Why does our porta potty smell like ammonia after a hot weekend?
Had a family reunion this past weekend. We put a single standard portable toilet out by the barn for about 40 people over two days. There was a lot…
2answers
41views
Kim S. replied
Odor, Cleaning & Chemicals
Why units smell, deodorizer and blue liquid, formaldehyde-free products, heat, ventilation, cleaning and disposal.
78 questions
Why does our unit smell like ammonia after a week?
We have a standard portable toilet on a residential addition project, and it's starting to smell like strong ammonia about five days into the weekly…
2answers
40views
Ray M. replied
Is the blue dye in porta potties required for odor control?
I'm renting a standard unit for a three-day weekend event on my property. The ground is level and the vacuum truck has easy access for the weekly…
1answer
40views
Megan H. replied
Why does our porta potty smell worse after a service visit?
We've had a standard unit on the ranch for our seasonal hands for about six weeks, serviced every other week because it's low use. The ground is…
2answers
39views
Ray M. replied
Are formaldehyde-free deodorizers as effective in controlling odor in high-traffic events?
We rent for large festivals with crowds of 5,000+ over three-day weekends, mostly standard units and a few ADA-compliant ones on grass fields with…
1answer
39views
Hector V. replied
Is the blue dye in porta potties necessary for the deodorizer to work?
I was helping with a community festival last weekend, and a guest pointed at the standard portable toilet and asked me a great question. We had about…
1answer
39views
Ray M. replied
Is the blue dye in porta potties required for the deodorizer to work?
I run a small event planning company in Oregon, and we just had a client request clear deodorizer in our standard portable toilets instead of the…
1answer
39views
Dave P. replied
Why does our porta potty smell like rotten eggs after a rain?
We have a single standard portable toilet for our seasonal ranch hands, serviced weekly. It sits on gravel about 50 yards from the main cabin, and…
1answer
39views
Ray M. replied
2026: Are more wastewater plants refusing waste with blue dye?
I just heard from another operator that a wastewater plant in a neighboring county is now turning away vacuum trucks if the waste has that familiar…
2answers
38views
Hector V. replied
Does putting a porta potty in the shade really make a difference to the smell?
I have a standard portable toilet on my residential job site for a crew of six over a 12-week build. The unit sits in full sun on the driveway, which…
2answers
37views
Kim S. replied
Is Blue Dye Required for Health Code Compliance?
The blue dye in a standard portable toilet is not required by health code. It is an industry practice for odor control and to mask the contents of…
1answer
37views
Hector V. replied
Why does our unit smell worse on the second day of a hot weekend?
We rented a standard portable toilet for a big backyard party Saturday and Sunday. The rental company delivered and serviced it Friday afternoon, so…
1answer
37views
Megan H. replied
Is the blue dye in porta potties necessary for odor control?
The blue dye in a standard portable toilet is functional, not just for looks. It serves two main purposes: it masks the visual appearance of waste in…
1answer
36views
Deb K. replied
Why does our porta potty smell fine Monday but terrible by Friday?
Our crew of 50 uses a cluster of three standard units and one ADA-compliant unit on a commercial site in Phoenix. The rental company does a weekly…
2answers
35views
Deb K. replied
Why does our unit smell like rotten eggs after a hot weekend?
We have a standard portable toilet on our driveway for a bathroom renovation. The rental company serviced it on Thursday, and it was fine Friday…
2answers
35views
Ray M. replied
Why does our porta potty smell like ammonia after a hot week?
We have a standard portable toilet on a commercial site in Phoenix. It's July, over 100 degrees every day. The unit gets used by about 20 guys from…
2answers
35views
Deb K. replied
Why does our porta potty smell like rotten eggs after a service?
I have a standard portable toilet on a six-week residential rehab in the city. It's on a concrete pad with truck access. The rental company serviced…
2answers
34views
Hector V. replied
Why does our porta potty smell fine after service but foul by the next afternoon?
We have a crew of 35 on a commercial site in Phoenix, and we're running into a smell issue with our standard portable toilets. The rental company…
2answers
34views
Carl D. replied
Why does our porta potty smell like rotten eggs after a week?
We have one standard unit for our six-person crew on a remote ranch. The rental company serviced it last Monday. By Friday, a strong rotten egg smell…
2answers
34views
Kim S. replied
Why does our porta potty smell like rotten eggs after rain?
We have a standard portable toilet on a residential job in Chicago, about 20 guys using it over the past three weeks. It sits on level gravel in the…
1answer
32views
Jake W. replied
2026 deodorizer trends: are more operators switching to enzyme-based formulas?
I've been hearing more about enzyme-based deodorizers from operators at industry meetings. These formulas use live bacteria to actively digest waste,…
2answers
31views
Ray M. replied
Can we add our own deodorizer to a rented porta potty?
We have one standard portable toilet for a crew of eight on a residential addition project. The unit is on a gravel pad about 20 feet from where the…
2answers
31views
Hector V. replied
2026: Are more wastewater plants banning blue dye in deodorizer?
I run a mid-size portable toilet rental operation in North Texas, and my drivers are hearing chatter at the wastewater treatment plants about new…
2answers
30views
Hector V. replied
Why does our construction site porta potty smell like ammonia after a hot day?
We have a crew of about 40 guys on this high-rise site for a 10-week build. Our rental company drops a standard portable toilet with the standard…
2answers
30views
Ray M. replied
2026: Are more plants banning blue dye in porta potty waste?
I run a small rental business with about 40 standard units and a few ADA-compliant units, mostly for construction sites and weekend events. Our local…
2answers
29views
Ray M. replied