Go Toward the Light

Plan ahead for restroom lighting options so you’re not leaving customers in the dark

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It is pretty hard to go to the bathroom when you can’t see anything. Let me paint you a picture. A forest green restroom, in the middle of a field, at night. That sounds pretty dark, doesn’t it?

That was my friend’s outdoor wedding a couple years ago. She rented a couple of our PolyJohn VIP flushing restrooms, their Fleet model. We always purchase them in forest green, so they don’t stand out at nicer events, like this wedding. The downside is that the forest green color can make them very dark inside. She placed them by the trees, away from the tent, and at night, there was no light at all when you went into the restroom. You can imagine the rest of that story.

This is the last thing you want to happen when a customer is having a really nice event, like their wedding. So it is important to discuss lighting with them. Obviously no one wants the restrooms right next to the tent, but if the tent is the only lighting option at the location, it makes sense to place the restrooms nearby.

If that is too horrible for the bride to imagine, then another option is to put lights inside the unit. We are big fans of tap lights. We have put a lot of research into this and we are pretty sure we have the best product out there. This knowledge came from a lot of trial and error.

We buy the Energizer LED tap lights. They come with the battery already installed so you literally just peel the back away and stick them in the unit. Then they are ready to be delivered. I tested one on my desk once and it stayed lit for over a week.  They are that powerful.

You can buy them at Home Depot or your local hardware store in a pinch, but we usually buy a big quantity of them at the beginning of the season from Amazon. This guarantees you a much better price. In reality, they don’t always make it back with the restrooms and it is good to have some backups for last-minute orders.

We recently looked into solar units for our restrooms but we weren’t crazy about cutting a hole in the unit to install them. The tap lights are nice because they are held in place by a sticky strip. No fuss and no mess.

For us this is the best way to make a dark restroom accessible for everyone. It also ensures that your customer is really happy with the service you gave them. 

About the Author: Alexandra Townsend is co-owner of A Royal Flush, based in Philadelphia.

What is your go-to solution for lighting? Comment below. 



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