# McDonald's Restaurant Rest Rooms - AIIIEEE! The FILTH! **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [July 30, 2010, 4:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mcdonalds-restaurant-rest-rooms-aiiieee-the-filth/548550 "2010-07-30T04:32:43Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2010, 4:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mcdonalds-restaurant-rest-rooms-aiiieee-the-filth/548550/1 "2010-07-30T04:32:43Z")
I have been in McDonald’s restaurants in Missouri, Michigan, Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, and Arizona. I have also been the rest rooms of most of the McDonald’s I have been in. WHAT THE FUCK IS WITH THE **FILTH?!** My _god_, these places are cesspits! LITERALLY! Shit and piss and blood and bowl water on the seats. On the floors. On the walls. _On the fucking ceiling!_ HOW does one shit on the CEILING? What. The. Fuck. Now, I understand that many little children visit these little rooms. I understand that children have poor personal hygiene. _But the baby isn’t the one leaving the shit-filled diaper on the floor!_ Holy fuck, I’ve met dogs with better bathroom habits. But if you manage to slog through the Swamp of Bodily waste (wear rubber boots, not sandals - pro tip) and avoid the busted toilets with the assgaskets strewn about like party decorations the day _after_ New Year’s and find the sinks you’ll find soap spewed like the money shot in a bad porn all over the basins and counters and mirrors. The taps - the ones that are working at all - will either dispense ice water or something just short of steam. Good luck finding anything to wipe your hands on, or dry them off. More and more I see McDonald’s installing auto-flushers - yay! _Toilet geysers_. Holy fuck, if I wanted to see multi-colored water shooting up vertically I’d go to fucking Yellowstone! - and auto water taps and towel dispensers and hand dryers but why? _It does no good!_ Their rest rooms are still conglomerations of shit, piss, menstrual blood, various “sanitary products” with or without menstrual blood in/on them, discarded diapers, toilet paper, towels, discarded _food!_ (Og help us - is something _eating_ in here? :eek: ), crushed flies, possibly other crushed bugs, and things I didn’t want to look at long enough to identify them. Why? WHY? My _god_ this is hideous. _::: runs off to find bleach :::_ ---
**Author:** ![Measure\_for\_Measure](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/measure_for_measure/32/557_2.png) [@Measure\_for\_Measure](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Measure_for_Measure)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2010, 4:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mcdonalds-restaurant-rest-rooms-aiiieee-the-filth/548550/2 "2010-07-30T04:40:23Z")
Huh. Haven’t been in a McDonald’s restroom for a while. It wasn’t always that way. [Ray Kroc](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ray_Kroc), the man who made McDonald’s into a multinational powerhouse, was a huge believer in clean bathrooms. In fact, he didn’t like to hire college students because he believed that they wouldn’t get on their knees and scrub the damn toilets. Years ago, it was understood that McD’s food wasn’t especially good, but at least their bathrooms were clean. Can anybody pinpoint the beginning of this decline? ---
**Author:** ![PlainJain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/5daacb/32.png) [@PlainJain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PlainJain)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2010, 5:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mcdonalds-restaurant-rest-rooms-aiiieee-the-filth/548550/3 "2010-07-30T05:15:56Z")
> [@Measure\_for\_Measure](#): > > Can anybody pinpoint the beginning of this decline? Nope, all the one around here are uber-clean. ---
**Author:** ![Inner\_Stickler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inner_stickler/32/318_2.png) [@Inner\_Stickler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inner_Stickler)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2010, 5:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mcdonalds-restaurant-rest-rooms-aiiieee-the-filth/548550/4 "2010-07-30T05:17:57Z")
Say what you will about McDonalds, their bathrooms have always been clean as whistle in my experience. ---
**Author:** ![Lynn\_Bodoni](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e47c2d/32.png) [@Lynn\_Bodoni](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lynn_Bodoni)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2010, 5:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mcdonalds-restaurant-rest-rooms-aiiieee-the-filth/548550/5 "2010-07-30T05:26:50Z")
> [@](#): > > Years ago, it was understood that McD’s food wasn’t especially good, but at least their bathrooms were clean. I’ve never come across anything nastier than the very rare unflushed toilet in a McDonald’s restroom. Even in those cases, it’s clear that the restrooms have been cleaned and checked on a regular basis. That’s a factor in deciding where I’m gonna pull in, when I’m traveling by car. ---
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2010, 6:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mcdonalds-restaurant-rest-rooms-aiiieee-the-filth/548550/6 "2010-07-30T06:09:58Z")
All extremely clean here, too. The franchise owner by you must be awful. I’d report it to McDonald’s corporate offices if it’s that bad. ---
**Author:** ![Measure\_for\_Measure](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/measure_for_measure/32/557_2.png) [@Measure\_for\_Measure](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Measure_for_Measure)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2010, 6:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mcdonalds-restaurant-rest-rooms-aiiieee-the-filth/548550/7 "2010-07-30T06:43:32Z")
Well… in that case you should report 'em Broomstick. Seriously. Being able to count on a clean bathroom at McD’s is all kinds of awesome. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Second\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bbe5ce/32.png) [@The\_Second\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Second_Stone)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2010, 7:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mcdonalds-restaurant-rest-rooms-aiiieee-the-filth/548550/8 "2010-07-30T07:12:19Z")
Call the local health department. ---
**Author:** ![Tapioca\_Dextrin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Tapioca\_Dextrin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tapioca_Dextrin)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2010, 7:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mcdonalds-restaurant-rest-rooms-aiiieee-the-filth/548550/9 "2010-07-30T07:29:49Z")
I hardly ever go to McDs, but they’ve always have clean bathrooms. At least the men’s rooms. Maybe the OP should try there next time :dubious: ---
**Author:** ![Autolycus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/22d042/32.png) [@Autolycus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Autolycus)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2010, 8:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mcdonalds-restaurant-rest-rooms-aiiieee-the-filth/548550/10 "2010-07-30T08:32:15Z")
I’ve never experienced such McFilth. They’re usually spic and span. In fact it’s probably what I love most about McDonalds, after the french fries (but only if they’re hot out of the fryer). ---
**Author:** ![Runs\_With\_Scissors](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/278dde/32.png) [@Runs\_With\_Scissors](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Runs_With_Scissors)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2010, 9:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mcdonalds-restaurant-rest-rooms-aiiieee-the-filth/548550/11 "2010-07-30T09:08:07Z")
And you’ve nothing to say about the substances they try to pass off as food? ---
**Author:** ![Ferret\_Herder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e47774/32.png) [@Ferret\_Herder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ferret_Herder)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2010, 10:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mcdonalds-restaurant-rest-rooms-aiiieee-the-filth/548550/12 "2010-07-30T10:23:38Z")
Been a long time since I’ve been to a McD’s since they don’t really serve anything for a vegetarian, but yeah, when I went I never saw anything bad, at all. Maybe it’s because I’ve been living in the land of their headquarters or something. ---
**Author:** ![Monty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/monty/32/47_2.png) [@Monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monty)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2010, 10:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mcdonalds-restaurant-rest-rooms-aiiieee-the-filth/548550/13 "2010-07-30T10:25:53Z")
What do you think occasioned the previous, er, visitor’s trip to the loo? ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2010, 10:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mcdonalds-restaurant-rest-rooms-aiiieee-the-filth/548550/14 "2010-07-30T10:46:54Z")
> [@The\_Second\_Stone](#): > > Call the local health department. Hmm… yes, while on a 1,000 mile road trip it will be very convenient to have to call the health departments of multiple states… Upon reflection - the most recent batch were all rest stops on toll roads. Wonder if that could be a factor? ---
**Author:** ![Claude\_Remains](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/898d66/32.png) [@Claude\_Remains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Claude_Remains)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2010, 10:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mcdonalds-restaurant-rest-rooms-aiiieee-the-filth/548550/15 "2010-07-30T10:59:12Z")
Perhaps the issue isn’t the public place you are in, but the local public that are in it? How can you pin nasty shit in a fast food joint on the corp. that owns it instead of the scum that make it so bad? ---
**Author:** ![flickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/7bcc69/32.png) [@flickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flickster)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2010, 11:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mcdonalds-restaurant-rest-rooms-aiiieee-the-filth/548550/16 "2010-07-30T11:00:26Z")
> [@Broomstick](#): > > > [@The\_Second\_Stone](#): > > > > Call the local health department. > > Hmm… yes, while on a 1,000 mile road trip it will be very convenient to have to call the health departments of multiple states… > > Upon reflection - the most recent batch were all rest stops on toll roads. Wonder if that could be a factor? So you weren’t really at a McD’s, but at a gas station that leases space to McD’s. I might be wrong but the restroom facilities are under the watchful eye of the gas station/truck stop staff. ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2010, 11:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mcdonalds-restaurant-rest-rooms-aiiieee-the-filth/548550/17 "2010-07-30T11:37:58Z")
> [@Claude\_Remains](#): > > Perhaps the issue isn’t the public place you are in, but the local public that are in it? How can you pin nasty shit in a fast food joint on the corp. that owns it instead of the scum that make it so bad? Um… because the _other_ bathrooms owned/maintained by the likes of Hardees and Burger King and other fast food establishments _on the exact same road_ were clean? I just finished a 1,000 mile road trip. I pee’d early and often. Presumably, so did the rest of the traveling public. So why was it the McDonald’s restrooms that were trashed and not those at, say, Burger King? > [@flickster](#): > > > [@Broomstick](#): > > > > > [@The\_Second\_Stone](#): > > > > > > Call the local health department. > > > > Hmm… yes, while on a 1,000 mile road trip it will be very convenient to have to call the health departments of multiple states… > > > > Upon reflection - the most recent batch were all rest stops on toll roads. Wonder if that could be a factor? > > So you weren’t really at a McD’s, but at a gas station that leases space to McD’s. I might be wrong but the restroom facilities are under the watchful eye of the gas station/truck stop staff. Incorrect. This was on the Indiana tollway, the Ohio turnpike, a few spots of I-90 that were freeway in Pennsylvania, and some toll road in New York state. These were not “gas stations”, they were formal rest stops and indeed in several of them were prominently displayed plaques that said clearly that the restrooms were maintained by McDonald’s. NOT the folks at the gas station portion, where there were signs displayed that the rest rooms were at the stop restaurant(s) and the gas people had nothing to do with them. Nor do the people handing out travel information and tourist brochures. Neither do the people at the gift shop. I would have been happier believing that the state of my _local_ McDonald’s bathrooms were just a local aberration, but clearly they are not. And really - in my experience (which I have in fact related in prior threads) many gas station toilets, while the floor and fixtures are _worn_ due to use are actually quite clean and well kept. Road Pilot and Love’s truck stops both maintain a high level of sanitation in their restrooms, such that I actively seek them out on long trips. However, tollways apparently do not have them in this role, unlike the genuine _free_ways where they are plentiful. It was getting to the point where I was seriously considering _leaving_ the tollway every time I needed to piss, except that would have been a colossal pain in the ass and would have added much more time to an already long trip. So - same road, presumably same population using the facilities. Why were the bathrooms at a McDonad’s a literal stinking mess while the restrooms at the Hardees 30 miles east and the Burger King 36 miles west were clean? ---
**Author:** ![Khaki\_Campbell](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9de053/32.png) [@Khaki\_Campbell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khaki_Campbell)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2010, 11:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mcdonalds-restaurant-rest-rooms-aiiieee-the-filth/548550/18 "2010-07-30T11:49:33Z")
> [@Monty](#): > > What do you think occasioned the previous, er, visitor’s trip to the loo? Uh what ? You mean the unsafeness of the food ? 'Cause, like, you yourself live in the 3rd world where you gotta close your mouth when taking a shower (for those who even take them), so how come you give snark about McD’s ? ---
**Author:** ![Monty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/monty/32/47_2.png) [@Monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monty)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2010, 12:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mcdonalds-restaurant-rest-rooms-aiiieee-the-filth/548550/19 "2010-07-30T12:07:32Z")
You do know that I’m not in North Korea, don’t you? _South_ Korea’s economy is [kind of high up the list of economies in the world](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_Korea#Economy). The running water here does not have an odor, either. Most people here take daily showers, by the way. And I snark at any greasy food. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2010, 2:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mcdonalds-restaurant-rest-rooms-aiiieee-the-filth/548550/20 "2010-07-30T14:44:54Z")
I’d certainly much rather drink (South) Korean tap water than US tap water\*. Also, count me in with those who’ve never seen an unclean McDonalds’ bathroom. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mcdonalds-restaurant-rest-rooms-aiiieee-the-filth/548550.md?page=2)