Travel can be a wonderful way to escape your realities and enjoy something new and different. But when it comes to travel you aren’t always escaping everything and in fact some of the same ugly truths will follow you no matter where you go.
This isn’t a blog meant to scare you, though it might sound menacing. Instead it is reality check that everything that is glossy isn’t always quite as glossy as you might assume it to be.
I have said that to say this… PUBLIC TOILETS will be a way of life when traveling. Unless you are traveling in your own travel unit, which in itself brings about challenges, you will be relying on public toilets and with that sometimes that means you will be exposing yourself to some pretty interesting smells.
No one ever wants to talk to about this aspect of travel, but as a travel blogger it is my responsible to share the good and the bad and my own personal experiences along the way.
This isn’t always a horror story, some places do in fact maintain their restrooms well and ideally finding these is the way to go. But even when using these maintained facilities, you don’t want to be the one bringing in the smells.
For those not fortunate enough to find the well maintained stop along the way it can become very off putting to stop in and feel disgusted by a public toilet which smells rancid.
I have camped in locations which boasted well maintained facilities only to visit and realize that they were very septic smelling, doors hadn’t been closed on vault toilets or people simply hadn’t visited to maintain. I found that carrying spray with me only partially eased the scent many times because typical sprays are designed to work to cover scent rather than eliminate them all together.
I had searched for quite some to find a solution and short of holding my nose and hoping for the best I hadn’t had much luck. It was then that a company Piper Wai reached out to me with their toilet sprays. Following a few emails back and forth the products they offer sounded interesting so I decided to give them a shot and see how they compared to typical sprays I could find at the big box stores.
Upon arriving they packaging was small and at first I was a little confused as to how something this small could fight such big travel bathroom odors and make it pleasant for using public toilets. As a person who is pretty smell sensitive I was so used to having to use a lot of product to make placed tolerable that I was doubtful. But I gave it a shot.
The way the spray works is different than air misters. Instead of coating the air around you and forming a smell barrier you spray one spitz into the toilet itself. This then allows you to use the facilities without creating a stink. However how would this work when the smell already exists?? Would it work??
I tried this product in a public toilet which had a bit of a less than pleasant smell. Simply spritzed twice and flushed. I was shocked to find that it eliminated the odor which was clinging to the toilet itself and made it tolerable to be in the restroom. This was a single toilet restroom, so I do know this would work a little different if the source of the smell was multiple toilets but most sites I visit have single stalls, so this was perfect!!
I really wasn’t expecting such a little bottle to make such a big difference and when it did I had to look into why!! The blend of ingredients includes a combination of essential oils which are known to trap odors and prevent them from spreading. By using this in a toilet the bowl itself is stopped from trapping scents and continuing to release them back into the air. GENIUS!!
Retailing for $10.99 each the sprays might seem a bit high for such a small package however with the impact it makes and the amount of time it will actually take you to use the product if used correctly, it more than justifies the investment. Not to mention while I do use this when traveling, it is not exclusive to travel for use, you can also use this at home to keep your bathroom smelling fresh and free of unpleasant odors which can come from using the facilities or even odd water smell which sometimes can occur from toilets.
Is talking about toilets a fun topic? NO! But it is one that actually is relevant when traveling? YES! Think smart when traveling and think about not only the glossy beauty of the adventure but the sometimes ugly realities which you will encounter and be prepared!!!