A portable toilet refers to any type of toilet that you can move around to serve people at particular events including weddings, birthday parties, or construction sites. Porta potties don't connect to a septic tank or a municipal system and are completely self-contained.

How a portable toilet works is different from a normal house toilet.  When you flush the toilet, the waste gets carried to a holding tank that sits beneath the toilet seat.

Inside the holding tank, there is a blue additive to sanitize and prevent unpleasant odors as well as chemicals that break down the solid waste.

The toilet flush uses freshwater that comes from a water tank inside the toilet. The porta toilet doesn't need to be connected to a water supply.

There is no definite answer to how much it costs to rent and clean a porta-potty. The cost varies depending on the geographic location, the frequency of porta potty cleaning, the total number of porta-potty rentals, for how long, and site accessibility.

For example, if you are having a multi-day event and have rented more portable toilets, you would need frequent porta potty cleaning services and thus higher costs.

At Septic Works LLC, your portable toilet is worry-free. We will maintain and service your portable toilet for you. If you should notice a high amount of use, all you have to do is give us a call. We will be glad to come to assist with any issues that may arise.

We do recommend leaving the door open for about a half-hour when people are not likely to use to the porta potty.

The main factors to consider for how many porta potties you need are the number of people who will use the portable restrooms and the number of hours for which you'll need them. The consensus is that every 50 people need one porta-potty.

If you are planning a wedding or birthday party that lasts up to four hours, you will need at least two porta-potty rental units for every 100 people. But you will have to add more porta-potties if people are staying more than four hours or if alcohol will be served.

The United States Department of Labor Occupational Safety and Health Administration requires that 20 employees or less have at least one porta-potty.

Toilets shall be provided for employees according to the following table:

• 1 porta potty if you have 20 employees or less
• One toilet seat for 20 employees or more and 1 urinal per 40 workers
• 1 toilet seat for 200 employees or more and 1 urinal per 50 workers

How to clean a portable toilet includes four steps:

• Remove the waste
  The waste goes to a holding tank and stays there until it is serviced. Our sanitation workers start by removing the waste from the holding tank. To do this, we insert a vacuum hose into the opening of the toilet and empty the waste tank. Then we transport the waste by a sanitation truck to the nearest wastewater treatment facility where it is properly treated.
• Prepare the porta-potty 
  After cleaning the porta-potty, we prepare the unit for use. We fill it with fresh water and add blue additives to the holding tank to disinfect and prevent foul smells. You'll know it's time to change the additive when it takes on a greenish tint.
• Eliminate bacteria
  We clean and wash the interior walls and major points of contact inside the portable restroom, the floors, urinals, toilet seats, and any fixtures. This eliminates germs and bacteria and keeps the porta-potty rental unit clean and fresh.
• Restock the supplies
  We refill any hand sanitizers, soap, and paper towel dispensers. Your guests will never run out of toilet paper or hand sanitizer at any moment.

How to empty a portable toilet is a bit similar to emptying a septic tank. Unlike the toilets most of us have in our homes, porta-potties aren't connected to any sort of sewage system. Instead, the waste goes to a holding tank and stays there until it is serviced.

Our sanitation workers start by removing the waste from the holding tank. To do this, we insert a vacuum hose into the opening of the toilet and empty the waste tank. Then we transport the waste by a sanitation truck to the nearest wastewater treatment facility where it is properly treated.

At Septic Works LLC, we transport the waste of a porta-potty rental unit by a sanitation truck to the nearest wastewater treatment facility where it is properly treated.

How often you need to empty, clean or pump a porta-potty depends on the amount of use and the amount of people using the portable toilet. A Septic Works LLC representative can assist you with determining how often your portable toilet will need service.

It is a good idea to use an air freshener to emit fragrance but you will still need to air out the toilet regularly. Leave the door open for at least half an hour when people are not likely to use the porta-potty and this will make a huge difference.

The blue liquid is an additive that we add to combat the smells that a portable toilet produces. It is a deodorizer that emits a pleasant fragrance and keeps the portable toilet smelling fresh.

Yes, it is safe. It is not toxic, nor threatening to the environment. It serves as a deodorizer that emits fragrance and keeps the porta-potty rental piece smelling fresh.

There are a few portable toilet chemicals that are used for different purposes.

The blue dye masks the waste when you flush the toilet and when the holding tank is full, it changes color from blue to green.

Another portable toilet chemical is the biocides that we use to prevent the growth of the bacteria found in human waste. Biocides help to maintain a clean and odor-free environment for several people to use the portable toilets.

We use fragrances inside our units of porta potty rentals in USA to hide odors and provide a good experience for the occupants, similar to the one they normally have at home.

Portable toilet chemicals come in liquid and tablet form. They are all eco-friendly and not difficult to use. We only use special portable toilet chemicals.