Finding a clean public rest room during a moment of need is one of life’s more pressing concerns. But all too often we don’t know what’s available until it’s too late.
Providing you with verified intel is Sit or Squat, a website and mobile app that organizes and maps user-reviewed public toilets in cities around the world. (To date they have more than 81,000 facilities in their registry).
To start you enter an address, zip code, city, or intersection in the search bar. An interactive Google map will appear, showing all rated public bathrooms in the area, denoted as either “open,” “closed” or “unknown” (which means not yet reviewed).
Click on a bathroom listing and you’ll see its address, its average user rating and a short description with commentary. (Many listings include photo of a stall as well).
Most importantly the reviews answer the site’s eponymous question, telling you whether to “Sit or Squat” based on the average cleanliness rating its users assign a given bathroom.
Returning users can create a favorites list (trust us, it’s a wise idea) and you can give back to the community by rating your own hidden gems.
Given the nature of this info you’ll want to download their mobile app (available for iPhone and Blackberry; an Android version is in the works).
Truly desperate? You can text “sitorsquat” to 368266 to receive a message with directions to the nearest bathroom.