A restroom attendant, also called bathroom attendant, lavatory attendant, toilet attendant, or washroom attendant, is a

cleaner A cleaner, cleanser or cleaning operative is a type of industrial or domestic worker who is tasked with cleaning a space. A janitor (Scotland, United States and Canada), also known as a custodian, Facility Operator, porter or caretaker, is a pe ...

for a

public toilet A public toilet, restroom, bathroom or washroom is a room or small building with toilets (or urinals) and sinks for use by the general public. The facilities are available to customers, travelers, employees of a business, school pupils or pris ...

. They maintain and clean the facilities, ensuring that toilet paper, soap, paper towels, and other necessary items are kept stocked. If there is a fee to use the restroom, it is collected by the attendant if there is no coin-operated

turnstile A turnstile (also called a gateline, baffle gate, automated gate, turn gate in some regions) is a form of gate which allows one person to pass at a time. A turnstile can be configured to enforce One-way traffic#One-way traffic of people, one-way ...

or door. Some restroom attendants also provide services to the patrons, and keep good order by preventing drug-taking and fights.

Toilet attendants as service providers

The attendant may turn on the tap and provide soap and towels. At the attendant's work station, an assortment of items may be available for purchase or for free such as

mints A mint or breath mint is a food item often consumed as an after-meal refreshment or before business and social engagements to improve breath odor. Mints are commonly believed to soothe the stomach, given their association with natural byproducts ...

, perfume or

cologne Cologne ( ; ; ) is the largest city of the States of Germany, German state of North Rhine-Westphalia and the List of cities in Germany by population, fourth-most populous city of Germany with nearly 1.1 million inhabitants in the city pr ...

mouthwash Mouthwash, mouth rinse, oral rinse, or mouth bath is a liquid which is held in the mouth passively or swirled around the mouth by contraction of the perioral muscles and/or movement of the head, and may be gargled, where the head is tilted back ...

, chewing gum, cigarettes, pain relievers, condoms, and

energy drinks An energy drink is a type of non-alcoholic psychoactive functional beverage containing stimulant compounds, usually caffeine (at a higher concentration than ordinary soda pop) and taurine, which is marketed as reducing tiredness and improving p ...

. Many attendants keep a tip jar at their work stations for patrons to leave tips for either the attendant's services, such as handing patrons hand-towels, or for taking or using any of the aforementioned items from the work station. Many times attendants are expected to invest in the items offered at their workstations in order to profit through earning tips. Some attendants make their living exclusively from tips they earn while some receive a base hourly wage in addition to the tip. Although toilet attendants' working life has hardly been researched, the scarce evidence suggests that their work can be defined as a 'bad job'. In North America, they are typically found at restaurants, night clubs, or bars.

Notable people

Victoria Hughes Victoria Hughes (née Rogers, 22 June 1897 – 30 August 1978) was a British Restroom attendant, lavatory attendant, and the first of her profession to have an entry in the ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'', having published her memoirs ...

(née Rogers, 22 June 1897 – 30 August 1978), was a British lavatory attendant, and the first of her profession to have an entry in the ''

Oxford Dictionary of National Biography The ''Dictionary of National Biography'' (''DNB'') is a standard work of reference on notable figures from History of the British Isles, British history, published since 1885. The updated ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'' (''ODNB'') ...

'', having published her memoirs ''Ladies' Mile'' at the age of 80, which some found shocking but have since become a valuable local history resource.

References

{{Toilets Public toilets Cleaning and maintenance occupations Hospitality occupations Personal care and service occupations