Why are the toilets in service stations / general public areas so dirty?

[Juliette96]

I have massive toilet anxiety so hating having to go to the toilet in public in general, but on top of that is the fact that the toilets at places like service stations tend to be so filthy. But, why?

Do you know if at service stations or airports or anywhere really, there are things such as “private toilets” ie you pay to have a better quality bathroom that is cleaner, no other stalls etc? Does that exist?

Because a lot of the public are grim. And as it's not their toilet and they can just leave it, they don't care. I don't think you're going to find nicer ones in a service station through bribery.

Men

I’ve never found them particularly bad in service stations (well motorway ones) some are actually very pleasant. Bristol airport however, not sure why so grotty, and far too few

I've always thought that motorway service stations were reasonably clean.

I expect the ones that are dirty are the ones where they struggle to recruit staff. Who wants to be a toilet cleaner?

A large proportion of people are filthy animals, even those who "appear" refined and smart. Public toilets are grim because people don't give a toss about others. It's partly why so many posts on MN about people not wanting tradesmen using their house toilets. Even in places where there's a constant cleaner, i.e. motorway services, they're filthy again within a couple of people using one that's just been cleaned. It's really grim. And no, it's not just men, some women are filthy pigs too!

1. No, you cannot pay for secret special bathrooms.
2. High footfall and poor cleaning.

Are you bored OP?

This doesn’t answer your question OP but whenever I experience disgusting public toilets ( I mean not just council run ones but ones that aren’t in your own home) I always wonder what state their own homes are in as people are gross.

I’ve only used female facilities (which you would think would be better) but shit smeared up walls, on the seat, used tampons and blood on floor are to name but a few delights I’ve encountered.

I don’t get it? Why do people do stuff like that? Do they get a kick out of smearing poo on walls? It’s not just on the cleaners, it’s about people having some accountability to not act like rotters!

Because some people are scruffy sods.
For those of you saying they are not cleaned well enough I have been a cleaner for many years and cleaned public toilets for various different companies.
Generally we are expected to clean 10 cubicles , 6 sinks replenish toilet rolls and hand towels ( bane of my life ) mop the floors all in 15 minutes while the area is in use.

It's very difficult to keep on top of things .

@Fedupoftheshits

I don’t get it? Why do people do stuff like that? Do they get a kick out of smearing poo on walls? It’s not just on the cleaners, it’s about people having some accountability to not act like rotters!

Some people really don't care! We've had tradesmen in our house over the years, one stood on the toilet seat with muddy/greasy boots leaving obvious marks he made no attempt to clean. Another clearly wiped his arse after a poo with the bathroom towel, despite there being several loo rolls! These were from reputable firms, not cheap/nasty dodgy firms. Sometimes I think they do it deliberately to make some kind of statement.

Omg! That's unbelievably grim. Did you take it up with them/their employer?

You can pay to wait in a private lounge (along with others who pay extra, too) at airports, OP. They have toilets and while not wonderful, they tend to be cleaner.

Ugh, absolutely gross! And I thought we had it bad when a builder came to quote, used our loo and pissed all over the seat and floor - I do wonder if he did it on purpose. Some people really are vile!

That's not my experience at all.

Motorway service stations generally have people in there permanently, cleaning.
It is pretty rare to come across 'filthy' toilets.

I don't fly that frequently but have never come across an issue at any airport I've been through either.

In the ladies loos? Obviously there will be the occasional ones in there but the majority will be women. You cant blame men for everything 🤣

Ime women's toilets are worse than men's, yes men leave skid marks and pee on the seat and floor , However it's the women that;
use hand fulls of hand towels and chuck them on the floor ;
use lipstick/ mascara to write on walls and mirrors;
Leave used sanitary towels on the floors;
Tie use tampons to door locks , handles, coat hooks , flush handles

Because the public are disgusting - I know someone who worked in a well known DIY store, they had a customer toilet but it was left in a disgusting state so often they ended up deciding to close it.
I think the only way to acces slightly nicer ones would be paying for lounge access in airports and larger train stations.

I worked in a service station as a cleaner at uni. I used to clean the loos in the petrol station area at 8:30pm to the point of being able to eat your dinner off them. At 8am next morning they were horrible. Pee pools, poo mountains and scruffy.

Yes, service stations are usually fine but airports are often a mess with most of the seats and locks broken.

Even Iceland, the country is spotless with virtually no litter, but the toilets in arrivals had paper and water all over the floor and several were broken.

Because for some reason a significant amount of grown adults are vile.

I have no idea what possesses some people to stand on seats, wipe their arse on walls, smear blood or poo on things, throw used tampons and pads on the floor, make huge nests of loo paper that they piss all over and then kick on the floor.

I know of one batshit woman who flushes the toilet with her foot because she darent touch the handle, she is also a serial loo paper nester, a hoverer and kicks all the piss toilet paper on the floor with the same foot and then complains that public toilets are dirty- we are not friends she was a work colleague.

I used to work with primary aged children. I can assure you the primary school toilets are cleaner and in a much more hygienic state at 3pm despite not been cleaned since 8.30 that day then most public toilets that are cleaned every hour. At least most children flush.

I was at the Tate Gallery once for a Symposium. The toilet allocated to us were disgusting and one had shit left all over the back of the actual seat. I assume someone must has been unwell but who just leaves that there? It was all post grad, PhD students and academics in attendance but they were a bunch of dirty sods judging by the state of the toilets.

A woman came into our business premises asking if her son could use our toilet as he was desperate. We said of course- they used the facility and disappeared off. When I went in later there was shit all over the pan and seat plus the walls were also smeared with it. Some people are worse than animals.

Oh, at work today we were discussing things that had improved massively during our adult lives (55+ year olds). The state of public toilets is one of them, they are generally so much better than the routine horror story they were in my younger days. I haven't encountered anything really bad for years now, sometimes there's the odd cubicle you glance into and retreat from usually because the flush hasn't worked but I can't remember the last time I saw poo or blood smears. Usually the ones that tend to be worst are chain coffee shops and fast food places late in the day, pubs late in the evening. Service stations etc are pretty good now.

People are filthy and cleaning costs money. Where I work a certain building has private cleaning and they are there all day. Other places we have are bigger with more footfall. God knows how/why the toilet users feel they have to do that stuff.

I carry Lysol wipes and a pair of latex gloves for this very reason to wipe it down. People can be filthy.