Good news for Washingtonians! Finding a clean, free-to-use public toilet around the capital city just got easier!
Introducing the D.C. Council’s new public potty pilot program
As part of a new initiative driven by the D.C. Council, new portable public bathrooms are being installed around the capital city, making it easier than ever to ‘take care of business’ when you’re out on the town.
We know as well as any other Washingtonian, that it can be a difficult city to deal with when it comes to dealing with bathroom policies, not only are there free-to-use public bathrooms few and far between, but it’s not always easy to get a business to open its (bathroom) door’s just out of goodwill.
Fortunately, the company behind these new portable potties, a start-up named Throne, has made an effort to ensure safe, dignified, and clean restrooms are available for the Washington, D.C. public.
The program will be in place until the end of September (with the potential for an extension).
Where to find the new portable public bathrooms
The new bathrooms will be open between 7 am and 10 pm at the following five locations throughout Washington, D.C. right now!
- Oxon Run Park
- H and 8th Sts.
- NE, near Columba Heights Plaza
- Near Dupont Circle
- Downtown Washington, D.C.
However, there is the possibility that more locations are going to be added in the future as there are already plans to add five new spots, in fact, Washingtonians can even submit special location requests for spots they believe need a new public bathroom the most!
How do you access D.C.’s new public bathrooms?
The toilets will require you to use your smartphone to scan a QR code on the door of the lavatory, which will prompt a special entry code to be sent to your phone via text message, or they can unlock the bathroom by logging in to the “Throne Labs” mobile app.
If you opt for the app, which we recommend, it will give you live data regarding the “traffic” at each location and live ratings regarding cleanliness.
If however, you do not have a smartphone you can register for a physical “Thone Tap Card“, which works the same way a SmartTrip card does.
How will the new Washington, D.C. public bathrooms stay clean?
Whenever a Washingtonian uses the ‘Throne Labs’ app to take advantage of these public bathrooms, they will be prompted by the app to leave a review regarding the cleanliness of the bathroom, this will be a simple but straightforward survey that will give extremely valuable data to the company behind these public potties.
The surveys will be able to notify the company exactly when they need to urgently remotely lock that location and send a technician to clean, restock, or perhaps even repair that particular lavatory.
The genius behind the interface of these restrooms also minimizes the risks of misuse because the ‘smart’ technology tracks users by assigning them a User ID, this means that if repeated cases of misuse or disregard for etiquette can be traced back to specific users, the company can temporarily lock that problematic user out.
Additionally, to maximize cleanliness and minimize the risk of biohazard issues, the bathroom uses almost exclusively touchless technology, including the toilet flush, lights, sink, and door.
Now, also keep in mind these aren’t your ordinary public toilets, they are going to have soothing sounds playing over a speaker, a calming colored wallpaper, and a special ventilation system.