CALL FOR NOMINATIONS!
WheninManila.com and Maynilad are looking for the most awesome public comfort room in the Philippines!
You’ve probably heard the quote “May pera sa basura,” before, so here’s something new: “May pera sa kubeta!” And we don’t mean spotting a dirty coin on the floor of a public restroom.
To help ring in its tenth anniversary, WhenInManila.com is partnering with Maynilad to give cash prizes to the country’s most awesome comfort rooms!
While you have control over your comfort room at home, you have very little control over public ones. I’m sure we all have our own horror stories — ‘yung naka-jebs na tapos wala palang tissue…, ‘yung papasok ka sa CR tapos walang ilaw…, ‘yung bigla ka na lang madudulas…— uurong pati ang diarrhea mo!
In hindsight, in as much as we enjoy laughing about these CR horror stories, dirty public comfort rooms pose threats that aren’t necessarily common knowledge. Apart from affecting the reputation of an establishment, dirty comfort rooms could also be a breeding ground for bacteria. Nobody wants to contract illnesses because of a dirty comfort room!
As the holidays roll in again, establishments are likely to be more crowded than ever before. This means more people using comfort rooms, and more chances of transmitting bacteria—that is, if your CR isn’t ready.
This year, along with Maynilad, we are doing humanity a favor by promoting cleanliness and proper toilet maintenance. But in case you’re wondering, what ARE the qualities of a Christmas-ready public comfort room? Here are five.
5.) Cleanliness
For the women reading this, when was the last time you were brave enough to sit on the toilet seat in a public comfort room? Regardless of the discomfort, most women squat while peeing because toilet seats are almost always dirty! You wouldn’t want to sit on other women’s pee, right? Pretend I didn’t just say that.
The worst horror story I ever heard was from my friend who used a clogged toilet in her school. When she tried flushing it, the toilet’s content overflowed, and it chased her out of the cubicle!
Remember! Toilets and urinals must be cleaned regularly to make sure they’re spotless.
4.) Amenities
It’s so frustrating to go to a comfort room without soap or tissue paper! These two are essentials for everyone who visits the washroom. Establishments must make sure that the soap dispenser and the tissue box are always full, for their customers’ and staff’s hygiene
Establishments that go the extra mile are always memorable. For example, one restaurant that I visited provides lavender-scented lotion and sanitizer. Ironically, that’s what I most remember about that restaurant — the food didn’t make as much of an impression.
If the establishment goes the extra mile, customers would surely take notice.
3.) Scent
Have you ever had that experience when your mouth watered as you entered a restaurant? Well, nothing ruins a person’s appetite more than a stinky restroom.
There’s a restaurant with amazing fried chicken that I stopped going to after stepping into their stinky restroom. I felt dirtier after washing my hands in their restroom.
To make sure that your restroom isn’t stinky, there are three things you should consider. First is ventilation. Do you have exhaust fans that are powerful enough? Do you have strategically placed windows that allow privacy and ventilation at the same time?
Second is scent. Scented candles may be dangerous when unattended, so you could always opt for scent diffusers.
Third is cleanliness. If your restroom isn’t clean, not even the most expensive perfume could help you. Overusing artificial scent can often create a nauseating feeling.
The scent you’re aiming for should be clean and pleasant–not sickly sweet and overdone, as if you’re trying to hide an odor.
2.) Accessibility
To save on precious space, some establishments allot really tiny restrooms. However, the stall or cubicle must be big enough for people to move around without bumping their knees and elbows.
More importantly, it must be accessible to people with disabilities.
1.) Water
This should be a given, but it’s surprising how some establishments don’t prioritize this. I’ve been to countless restaurants and gas stations with comfort rooms that have no water! The flush doesn’t work, and the faucet is there only for pa-cute and paasa purposes. Just when you’re about to wash your hands or brush your teeth (with toothpaste already in your mouth!), you realize that there’s no water.
Water is essential to every public CR. It helps maintain cleanliness and prevents bacteria from spreading.
Given these, we hope to get a nice spin out of this story by recognizing the establishments that check on all of the above. And we want you to decide!
If you’re impressed with a comfort room, we encourage you and your friends to help us find the Best Kubeta ever!
Here’s how to join:
1.) Kunan ng picture ang best at most impressive toilet
2.) Ilagay sa caption kung bakit ka na impress (ex. malinis, may tissue, may tubig etc)
3.) I-upload ito sa Facebook, instagram, o twitter with the hashtag #GoldenKubetaPH
Make sure your post is set to public for your nominations to be counted and, most importantly, make sure you don’t accidentally snap stolen shots of people using the toilets! The call for nominations will close on December 17.
The establishments with the best toilets (judged both by popularity and sanitation) will be given 10,000 pesos cash prize and a Golden Kubeta Trophy.
There would be one winner for each category:
- Commercial establishments (restaurants, malls),
- transport terminals (bus, airports, jeep, boat) and
- Schools
We hope that this campaign would encourage establishments to invest in toilet facilities and regular cleaning of public comfort rooms.
What are you waiting for? Nominate away! We look forward to seeing comfort rooms that are clean enough for Christmas!
