How to Find a Public Bathroom Online

It's a fact—everybody poops! But you wouldn't know that by the lack of bathrooms in some places, especially in large cities where tourists regularly see the "no restroom available" or "restrooms for customers only" signs. But what if you have a digestive disease? What do you do then?

If you have inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), getting out of your house can be difficult when you aren't well enough to be far from a bathroom. But everybody has errands to run and a life to live: school and work and social events to attend. Thankfully, there are now apps and websites that you can use to find public bathrooms online before you head to a location. Whether you are just going out shopping locally or you are taking a vacation overseas, you can use these sites to find the nearest public toilet.

1

Sit or Squat

The Sit or Squat app makes use of the joke that sometimes you may not want to put your bottom down on the seat in a restroom that looks less than clean! This app, which is sponsored by Charmin, gives users a chance to rate bathrooms as a "Sit" (designated by a green toilet paper roll) or a "Squat" (designated by a red toilet paper roll). The Sit or Squat app is available in the Apple iTunes Store and the Android Market.

2

Diaroogle.com

Billed as the bathroom database for the "discerning, on-the-go defecator," Diaroogle.com has information on toilets in three cities: New York City, San Francisco, and London. An iPhone application for the 200 New York City toilets in the database is also available from iTunes. Users can add toilet locations, as well as reviews and pictures of public facilities. Users can also add new toilets to the database to make it better for everyone.

3

GoHere Canadian Washroom Access Program

The Crohn's and Colitis Foundation of Canada has a Washroom Finder on their web site and available as an app. Image © CCFC GoHere

This function from the Crohn's and Colitis Foundation of Canada (CCFC) focuses on public bathrooms across Canada. The CCFC also has a washroom access initiative called "GoHere." Participating businesses can put a card in their window that shows that they have a restroom available for anyone to use, no questions asked.

There's also an app available for download in iTunes, Google Play, and BlackBerry World. In the app, users can add new restrooms and show their personalized virtual washroom access card, which indicates that the user has a medical need to use a restroom.

4

Where to Wee

The Where to Wee app helps you find a restroom and can even tell you what amenities are available. Need a baby changing table? You can search for restrooms that have one. Maybe you want a single-seater? You can find that too. You can even search for restrooms with a bidet, though you might have to go overseas to actually find one.

Where to Wee has a lot of pre-loaded bathrooms in commercial establishments (like fast food joints and gas stations), but users can also rate restrooms. A pink toilet seat icon tells you that it's a top-rated bathroom.

Find the Where to Wee app in the iTunes store and the Android market.