People Are Disgusting

I recently arrived home from a week long vacation to Florida. We had a lovely time in Disney World (it was our Honeymoon) and we visited several parks, saw some great shows and ate at some fantastic restaurants. We had a blast. The trip gave me the opportunity to visit more public washrooms within a 7 day stretch than ever before. My long planned rant on the failure of public washroom design will be a forthcoming post, but today I've decided I just can't keep silent about the horrific habits of people.

Disney does its best to keep its facilities clean. I often saw employees cleaning, sweeping and checking on restrooms and some of them it seemed had a permanently stationed employee cleaning all day long. It's still not enough to keep up with the pigs out there, and they must - I've determined - exist in frightening numbers.

Un-flushed bowls, sprayed seats, garbage on the floor and pure filth were some of the treats I experienced. It's not just at Disney, it's everywhere I go, but this week I experienced so much of it that I've pretty much snapped. I estimate that when I use a public restroom, there is a 70% chance that I will have to wipe off the seat as the first action when I arrive in the stall. Who are these women who do not look back after 'hovering' to see if they've left a mess for the next person?? I'm utterly shocked that I am in the minority that I always make sure to leave the stall tidy for the next person. Manners and hygiene are qualities of LESS than half of us!? Insane. I wonder if this happens in the mens' washrooms too?

I really think that if you belong to this group of people you should be ashamed. Thank you for leaving your mess behind for me to clean up. Would you do this in your own home? Just because a restroom is public, it's not a license to turn your brain off and act like a pig. My work place struggles with this problem as well. Countless memos have been circulated and notes posted in the women's washrooms pleading for considerate behaviour and yet I have a number of co-workers who intentionally clog the toilets, fail to flush, drop entire rolls of toilet paper on the ground and generally make a mess. If you hate your job so much, please just quit. Sometimes I dream about identifying these people by their shoes and coming to the defence of my employer- I work for a company which treats their employees well, is flexible, offers benefits and throws staff lunches and events for fun. The disrespect shown is baffling.

Sadly I know this won't change, but I had to vent. It is frustrating for the rest of us, especially when you suffer from a condition like IBD where sometimes in an emergency the extra time to clean up after others can feel like an eternity. It's such a shame.

While on the topic of washrooms and people, can someone explain to me the purpose of a washroom valet. An employee stationed in the restroom who hands you towels or little perfumes then expects a tip. To me it just feels like an intrusive witness to my private restroom activities. Nor will I ever dig out money while in a washroom just because you happen to stick an employee there. It also seems like a terrible job. Free these people- it's time to do away with the antiquated tradition.