Western Canadian Washroom Sightings
Some people call them “bathrooms.” This is strange. For the most part they contain no bath tubs so I’m not really sure how that’s supposed to work. False advertising I say.
Some refer to them as “restrooms.” Also odd. There’s very little I find restful about these facilities, especially public ones, especially with little people who must EXPERIENCE every surface with as many body parts as possible.
In Canada they’ve decided to go for positive message reinforcement. They call them “washrooms” to remind all people that no matter how much you’ve experienced in the room, there’s always a simple solution – WASHING yourself.
This comforts me.
Especially when I go into washrooms as nasty as the one where I found this sign:
Now, if I saw a sign like this in a washroom where someone had accidentally spilled a piece of urine, I might go up to the employee and inform her of the unfortunate marring of her otherwise fabulous palace of human waste.
However, when the washroom itself seems to be made of sludge, with greasy grime so thick I could carve my name on the walls with the lollipop stick on the floor behind the toilet… if I could pry it loose, I assume the employees know exactly what the room looks like or they’re blind. And if they’re blind, I’d really not like to be the one to force them to swab that scum-hole.
In other washroom news, I found Canada to be rich in baby changing tables. I found these instructions amusing:
If my child is old enough to lay out a table liner, fasten herself in, change herself, and dispose of the garbage, I figure she’s old enough to be left unattended whether or not stars will spurt out of her head. She’s probably old enough to be potty trained too, come to think of it.
Azucar Says:
It kind of looks like they’re advocating throwing the baby into the garbage. The really smart genius baby into the garbage. Those Canadians! They’re hilarious!
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Posted on August 27th, 2007 at 11:33 pm
Sue Says:
LOL! You are the funniest!
I would have rushed out of that stinking place as soon as I’ve DONE my job! Much less to take pic of the signs….
But I’ll definitely stop to see the signs in the next publish “washroom” I face… Never knew they could be funny too…
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Posted on August 28th, 2007 at 3:38 am
Sarah Says:
Those Canadians are just down right silly!
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Posted on August 28th, 2007 at 4:33 am
Shalee Says:
I was wondering why the baby was doing all the work…
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Posted on August 28th, 2007 at 6:46 am
Rhen Says:
Too funny! We just got back from a week long vacation in WI. I hate taking the kids to the “washrooms” in public places. We got to visit many different ones -oh the joy- and some were very nice, a few were not too bad but the majority made me want to run away and hide if it were not for my herd of kids doing the potty dance!
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Posted on August 28th, 2007 at 7:28 am
Barbara Says:
My daughter, who is 3, noticed a change table with the signs on it just this weekend. She was all for trying it out. Alas, she *is* potty trained and so had to use the toilet (which lacked helpful signs about it’s use). You were right about the target audience and the product being out of kilter, though.
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Posted on August 28th, 2007 at 7:57 am
Melissa Says:
We stopped at a fast food place one time to get ice cream and use the “washroom”. I took Baby Girl into a horribly dirty bathroom and we waited for a stall. One of the employees came out, did not wash her hand, and went back to preparing food. We finished our business and left without the ice cream. We went and bought food that had been packaged by machines.
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Posted on August 28th, 2007 at 8:46 am
glittersmama Says:
Piece of urine! Hahaha! That visual of the grime behind the toilet makes me want to puke a little. ick.
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Posted on August 28th, 2007 at 8:49 am
Laurel Says:
Ok…this was seriously LAUGH-OUT-LOUD funny. I’m a bathroom/washroom lookout woman as well. Don’t you just love it when you see people fix their hair in the mirror…and THEN wash their hands…or worse….NOT wash at all!? Mmmmm pleasant. Love the changing table pics too!
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Posted on August 28th, 2007 at 9:25 am
Kimberly Says:
That last series of pictures? Had me laughing my face off!
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Posted on August 28th, 2007 at 11:55 am
Thea Says:
Um, gross. I hate bathrooms. Public bathrooms, specifically. I don’t want to know why there’s a puddle or what it is!
And I hear those Canadians start the Potty Training young!
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Posted on August 28th, 2007 at 12:48 pm
Pam in Utah Says:
I don’t think they have this problem of dirty bathrooms in London. When we were there a few years ago, there WEREN’T any public lews (sp)! Or actually very few! I wondered if they just “held it” all day!
It’s funny what differences there are in different countries with their “facilities”!
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Posted on August 28th, 2007 at 1:12 pm
Beth Says:
I love signs like that!
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Posted on August 28th, 2007 at 2:22 pm
Dedee Says:
Love the baby signs. Espeicially the one where the baby is disposng of the towel. It takes a long time for my babies to get to that point.
Coming here from Kimberly!
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Posted on August 28th, 2007 at 2:53 pm
KYouell Says:
Having just been on a driving vacation myself with 2 little ones I must say that I was grateful for the borrowed van we were driving so that I could change diapers there. Some of those rest stops were nastyyyyy!
But, having said that, I feel the need to add that Idaho has some of the most lovely rest stops I’ve ever seen. Also, despite the “Beware of Snakes and Scorpions” sign that I did not take a photo of, the rest stop on I-80 that is east of the salt flats (west of SLC — mile marker 50 something?) has a really nice bathroom and a changing area that is built in, not some add-on hangs-on-the-wall thing. If they would just make the exit door pushable then I would rank it as a tie with the nice Idaho stops. I’m all for the hand dryers that save on trees, but then I don’t want to touch the door with my hands after washing. Hello, people! Think about this when designing washrooms!
Actually, the most beautiful rest stop ever was one we saw in Wyoming in 2002. It was designed by college students if memory serves, and had solar heated hot water, actual pebble wall to deter graffiti and a very interesting sink that was set up so that it cleaned itself of soap puddles if the dispensers leaked. I say it was on Hwy 16 at the junction with 18/85 just after we crossed in from South Dakota. My husband says I’m nuts and it was 33 miles south where Hwy 18 meets 18/85. In fact, this argument is the reason that we now make notes of good stops on the atlas pages.
I’m just a little too into this, aren’t I?
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Posted on August 28th, 2007 at 3:46 pm
mother of the wild boys Says:
“..whether or not stars will spurt out of her head.” LOL!!
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Posted on August 28th, 2007 at 4:05 pm
Terri Says:
Thanks for a much needed laugh today!
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Posted on August 28th, 2007 at 4:31 pm
Mrs. Flinger Says:
I don’t know what I love more, that sign or you for blogging it. Awesome.
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Posted on August 28th, 2007 at 5:14 pm
Carrie Says:
Love the baby changing table instructions.
I’m married to a Canadian and have developed the frightening habit of calling them washrooms instead of bathrooms. Everytime that I hear myself asking “where are the washrooms”, I’m inwardly horrified. Even though it does make more sense to call them washrooms.
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Posted on August 28th, 2007 at 5:37 pm
Sue Says:
It’s me again guys, I remembered a really serious discussion about restrooms being called so. Have updated in my blog… That was funny.
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Posted on August 28th, 2007 at 9:11 pm
Steff (http://okierivermama.livejournal.com/) Says:
I went to the Soviet Union when I was 17 and had to use public facilities (so to speak) over there. I swore when I came back to the states I wouldnt ever whine about any of our bathrooms again. Though most are not fabulous, none of them equal to peeing thru a hole in a plywood bench in an outhouse. Porta Potties at concerts are the closest thing to as bad as those were.
Steff
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Posted on August 28th, 2007 at 10:03 pm
sarah k. Says:
Kathryn, in my perfect world, you and I will live next-door to each other, so we can be best friends and I can make you guys Indian food for dinner in exchange for you making me laugh so hard I pee my pants every single dingle day. Maybe that’s not a fair trade. I’ll throw in a couple loaves of bread every week. And a Barbie cake for Laylee’s birthday. That’s my final offer.
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Posted on August 29th, 2007 at 6:14 am
Betsy Says:
I’m a Michigan transplant to suburban Chicago, where the people who use the term “washrooms” seem to be the natives of working-class background — not really sure, though, what the geography of the term “washroom” is, though. I bet there’s a website, kind of a variant of the pop vs. soda thing.
In Europe, they seem to use some variant of the term “toilets” and think we’re silly for having a euphamistic term at all, whether rest-, bath-, or washroom. I do agree that washroom makes the most sense, since we’re not bathing nor resting, but we are — hopefully — washing up after we pee!
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Posted on August 29th, 2007 at 1:35 pm
Barb Says:
Ha! I took an American vacation this year, and I also wound up taking a ‘washroom’ picture. In the outlet mall I shopped in there were Advil dispensers in the ‘washrooms’ which was totally appropriate for the marathon shopping experience. I bought 2 Advils for my poor husband.
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Posted on August 29th, 2007 at 1:35 pm
rglhm Says:
I’m sorry I missed you while you were up. Glad you got to visit the fatherland! I HATE PUBLIC WASHROOMS! Well the gross ones! I’d much rather find a tree…or a bush…maybe even a road- kidding
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Posted on August 29th, 2007 at 11:00 pm