What is that Blue Stuff in Portable Toilets?

If you’ve ever wondered about this, the answer is simple. It’s a mixture of chemicals designed to deodorize, stop bacteria growth, and hide what lies beneath the surface! There are generally four types of ingredients in there, a combination of dye, biocides, detergents, and fragrance.

• The biocides prevent the growth of odor-causing bacteria. This helps to hold the odors down.
• The detergents help keep the fragrances uniform, so you don’t smell one thing over another.
• The actual fragrance masks anything you might not want to smell.
• The dye is there to make everything turn blue. If you happen to look down into the tank, which we don’t recommend, you won’t see the things that are floating around down there.
• The blue dye is also used as an indicator of when the fluid needs to be changed. When mixed with too much urea, the main ingredient in urine, the liquid turns green. Fortunately, most portable toilet companies are able to service the units before it reaches that point.

The History of Blue Liquid and Portable Restroom Deodorizer

In days of old, before toilets were invented, people used outhouses. These outhouses consisted of a shelter that would provide privacy and protection from the weather and a bench with a hole in it. This was placed over a hole in the ground where the wastes were deposited. When finished, the user would sprinkle some lye into the hole. The lye was meant to cover up the smell, but when mixed with urine, it creates ammonia. The strong smell of the ammonia was unpleasant, but since flies didn’t care for it, it seemed a good solution.

In addition to the smell, the lye has a special reaction when it comes into contact with human feces. It raises the pH of the waste which slows down decomposition while absorbing liquid. This reaction forms a kind of crust that help keep down the odor.

A big problem with lye is that it can burn human skin. Users had to be very careful not to spill any lye on the seat. Lye isn’t used for this purpose anymore.

Today, some people who live “off the grid” still use outhouses. Rather than using lye as mentioned above, they cover the waste with sawdust or wood ash. This process is similar to composting food scraps, but they use it for human waste.

Portable Toilets

Portable toilets have been around since the 1940s. They were first developed in shipyards to solve a problem. When the shopfitters needed to relieve themselves, they would have to leave their ships and walk all the way back to the restrooms on the dock. This was an inconvenience to be sure, but it also meant that they were spending less time on the job. The solution was to build some portable toilets closer to the work being done, save them the long walk, and thus increase productivity.

The first portable toilets were made of wood or metal. They were heavy, smelly, and hard to clean. The main chemical ingredient used in these early portable toilets was formaldehyde, which is also used for embalming bodies. Formaldehyde is good for killing most bacteria and fungi, and the smell keeps the flies away, but it’s not a good idea for use in chemical toilets.

Formaldehyde is a chemical compound made of hydrogen, oxygen, and carbon. Within the atmosphere, formaldehyde breaks down rapidly and creates harmful substances such as formic acid and carbon dioxide. When animals are exposed to it, it can make them sick, affect their behavior, appearance, and breeding patterns, and can significantly reduce their life spans. Obviously, keeping formaldehyde out of the environment is important. In addition to all of these effects on animals, formaldehyde interferes with the sewage breakdown processes in sewage plants.

Blue Stuff

Over the years, the science of portable toilets has evolved to where we are now. The toilets themselves have been designed to be lightweight, attractive (sort of), and easy to use. They have simple door locks for privacy and security, and they’re stocked with bathroom tissue of course, but more recently hand sanitizers and paper towels have been added for personal hygiene.

Today’s portable toilets use biologically friendly enzymes in order to help with odors and related health concerns. The liquid itself won’t hurt you if you come into contact with it, and not only is it effective, but it’s also an environmentally friendly solution.

Fenceline Rentals Ltd. has been a locally owned business in Edmonton, AB since 1998, supplying events in the area with temporary fence rentals, portable toilet rentals, recycling services, dog runs, and much more. We continue to expand our products into new markets, and you can always count on us for reliable service. When you work with us, we strive to establish a relationship with you, which we reinforce with value-added solutions for your event needs. Our company believes in giving back to the community, and we actively donate our services to local charities and not-for-profit organizations every year. If you’re looking for a rental company with a dedication to safety and complete customer satisfaction, put your trust in FenceLine Rentals, Ltd. We have the products you need to keep your events running smoothly. For more information, visit our website, or call us at 780-720-6300

When planning a large event such as a family reunion, garden party, music festival, or parade, there is a multitude of details to consider. How many people will be attending? How much food and drink will I need? What activities do you need to include? Do I need a permit from the local jurisdiction? What about parking? The list goes on and on.

Portable Toilets

While you’re working on all of that, don’t forget to think about sanitation. You may need to use portable toilets to accommodate all of the attendees. There are some very good reasons why portable toilets are a good solution to this problem.

• Portable toilets are sanitary and safe. You can depend on the rental company to deliver clean, secure, and self-contained toilets.
• If your event is in an area without sufficient public restrooms, portable toilets are the solution to allow the attendees easy access to sanitary facilities.
• Portable toilets eliminate the need for long lines at the restroom, and it’s easy to add more toilets as needed.
• The cost of setting up portable toilets is surprisingly reasonable.
• Handicap accessibility-Portable toilets are available in special models to accommodate those with disabilities.
• Compliance with local regulations-There may be certain local regulations in regard to portable toilets. Specifically, there may be required permitting, rules regarding how many toilets you need to have for a certain size crowd, specific guidelines for how long you can leave them up, or how often you would be required to have them serviced.

Handwashing Stations

Since the onset of the coronavirus epidemic, there’s been an emphasis on hygiene and in particular, frequent washing of hands. Many of us learned how to use hand sanitizer for the first time, and it seems that rubber gloves are always in great demand. Enter the portable hand washing station.

If you’ve planned an outdoor event, handwashing stations offer you the opportunity to provide the attendees with fresh clean soap and water as an alternative to hand sanitizer.

The most common variety of hand washing station uses a foot pump to dispense the water. These stations come with soap and paper towels, and importantly, trash bins for the used towels. There are other models that give the choice of hot or cold water. These units however would need a power source both to build pressure and to heat the water, but they can be used for food preparation, first aid, or anything else that requires hot water.

Sanitation for Construction Sites

Providing sanitation facilities for construction sites is very important. If you’re constructing a new building, adding to an existing structure, or completing a remodeling or renovation of a private residence, you’ll need to provide your workers with portable toilets. Portable toilets will help to keep your job site safe, sanitary, and healthy. Here are some advantages to portable toilets on site.

Client privacy-If you’re working on a private residence, you won’t want your workers to be asking the residents for the use of their bathroom, as the client likely wouldn’t want workers going in and out of the house. The use of portable toilets eliminates this problem and makes your company look more professional.

Convenience-Your workers should be able to use the restroom when they need to, and they shouldn’t have to go looking for a public restroom. By having a portable toilet on site, they are able to take care of business and return to the job.

Productivity-Portable toilets were first used in shipyards. The workers would have to go all the way back to the dock to use the restroom, and the time they spent walking back and forth was time wasted. Portable toilets were then developed to allow them restroom breaks and a quick return to work, resulting in increased productivity.

Environmental concerns-Portable toilets are self-contained. The wastes from portable toilets are carried away to treatment plants, and this keeps those wastes from entering storm drains or groundwater. In addition, because they’re not flush toilets, portable toilets conserve a considerable volume of water.

Hand Washing Stations for Construction Sites

Handwashing stations allow construction worker to clean their hands before or after using a portable toilet, or more frequently if needed. They can reduce the risk of health issues which will mean fewer illness-related absences and greater productivity. In addition, providing your workers with handwashing stations tells your employees that you care about their health and welfare.

Fenceline Rentals Ltd. has been a locally owned business in Edmonton, AB since 1998, supplying events in the area with temporary fence rentals, portable toilet rentals, recycling services, dog runs, and much more. We continue to expand our products into new markets, and you can always count on us for reliable service. When you work with us, we strive to establish a relationship with you, which we reinforce with value-added solutions for your event needs. Our company believes in giving back to the community, and we actively donate our services to local charities and not-for-profit organizations every year. If you’re looking for a rental company with a dedication to safety and complete customer satisfaction, put your trust in FenceLine Rentals, Ltd. We have the products you need to keep your events running smoothly. For more information, visit our website, or call us at 780-720-6300