Toilet Signs

These signs are from Canada. Notice the more angular stick figures, more like Europe than what I'm used to seeing in the U.S.

Canadian toilet signs must be multilingual.

Canada keeps things green by preserving the environment whenever possible. For example, the War Museum in Ottawa uses unfiltered water from the adjacent Ottawa River for flushing. Why not?

Neither of these instructional signs are images I took myself, they came from somewhere out on the net. But for those of you needing to instruct people in the use of non-squat toilets, they might be useful. These are in Bahasa Malay and Arabic.

For the Malay one, thanks to Hamachi for the translation:

Penggunaan closet	Using closet
Salah	Mistake
Yang benar	What's correct

But you already knew that, right?

And if you can't teach your users how to sit, look into those ex-Soviet train toilets with the squat-pads on the rim.

Be aware that many public facilities in Paris close for a lunch break for the women who collect the entry fee, including this one at Place Madeleine.

Ouvert: 10h00 à12h00, et 13h00 à 18h15.

Plan ahead!

Here are two more signs indicating les toilettes publiques in the Paris Métro.

This helpful sign explains how to operate the high wall-mounted flush tank at the Travelers' and Students' Inn in Athens, Greece.

Magnets! MAGNETS!! LOOK OUT!!!

Some of the UK railways put magnets in their train toilet seats and lids.

They provide rather ominous warnings about it.

See the British Toilets page for more British toilets.

This sign is in the toilet compartment on board an overnight National Express bus from Edinburgh to London:
Do not even attempt to pee standing!

See the Bus Toilet page for more toilets on buses.

See the British Toilets page for more British toilets.

This odd sign is on the campus of Cambridge University.
Also see the Toilets of Higher Education page.

Also see my Signs of Strangeness page.

This sign was on the grounds of the U.S. Post Office in Chicago, between the Chicago River and the Rush Street entertainment area. I have no idea what it is supposed to mean.

If "curb your dog" means to prevent your dog from defecating on the sidewalk or grass, then what does "do not curb your dog" mean?

Should we force our dogs to defecate on their lawn? (And, while we're at it, any dogs that wander past while we're there?)

Or is this mysterious sign the work of the Anti-Animal-Constipation League, telling us that it's allowed (but not required) for our pets to relieve themselves there?

Also see the non-human toilet page.

Also see my Signs of Strangeness page.

This sign is on board a Greek train from Athens to Kalambaka station, at Meteora.

As it says:

ΜΗ ΡΙΧΝΕΤΕ ΧΑΡΤΙΑ ΣΤΗ ΛΕΚΑΝΗ

MI RIKHNETE KHARTIA STI LEKANI

DON'T THROW PAPERS IN THE TOILET

Here's a better look at another version of that same sign. This is a standard sticker available in Greek plumbing supply shops. This is specific instance is from the Philippi Hotel on the island of Mykonos.

Once again:

ΜΗ ΡΙΧΝΕΤΕ ΧΑΡΤΙΑ ΣΤΗ ΛΕΚΑΝΗ

MI RIKHNETE KHARTIA STI LEKANI

DON'T THROW PAPERS IN THE TOILET

The Sydney Inn in Kastraki, Greece, under the rock pillars of Meteora, has nice bathrooms. They include a different version of the standard Greek bathroom sign:
Μη ρίχνετε χαρτιά στη λεκάνη

This is a Greek all-graphical admonition to put all paper into the waste bin. It's a sticker just below the centered flush button on the front of the tank.

This is a strange sign carved in stone along a street in Amsterdam.

HOMO SAPIENS NON URINAT IN VENTUM

WISE MEN DO NOT URINATE INTO THE WIND

I was mystified by this sign until Thomas Wensing, an Actual Dutch Architect, saw this page and explained this project by Kees Spanjers:

Sometimes toilets are modified to other purposes but keep their original signs. The Astor Place subway station between Greenwich Village and the East Village in New York was built with a pair of public toilets.

I'm sure those got pretty nasty in the 1970s and 1980s!

That space has been converted to a small shop. Notice the nicely carved stone lintels still in place above the two doors: "WOMEN" at left, to enter the shop, and "MEN" at right, to enter some maintenance space.

If you're moving about Turkey, it's probably by bus. Which means you'll eventually need to find the tuvalet when you're at an otogar. An actual Turkish otogarlu tuvalet can get pretty disgusting, even by Internet standards. So here is just the indication of one. See the sign?

This non-judgemental sign is found at the HI hostel in Baltimore:

This cautionary and nautical themed sign is found at the Pacific Tradewinds hostel in San Francisco: