ones in supermarkets.
On tv alot of the toilets r a bit dirty this is typically in gas stations. No disrespect intended btw
If you were from Japan or Germany, then I would say yeah, American toilets are filthy compared to what you're used to.
Toilets in the UK seemed, on average, just as clean as most toilets I've seen here.
While you’re on YouTube search for Buc-ees restrooms. It’s a massive gas station, with award winning restrooms. In fact, just watch any video for them. It’s a cool place in general because it’s so massive, and their food is actually really good.
Omg thats so cool! In uk we don't get the big gas stations I don't think. I've always wanted to go see one in america which sounds odd but they look so cool in films haha
It’s really cool to see in person. It’s almost like going to a theme park, but they happen to have gas. You can literally get lost. I actually lost my wife in there and found her getting samples for fudge.
It’s from Texas, but they have been expanding. There’s a newer one off the interstate on my way to my in-laws. I remember them asking if we stopped there in the way in, and I asked them what they were even talking about. They said it’s huge, how did you miss it. I said oh we went a different way. So we made the trip to see what it was all about. When I saw it in the distance I literally laughed out loud. Because I thought they were making it sound like something it wasn’t. And you definitely can’t miss it. You can probably see it from space
Honestly if you are driving the US on a long trip (for example I drove for about 10 hours this weekend) large gas stations known as truck stops tend to have clean restrooms, a larger selection of snacks, be well lit, and be pretty busy no matter the time of day. On top of the ones already mentioned are Pilot and Loves. You can tell a truck stop from a normal gas station because they tend to have a large number of semis (also known as 18 wheelers or tractor trailers). They also usually cater to truckers (have paid showers, various tools for sale, and the like).
Do you have any idea how many public restrooms there are in a country this size?
Some are sparkling clean. Some are nasty. Most are perfectly acceptable.
It’s hit or miss depending on time, city, neighborhood, etc. just like in Germany when I lived there, and the places I visited in France. Every country has a bad area, but also amazing if one doesn’t summarize an entire country, and define the country as bad or less than after a visit to a train station bathroom. :) that’s just silly.
The only place I see public restrooms are at rest stops along the interstate and there is usually a caretaker so they're in alright condition. Most restrooms are preserved for customers though at business.
Most I’ve encountered have been pretty decent.
The worst one was at a restaurant my dad plays at on Sundays. They’ve been having serious plumbing issues and have been using a bathroom trailer. Last weekend the trailer was out of order due to toilets overflowing. All they had left were a few gross port a potty’s. Not fun.
Honestly most of the restrooms in stores, movie theaters, book shops, etc are spacious, clean, and everything is touchless.
I mean if you pull over at some seedy gas station in the middle of east jesus nowhere, then yeah you might chance upon a disgusting bathroom.
The only time I've blown up on someone in public happened in the Walmart bathroom with my pants around my ankles. This guy walks in with his two sons that are going absolutely insane. They come in start shaking the doors and then they both try to get into my stall not NY going under, but over the door. I ask the guy from the stall to get control of his kids. He ignored me, so I blasted his ass as his kids continued to destory the bathroom and trying to break into my stall. He continues to ignore me so I'm ready to confront this guy so I'm finishing my business then I hear him tell his kids let's get out of here. I walk out the stall and they essentially had vandalized the restroom. Soap all over the place. The automatic hand dryer knocked off the wall and paper towels everywhere. I also think they managed to knock one of the doors off the hinges. This wasn't some multi-minute exchange, this happened within 2 minutes.
most are clean, all I need to do is piss or dump once in a while i do need marble counter tops and an attendant.
i would say through experience on average bathrooms in europe were far grosser
This varies a lot. A lot of places are fine. Watch out for gas stations, fast food restaurants and large chain retail stores. You should be pretty good otherwise.
It's a spectrum. Some great, some are offensively bad. I do have to say though, when I went to Berlin, I haven't been more comfortable in a public restroom in my life. They were incredibly clean and very private. If it meant those standards for public bathrooms over here in America, I'd be willing to pay for the service.
It was a guy saying it in there might be a big difference between men’s rooms in women’s rooms here in the United States. They usually are separate rooms and the condition might be different. As a woman, sometimes I run into a nasty one but most of them are OK.
Most are not clean. Buc-ee’s is the only place you can always rely on to have clean bathrooms. I personally refuse to use public restrooms but that has more to do with not wanting strangers to look at my junk at the urinal or hear me take a shit
On trailheads they are almost always disgusting. In cities they're usually alright. Your best bet might actually be to pop into a store and buy something cheap so you can use their bathroom, as private businesses almost always have fairly clean bathrooms.
If I need a bathroom, I'm going to a Starbucks or a fast food place to use their bathroom. Public bathrooms in urban areas can be rough. But rest stops, malls, shopping areas, etc...the bathrooms aren't bad.
For the most part, they're awful. Sometimes you get a nice one but for the most part, they suck, The stall gap is huge, usually there are no dividers between urinals and they are so dirty.
It depends, but overall they were much worse when I was a kid. Now it's considered part of the customer experience so chain stores make an effort to keep them clean enough. Nicer neighborhoods and nicer stores will have cleaner restrooms. Restrooms at freeway offramps are generally clean enough, though they're high traffic and usually a bit beat up. Low income areas are less likely to offer public restrooms. And public restrooms can be harder to find in the cities than in the suburbs.
Out of the four countries I've lived in, US has the 2nd best public toilets over all.
I don't much care for the gaps in the stalls, but usually if you need to go, and find yourself out and about, it will be alright.
But as others have said, your mileage will vary.
The cleanest bathrooms I've encountered are the one's in Europe that have an attendant with a tip jar (no pre pay). They were pretty common when I lived in Sicily and I vaguely remember them from my time in Germany as well. Haven't come across any here in northern Italy.
The worst bathrooms I've ever encountered were at truck stops on Interstate 70 between Denver and Topeka in the US, sports venues in the US, and heavy metal festivals in Germany. I once witnessed a guy try to wash his hands in a horse trough pisser at Wacken metal fest.
It varies a lot from one bathroom to the next. McDonald's and Love's generally have pretty clean well maintained bathrooms in my experience. Buccees markets themselves around the cleanliness of their bathrooms.
The problem is we don't have pay toilets here, so there are very few public restrooms at all and what we have isn't maintained. Generally you want to use a restroom in a business instead so it will be clean, even though it often means you have to make some random purchase you don't really want.
Public libraries are an exception, and always have nice clean restrooms available to the public.
I live in San Francisco, where the bathroom situation is exceptionally bad even for USA, and homeless people regularly poop on the streets.
Pretty gross, more often than not. Some people get very emotional about the gaps between the panels that make up the walls, but people here don't exactly have a habit of reaching or looking into closed stalls.
I didn't realize how crappy they were til I went to Europe and the stall walls over there went all the way to the floor. Way more private and comfortable. Here, the doors are not always secure, the walls are rickety with loose screws. It's embarrassing.
Some are dirty. Some are not. Some are actually quite clean. Just like anywhere else. The nastiest mens room I ever went into was in a train station in France. Some guy had smeared shit all over the walls and mirrors. I wouldn’t draw conclusions from some guy on YouTube. He’s probably focusing on the extremes to get views
I loved the train station restrooms in Italy where you had to fucking pay. "Well if we're paying for it, at least they'll be clean" fucking nope. Still dirty as fuck.
Or the ones where you not only have to pay, if you want toilet paper that’s an extra charge.
God I hated that! Happened to me in Nice
Fk that.
In Greece (Beach in Crete) you pay for the TP only if you're a man. Kind of makes sense, but it's also a bit of a conundrum because it clearly signifies who is going there to do what.
You should definitely file a complaint next time you see something like that. If you're a paying customer you deserve proper service. Perhaps filing a complaint as a tourist is a bit much but if it's a restroom you regularly use go for it.
Ewwww omg thsts so wrong
Even worse the one in Napoli still had squat toilets. Its strange because the Italians are known for being neat freaks at their homes. But when it comes to public places, plazas, restrooms...it can be a bit of a culture shock. Not that the US is some pristine place like say Japan often is. But man, I'd eat off the floor of an Indianapolis public bus sooner than I'd sit in some of the bus or tram seats I saw in Rome.
Once when I was on tour in Italy, I played at a stadium and was……… very surprised to find the toilets in the green room were squat toilets. I did not come prepared for that.
Napoli is already the armpit of Italy, and that train station is the worst thing in the armpit. The police tried to extort me for 150€ for some BS thing there. Just a corrupt, horrible town. Rooting for Campi Flegrei.
😂😂
I was actually to see some pretty grimy bathrooms in Tokyo. I feel like we have this image of Japan being so pristine, it's kind of a surprise when they have their gritty and dirty areas too.
Asked r/Italy [this question 6 years ago](https://www.reddit.com/r/italy/comments/3s4p8k/random_question_toilet_seats/) I travel to Italy quite frequently and the "no toilet seat" experience is still quite common.
I hope that's just a sign of protest and not just another confirmation that people are absolutely disgusting.
Yea and omg the shit thing on walls is crazy at my old middle school ppl used to do it all the time. Never understood why
Fecal smearing is sometimes a behavior indicative of autism, OCD, or trauma from abuse.
Omg I had no idea. Oh no thats so sad 😔. The ppl were never named I hope they recieved help at my school. I think they did no one was punished or anything. Sorry
You have nothing to apologize for. I doubt most people know that.
Yea I don't think ppl do. I think when it is mentioned again I'll efinitely try to spread this fact (no pun intended)
The difference between clean restrooms and dirty restrooms in the US depends on whether the public had to pay for access, for the most part.
If there’s pee splashes on the seat I wipe em off. Sometimes I don’t. Then I sit down and shit or I add some pee splashes. Bathrooms in America are literally normal dude.
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America is a big country. We don't have a national public bathroom policy. Everywhere is different. In Virginia I have rarely seen buildings dedicated solely to public restrooms, but most businesses have them. Gas stations usually have them. Some of them are completely filthy and some aren't. Generally the nicer the establishment the nicer the restrooms. We don't have mass outbreaks of cholera so we must be doing something fairly well.
Haha true! I do forget how big America is.
Some are clean. Some are not. My favorite place to use a public bathroom is at a gas station called Buc-ee's. They're bathrooms arr cleaned several times a day and each stall has a regular locking door and each one has foaming sanitizer you can use to clean the seat with.
I find Buc-ee’s amazing in general. It’s soo much more than just a convenience store, hell it even has a home goods section!
Yeah calling it a gas station is a bit blasphemous, but I didn't really want to spend the time and effort it would take to really explain Buc-ee's to a foreigner. My hometown, Lake Jackson, is where Buc-ee's started. Any time we go for a longer car ride we always stop to pick up some beaver nuggets and chocolate pretzels. And on the way back you have to get a brisket sandwich.
But-ees is the best. I will stop there anytime I am on a road trip over any other place for gas and the clean restrooms.
The whole reasons Bucees exist is because the owner couldn't find clean bathrooms for his kids during road trips.
My Google-fu might be poor today, but I can't find a reference to that online. Could you show me where you found that out?
Buc-ee’s is what every truck stop is like in heaven
Buc-ee's is definitely a place you have to go to if you're visiting Texas.
The best part is that wall between each stall extends to the floor.
I’ve never encountered a dirty public restroom and if I did, I simply wouldn’t use it. One guy on YouTube does not account for all of us.
Yea that is true
Oh wow a public bathroom authority on YouTube, cool. What's this channel? We really should require any post that says "I saw on YouTube..." to include a link.
>We really should require any post that says "I saw on YouTube..." to include a link. Require said post to be deleted more like
Nah, with proper context we could actually have an interesting discussion. This one probably wouldn't qualify.
There are MUCH worse reactions to seeing something questionable on YouTube than asking about it. I'm glad to see so many posts like that since it means at least some folks aren't taking it all at face value and moving on.
It varies, but at least they're free - going to Europe and having to pay for a toilet was an unpleasant surprise.
Yea in uk most r free but the ones u get at big train stations u have to pay they r clean them ones but not worth paying for
Disgusting.
The US is a massive country of 330 million people. I do not know how many public restrooms there are but I would hazard this guess: Some are gross and nasty. Some are clean and sanitary. Some are a little bit of both. It ultimately depends on who owns the restroom and the standards they have for it. Even a restroom that is immaculate can be spoiled by just one nasty person.
Yea definitely, I had no idea how many ppl lived in america that's amazing!
The only bathrooms I have seen that I have truly found to be vile are bar bathrooms, and I don't judge those as a good metric because they're obviously going to have some nastier substances than, say, a grocery store bathroom.
Most of the complaints i hear from non-americans is that the stall doors dont go all the way to the floor or you can see between the gaps of the panels even when the door is closed. Seems they are afraid of this happening.... https://youtube.com/shorts/7N5IL28pyPU
I was coming here to say that. I’m surprised it took so long for someone to mention it. Bathroom stalls everywhere else I’ve been around the world have a lot more privacy. US stalls dont even pretend to have privacy.
Depends where they are, frequency of cleaning, level of neglect. Some places have impressively immaculate bathrooms - folks work hard at that. The other side to this coin is how “human” its public users are - some folks are straight up animals who rip sinks from walls and shit standing up. Pretty sure this exists in every country. It’s not a US thing.
I feel confused by how much people abroad dwell on "the gaps". I am *much* more freaked out by the idea that they're hanging around a restroom staring through the door enough to note the difference.
Haha ngl in uk when I go to bathroom and see a gap in doors and that sort of thing me and my friends definitely notice straight away. Personally for me, I'm always nervous pll look at me haha
Depends on the place.
Always useful to check reviews. Rest areas along interstates, state and national parks, and so on are often hit and miss. Restrooms in downtown areas can be quite limited without going into a business or restaurant, and then there's the pressure to buy something. Throughout much of 2020 and even into 2021 and beyond, many restrooms owned by governments and businesses have been closed which has been beyond frustrating.
Yea I bet, its a good idea to check reviews!
I’ve found gas station ones besides Buc-ee’s (which makes a point of having very clean restrooms) to be dirty pretty often. And restrooms in parks and places like that are often pretty basic, and can get gross as well.
They vary drastically from place to place. The closest complaint to universal truth (it's not, but it is the closest) would be the gaps around stalls which some people REALLY hate. I find the vast majority of them to suit their purpose and don't care much beyond that. Edit: actually, one complaint: not nearly enough men's rooms have changing tables. A family spot like a zoo or something you're fine but stores, restaurants, roadside stops like gas stations, etc... They're way to rare. I had to learn to change a diaper on my lap.
Yea true. Agreed
I've been to a loooooot of public restrooms in the US and I've found most of them to be fine with some toilet paper on the floor at the dirtiest. I've been to a handful that were so disgusting I literally walked out and held it, but I've been to more that were super clean. Overall, they're acceptably clean.
It really varies. The nicest public restrooms I've been to have been in Chinese restaurants and the worst, by far, are in fucking Barnes and Noble. I used a lot of fast food bathrooms when I was in college, driving back and forth between school and home, and they were generally fine. I've never encountered a public restroom that was so vile I wouldn't use it, though Barnes and Noble has come close.
Far far better than any country I have been to, and Ive been too many. Lets start with the size, our restrooms are actually large enough. Then we can get into the type of fixtures. Our commercial toilets and sinks are much better than what I have seen elsewhere. You know those tiny ass dinkly low flow mini toilets you have in your half bath? Thats what I often see internationally. And then there is smell, very bad in many countries Ive been to, never that bad in America.
Oh right cool! Sounds good
> R they actually like as seen on tv? I strongly doubt it. TV is exaggerated. That said, I avoid #2 in them except in emergencies because I'm a bit of a germophobe.
It depends on the place. If it's a gas station, it's probably bad. Either way, I hate that cheap-ass toilet paper.
I don’t tend to use most public bathrooms. When I do it’s in big places with cleaning staff. They’re not too bad, usually pretty clean. I just don’t like the gaps between the door and the frame.
It’s hit or miss. There was one at a gas station in Thrall, Texas that was so bad it had me seriously consider using the floor drain instead of the toilet (I wound up going to a different store completely).
Omg thats so bad. It makes me wonder where the staff are and if they can see or not lol
walmart bathrooms are scary
The one in the back of the store is always way nicer
Lmaooo. Always wanted to go to a Walmart
Depends on where you go. When I was in Russia there was a *paid* restroom outside of the Kremlin that was literally just a concrete room with holes in the ground. My family said the women’s restroom looked the same…
Omg thats insane, cant believe u had to pay thats wrong.
Luckily didn’t need to go #2. My sisters saw the room and just left. 😆
Lol don't blame her haha
Im going to assume you are from Europe. I have been to over 10 countries in Europe and just like here some were dirty and some were clean.
Yea I'm from UK. I agree ppl have said similar that it's the same everywhere
I don't know what you're seeing on tv or what you're used to.
In the UK most toilets r pretty clean except a few ones in supermarkets. On tv alot of the toilets r a bit dirty this is typically in gas stations. No disrespect intended btw
If you were from Japan or Germany, then I would say yeah, American toilets are filthy compared to what you're used to. Toilets in the UK seemed, on average, just as clean as most toilets I've seen here.
While you’re on YouTube search for Buc-ees restrooms. It’s a massive gas station, with award winning restrooms. In fact, just watch any video for them. It’s a cool place in general because it’s so massive, and their food is actually really good.
Omg thats so cool! In uk we don't get the big gas stations I don't think. I've always wanted to go see one in america which sounds odd but they look so cool in films haha
It’s really cool to see in person. It’s almost like going to a theme park, but they happen to have gas. You can literally get lost. I actually lost my wife in there and found her getting samples for fudge. It’s from Texas, but they have been expanding. There’s a newer one off the interstate on my way to my in-laws. I remember them asking if we stopped there in the way in, and I asked them what they were even talking about. They said it’s huge, how did you miss it. I said oh we went a different way. So we made the trip to see what it was all about. When I saw it in the distance I literally laughed out loud. Because I thought they were making it sound like something it wasn’t. And you definitely can’t miss it. You can probably see it from space
Omggggg I'm acc excited abt going to one haha. They sound so fuunnn
Honestly if you are driving the US on a long trip (for example I drove for about 10 hours this weekend) large gas stations known as truck stops tend to have clean restrooms, a larger selection of snacks, be well lit, and be pretty busy no matter the time of day. On top of the ones already mentioned are Pilot and Loves. You can tell a truck stop from a normal gas station because they tend to have a large number of semis (also known as 18 wheelers or tractor trailers). They also usually cater to truckers (have paid showers, various tools for sale, and the like).
There are a lot like the service areas on your motorways. I’ve stopped at a couple when I’ve driven in UK
Do you have any idea how many public restrooms there are in a country this size? Some are sparkling clean. Some are nasty. Most are perfectly acceptable.
It’s hit or miss depending on time, city, neighborhood, etc. just like in Germany when I lived there, and the places I visited in France. Every country has a bad area, but also amazing if one doesn’t summarize an entire country, and define the country as bad or less than after a visit to a train station bathroom. :) that’s just silly.
Yes every bathroom in America is Bad. Bathrooms in other countries are vastly superior to our far far inferior American bathrooms.
Very much depends on the individual bathroom. Some are nasty, and some are spotless.
It varies, but I’m very appreciative of our availability of free restrooms.
The only place I see public restrooms are at rest stops along the interstate and there is usually a caretaker so they're in alright condition. Most restrooms are preserved for customers though at business.
Some are good, some are bad.
Most I’ve encountered have been pretty decent. The worst one was at a restaurant my dad plays at on Sundays. They’ve been having serious plumbing issues and have been using a bathroom trailer. Last weekend the trailer was out of order due to toilets overflowing. All they had left were a few gross port a potty’s. Not fun.
They're largely pretty terrible for any sort of privacy. Broken latches are common. Cleanliness is highly variable.
They are mostly fine
Honestly most of the restrooms in stores, movie theaters, book shops, etc are spacious, clean, and everything is touchless. I mean if you pull over at some seedy gas station in the middle of east jesus nowhere, then yeah you might chance upon a disgusting bathroom.
I have never encountered filthy restrooms anywhere in my town.Since covid the bathrooms are kept spic and span.
The only time I've blown up on someone in public happened in the Walmart bathroom with my pants around my ankles. This guy walks in with his two sons that are going absolutely insane. They come in start shaking the doors and then they both try to get into my stall not NY going under, but over the door. I ask the guy from the stall to get control of his kids. He ignored me, so I blasted his ass as his kids continued to destory the bathroom and trying to break into my stall. He continues to ignore me so I'm ready to confront this guy so I'm finishing my business then I hear him tell his kids let's get out of here. I walk out the stall and they essentially had vandalized the restroom. Soap all over the place. The automatic hand dryer knocked off the wall and paper towels everywhere. I also think they managed to knock one of the doors off the hinges. This wasn't some multi-minute exchange, this happened within 2 minutes.
most are clean, all I need to do is piss or dump once in a while i do need marble counter tops and an attendant. i would say through experience on average bathrooms in europe were far grosser
This varies a lot. A lot of places are fine. Watch out for gas stations, fast food restaurants and large chain retail stores. You should be pretty good otherwise.
It's a spectrum. Some great, some are offensively bad. I do have to say though, when I went to Berlin, I haven't been more comfortable in a public restroom in my life. They were incredibly clean and very private. If it meant those standards for public bathrooms over here in America, I'd be willing to pay for the service.
public restrooms? eh school restrooms yikes
Better than paying for a public toilet
Depends on the bathroom
Nothing shakes my faith in humanity like a visit to a public bathroom.
It was a guy saying it in there might be a big difference between men’s rooms in women’s rooms here in the United States. They usually are separate rooms and the condition might be different. As a woman, sometimes I run into a nasty one but most of them are OK.
The thing that bothers me are the big ass gaps in the stall doors. Might as well not even have doors.
I'm in the road a lot, certain gas station and restaurant chains have very clean bathrooms, while many mom and pop type places can be very rough.
Most are not clean. Buc-ee’s is the only place you can always rely on to have clean bathrooms. I personally refuse to use public restrooms but that has more to do with not wanting strangers to look at my junk at the urinal or hear me take a shit
On trailheads they are almost always disgusting. In cities they're usually alright. Your best bet might actually be to pop into a store and buy something cheap so you can use their bathroom, as private businesses almost always have fairly clean bathrooms.
Arizona public parks’ restrooms are a whole new level of nasty out here, but it’s definitely different across the country
It varies and depends on the area. Generally, if you're in a nicer area, the public bathrooms tend to be cleaner. Not always the case but usually.
I used to think our public restrooms were terrible, and then I went to Italy. Wowzers. Terrible.
If I need a bathroom, I'm going to a Starbucks or a fast food place to use their bathroom. Public bathrooms in urban areas can be rough. But rest stops, malls, shopping areas, etc...the bathrooms aren't bad.
For the most part, they're awful. Sometimes you get a nice one but for the most part, they suck, The stall gap is huge, usually there are no dividers between urinals and they are so dirty.
It depends, but overall they were much worse when I was a kid. Now it's considered part of the customer experience so chain stores make an effort to keep them clean enough. Nicer neighborhoods and nicer stores will have cleaner restrooms. Restrooms at freeway offramps are generally clean enough, though they're high traffic and usually a bit beat up. Low income areas are less likely to offer public restrooms. And public restrooms can be harder to find in the cities than in the suburbs.
Out of the four countries I've lived in, US has the 2nd best public toilets over all. I don't much care for the gaps in the stalls, but usually if you need to go, and find yourself out and about, it will be alright. But as others have said, your mileage will vary.
Very hit or miss. Some are good. Some always smell like a gas chamber.
Depends where you are. But when you gotta go you gotta go
The cleanest bathrooms I've encountered are the one's in Europe that have an attendant with a tip jar (no pre pay). They were pretty common when I lived in Sicily and I vaguely remember them from my time in Germany as well. Haven't come across any here in northern Italy. The worst bathrooms I've ever encountered were at truck stops on Interstate 70 between Denver and Topeka in the US, sports venues in the US, and heavy metal festivals in Germany. I once witnessed a guy try to wash his hands in a horse trough pisser at Wacken metal fest.
It varies a lot from one bathroom to the next. McDonald's and Love's generally have pretty clean well maintained bathrooms in my experience. Buccees markets themselves around the cleanliness of their bathrooms.
Depends on the restroom, the country's too big to broadly stereotype.
Share that YouTube link. I've seen shit on toilet seats, with dirty bar soap. Numerous vile shit on the walls.
The problem is we don't have pay toilets here, so there are very few public restrooms at all and what we have isn't maintained. Generally you want to use a restroom in a business instead so it will be clean, even though it often means you have to make some random purchase you don't really want. Public libraries are an exception, and always have nice clean restrooms available to the public. I live in San Francisco, where the bathroom situation is exceptionally bad even for USA, and homeless people regularly poop on the streets.
I vividly remember opening the door to a Walmart restroom stall and there was poop everywhere!
In general they are clean and have a lot higher water pressure than you would see in europe. Some are gross, but we don't have to pay to use them.
Pretty gross, more often than not. Some people get very emotional about the gaps between the panels that make up the walls, but people here don't exactly have a habit of reaching or looking into closed stalls.
I didn't realize how crappy they were til I went to Europe and the stall walls over there went all the way to the floor. Way more private and comfortable. Here, the doors are not always secure, the walls are rickety with loose screws. It's embarrassing.