Decorating Porta Potties
Porta potties aren’t pretty. They are made of plastic and come in a variety of bright greens, blues, and other colors. These colors make them easy to spot but hard to hide. Porta potties are built to be unmistakable which can be a headache for event planners hoping to create a certain atmosphere or look for their event. However, planners are still responsible for providing essential amenities to keep guests comfortable. And for the moment, there are aren’t many cost-effective or more efficient ways to provide an outdoor restroom for your guest. But they don’t have to be an elephant in the room, or field, that everyone avoids talking about.
There are ways to spruce them up and make them more inviting. Often times, the best approach to having a porta at your event is not to ignore and avoid them but to acknowledge them and let your guests know that the rental was a choice and not something that you are ashamed of. Decorating a porta potty makes it appear intentional and can add some flair, or even some humor to your event, making your guests even more comfortable if they ever have to use the rental restroom.
Improve a Porta Potty`s Curb Appeal
You should never judge a book by its cover but judging a porta potty by its outward appearance in the past has saved many from some nauseating and unwanted experiences. Chances are your guests are familiar with porta potties and the unfortunate surprises they sometimes have behind those plastic doors. A rental porta potty should be clean and in working order. But even the most pristine portable unit still carries the memories of those less than adequately kept and will be met with turned up noses. We suggest getting ahead of those unfortunate memories and really making the outside of the porta potty as welcoming as possible. Here are some suggestions for decorating the outside of your porta potty:
Using flowers and plants can add a nice look.
Adding a flower wreath and/or potted plants around the porta potty can actually make the plastic box appear natural, warm, and welcoming.
Putting down welcome mats may add a homey touch.
A welcome mat in front of the door is both decorative and useful. It can make the porta potty appear homey and the bristles that are meant to clean of shoes can actually help keep the porta clean as it gets used.
Making signs can be fun and add some decor.
Signs are always important. They can be used to designate the bathrooms and really make them feel like they belong at your event. Signs will let your guests know that, yes, those are for them to use. They can be simple and informative, or they can be humorous and funny. In fact, a humorous sign can be charming and make the edge off of using an outdoor restroom for many guests.
Create a barrier around the porta potties.
This suggestion is a little more involved than the others but if you have the time, a fence around a porta potty can really take it up a notch. Depending on how much time you have to plan, you can even build a perimeter around the unit that can totally conceal it. If you are tight on time and resources, a simple garden lattice surrounding the porta potty can more than suffice. You can hang signs, floral details, pictures, lights, and etc. The possibilities are endless, and your guests will appreciate the effort you put in.
Making the inside more appealing.
Now that you have made the outside of the porta potty appealing and welcoming to guests, they’re going to have expectations about what’s behind that polyurethane threshold. This is where you can really drive the point home that these are not the gross, run-of-the-mill, under kept rentals that they have encountered in the past. A fresh interior can do wonders for how your event is perceived by your guests. You may be surprised at how effective subverting their porta potty expectations can be by making the bathroom-going experience comfortable and relaxed. Following a few of the suggestions below can really make your porta potty pop.
Adding lights can make a big difference.
Putting up some string lights inside of the unit can make it seem cozy and warm. Decorative lights can also provide some illumination if your event carries into the night. For the most part, battery powered offerings and affordable options make this decoration easy and cost-effective.
Pictures can make a porta potty more personal.
Pictures serve a dual purpose. They can make the porta potty feel like a home bathroom and also give the guests something else to look at. If the event is a birthday or a wedding, relevant pictures in the restrooms are a nice touch and can distract the guest so that they aren’t too focused on the realities of using a porta potty.
A usable decent quality mirror can add another benefit to going to the restroom. In addition to looking nice and upscale, a mirror is very useful for guests to fix their hair or adjust their clothing. Granted, they probably won’t spend anymore time in the porta potty than they have to, but a nice mirror upgrades their experience anyways.
Making sanitation kits will help guests feel cleaner.
Cleanliness is the most important part of making a porta potty a welcome addition to your event. Placing a basket of travel sized hand sanitizers, deodorants, wet wipes, stain removers, etc., can boost your guest’s confidence about shaking hands and interacting with each other. Due to their nature, porta potties are notorious for making the people around them hyper aware of bacteria. By making personal cleanliness products readily available, you offer your guests peace of mind.
Decorate the inside like your own bathroom.
Treat the inside of a porta potty as you would treat your own bathroom. Put flowers, frame word art, a nice wicker waste basket, and other things that make your home bathroom yours. A porta potty really is a blank slate and any details you add will let the guests know that you care about making the space look nice.
Keeping porta pottys clean will keep guests comfortable.
At the end of the day, porta potties are still bathrooms that are small and compact. Depending on the level of traffic, it’s worth sticking to an upkeep schedule to keep the inside clean and fresh. A nasty interior can ruin the entire affair regardless of the amount of decorations you have carefully placed.
Porta potties are a useful and cost-effective means to provide your guests with the amenities they need in an outdoor setting. They generally have a bad reputation but that can quickly be overcome with some tweaks that can make the experience feel premium and upgraded. Just applying a few of our suggestions can make the guest feel surprisingly comfortable and at home using the plastic commode.