Time for Action!

Good day everybody. Since some of our toilet evaluations could unfortunately not score with many points, we decided to send letters so that the managment will hopefully take some action to improve the cleanliness or general state of the toilets.

First, we sent a letter to Komtar (see evaluation here).
This is the letter:

To:

Prangin Mall JMB – MPPP/COB/JMB-104/2008
Level 5, Prangin Mall
No 33, Jalan Dr. Lim Chwee Leong
10100 Penang

Dear Mr. Heng Ah Leak,

We are writing to you concerning the state of toilets in Prangin Mall.

We are students at Universiti Sains Malaysia and running the initiative ‘World of Toilets’ which evaluates toilets in public and commercial buildings throughout mainly Penang, and also wider Malaysia and Southeast Asia. Our blog can be found at www.world-of-toilets.tk

This project is under the advisory of CP-TAG USM (Corporate Social Responsibility and Philanthropy Transdisciplinary Action Group of Universiti Sains Malaysia), chairperson Dr. Reevany Bustami.

We are writing to you as compared to other public toilets we feel that the state of toilets in Prangin Mall are not satisfactory at all. Our evaluations found the toilets to be wet and/or not clean, despite charging money which according to our information serves as extra revenue for additional work (cleaning) and maintenance for the toilets.

We would like to urge you that clean and comfortable toilets are not only vital to health but also well-being of people, which makes visitor want to come more often. Especially if visitors have to pay to enter toilets, clean toilets should be a given.

The toilet evaluation of Prangin Mall can be found here:
http://world-of-toilets.blogspot.com/2009/01/evaluation-womens-toilet-in-komtar.html

Please note that compared to other evaluations throughout Penang and Malaysia, Prangin Mall has been evaluated as one of the worst toilets.

Other evaluations as well as research regarding public toilets and further information:
http://www.world-of-toilets.tk

We will appreciate any response or immediate action very much.
Kind regards,
Anja Heise, Emma Kuronen, Dennis Keller

worldoftoilets@dionos.com
+60124698084

Toilet evaluation "The Mall" Kuala Lumpur

This is en evaluation of the women´s toilet at the Shopping Mall "The Mall" (what a name) in Kuala Lumpur. It´s located near the LRT Station PWTC. It´s an average toilet. Not perfectly clean but ok. The only thing that makes it interesting is, that they have installed an automat where you can buy tissues and also sanitary napkins. Good Idea! Don´t you think?

• Costs? 30 Cent
  
• Tissues? available in automat (20 Cent)
  
• Cleanliness? 3 of 5 Stars
• Type? western & asian
  
• Toilet shower? no
  
• Soap on tap? yes
  
• Hand drying? automat
  

Toilet on Krabi

This cutie pie is located on East Rai Leh Beach in Krabi, Thailand. Most of the toilets on the beach are pretty much like this one. Not precisely a pleasure but just enough to do your duties. There was no sink, only this bidet (= hose and bucket) to wash yourself. But it was enjoyable to sit on the pot and watch the colours and patterns on the wall!

• Costs? free
• Tissues? no
• Cleanliness? 2 of 5 Stars
• Type? western
  
• Toilet shower? yes
  
• Soap on tap? no
• Hand drying? no
  

Toilet of Hotel Park Royal in Batu Feringgi, Penang

What a luxury! All of them: the entrance, the lobby, the bar, the restaurant, the food and (the most imortant) the toilet! It was of course perfectly clean but also very classy and elegant. They used lot of dark wood, black surfaces and the sinks were gorgeously designed. And as a bonus they had aroma candles to give a little bit nicer odeur.

• Costs? free
• Tissues? free paper
  
• Cleanliness? 5 of 5 Stars
• Type? western
  
• Toilet shower? no
  
• Soap on tap? yes
  
• Hand drying? paper

Toilet evaluation Planet Hollywood Restaurant, Jakarta

Dear readers, last week I made a short trip to Indonesia´s capital, Jakarta! There was one special toilet that really has to be mentioned in this Blog. It is located inside the Planet Hollywood restaurant in Jalan Jendut Gatot Subroto. First of all, the facilities here are very clean and they had installed one of these air-fresheners, which made the the toilet good smelling. But when I went to the sink to wash my hands there was a real surprise! Have you ever seen a toilet where all this things are offered to freshen up? Take a look: Baby-powder, Q-tips, mouthwash, Aloe-Vera lotion, facial foam and body mist cologne!!

• Costs? free
  
• Tissues? free paper
  
• Cleanliness? 4½ of 5 Stars
• Type? western
  
• Toilet shower? no
  
• Soap on tap? yes
  
• Hand drying? paper

toilet evaluation Sungai Nibong Bus Station, Penang

Here is another public toilet example from beautiful Penang Island. Probably all of you have already been at the Sungai Nibong Bus Station near the USM. Most long-distance busses to other places in Malaysia leave from here. Therefore, the public toilets here are highly frequented.

• Costs? 20 Cent
  
• Tissues? 30 Cent
  
• Cleanliness? 3 of 5 Stars
• Type? western & asian
  
• Toilet shower? yes
• Soap on tap? yes
  
• Hand drying? no hand dryer and no hand paper
  
  

Offering a hand-dryer could improve the situation! What i´d like to mention is, that the people collecting the money at the entrance are always friendly. Once (it was the day I first arrived in Penang) after a long journey when I was very exhausted I did not bring my purse up to the first floor where the toilets are located. So I asked the lady sitting there if she could make an exeption to let me use the toilet for free. She was so kind to let me in without paying the fee! Thanks to the nice staff :)

Malaysia's toilet revolution - an article

I found an interesting article, I'd like to share with you:

The man behind Malaysia's toilet revolution

It talks about Malaysia upgrading its public toilets, to the extent that some colleges may even offer courses in how to keep toilets clean...

so nothing can go wrong (Dann kann ja nichts mehr schief gehen)

Dear World-of-Toilets visitors. Today, our visitor Madi (MadiLee@gmx.de) would like to share his/her thoughts with you. The following are his/her own comments:

-------------------------------------------------
Ja ich gebe ja zu die Relevanz dieses Filmes ist etwas fraglich, aber seht selbst
(translation from world-of-toilet team: well, I admit the relevance of this film is rather questionable but see for yourself:)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sc53JxCe8AQ

-------------------------------------------------
Would you also like to share your thoughts on the World-of-Toilets? It's easier than you think! Simply visit us here: http://world-of-toilets.blogspot.com/2009/03/what-do-you-think.html

What do YOU think?

To make this blog even more interactive and diverse we're proud to introduce something new: You can POST your own BLOG POST here on World of Toilets!

What kind of content is allowed?

Anything, really. Please write whatever you think contributes to this blog and the issue of public toilets. For example your own toilet evaluation... Please note, however, that we do not publish anything off topic or irrelevant! If you have pictures, please upload them first, and put the link to the picture in the text.

How can I publish my ideas?

Simply use the form below. If you have any questions do not hesitate to contact us at worldoftoilets@dionos.com.

Toilet in Jerejak island

This toilet is located in Jerejak island, just 10 minutes from Penang. It is a tiny island where you can do many kind of activities for example cycling, jungle trekking, wall climbing, archery etc. or you can visit an old prison and ex-quarantine block or you can just relax on the pool and play some board games. What ever suits you the best. This toilet is clean, cosy and it has a earthly touch with its plants and skylight window. And if you´re gonna visit here then check out the chandelier in the lobby!

• Costs? free
• Tissues? free paper
  
• Cleanliness? 4½ of 5 Stars
• Type? western
  
• Toilet shower? yes
• Soap on tap? yes
  
• Hand drying? electric hand dryer and paper

Any opinions?

Would you like to visit this "see through" loo?!

38 year old architectual artist Monica Bonvicini tested the concept of how we react on "seeing but not beeing seen" situations in creating a public toilet enclosed within reflective glass walls that allow the user to see out but prevent those outside from seeing in! This toilet where placed in Basel, Switzerland and London, UK.

- Even when you know that people outside can´t possibly see you - would you be afraid to use this toilet!?

Give us your comments :)

A unique toilet "Search Engine"

Recently I received a notice (thanks to Ole) about a very interesting web2.0 project. It was founded in 2007 by two 19 year old germans and is called lootogo. They started their webpage on the 19th of november which, by the way, is the official "world toilet day".

Basically, www.lootogo.com is kind of a toilet "searchengine" with currently more than 20,000 toilet entries worldwide. It combines the opportunity of rating public toilets, as we do on our page, with an integrated google maps service. This enables the user of this site to find out the nearest public toilet to his/her current position. After typing in your position the map shows you which toilets are available in the area!

After releaving himself, the user can rate the toilet with different criteria, for example if the toilet is clean and suitable for children and disabled persons. The service on lootogo is free of charge and doesn´t require a sign-up which makes it faster and easier for the user to participate. Furthermore, they are currently trying a beta version of a mobile-phone application for real "on the go" help.

Toilets Worldwide

You want to check out the toilets of a country before you go travel there? While for Penang this blog is just PERFECT, for the rest of the world you should check out www.thebathroomdiaries.com. It basically evaluates public toilets world-wide, much like our blog really...

What do flush toilets stand for? Modernity....?!

Recently, I stumbled upon an interesting notion. As I am studying international development studies and politics, I came across the book 'The New Asian Hemisphere' by Kishore Mahbubani. It did not only sound interesting, but is a great account describing how Asia is on its 'March to Modernity'. Now, Mahbubani says something noteworthy, and very relevant for this blog I reckon:

...If I were asked to name the date when my life entered the modern world, I would date it to the arrival of the flush toilet. On that day I felt that there had been a magical transformation of my life.

...Daily access to flush toilets may well be the best indicator of how many of the 6.5 billion people in our world live in the premodern world and how many have transcended it. One unofficial estimate claims that only about 15 to 20 percent of the total world population has flush toilets. The UNDP Human Development statistics reveal that nearly 42 percent (or 2.6 billion) of humanity is without toilets - most of whom live in Asia and Africa. Less than one-half of all Asians have access to toilets.
A young Singaporean, Jack Sim, has set up the World Toilet Organisation, which currently has forty-seven international members. This 'WTO' communicates the need for better toilet standards in both developed and developing economies, and provides a service platform for all toilet associations, related organisations, and commited individuals to facilitate an exchange of ideas and health and cultural issues. It is easy to laugh at our pour scorn on the work of a World Toilet Organisation, but for his courageous efforts Jack Sim was recognised as a global social entrepreneur by the Davos World Economic Forum in 2006.

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