{"id":7527,"date":"2023-02-03T14:07:54","date_gmt":"2023-02-03T20:07:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.zters.com\/blog\/?p=7527"},"modified":"2023-02-03T14:07:54","modified_gmt":"2023-02-03T20:07:54","slug":"who-invented-the-porta-potty","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.zters.com\/blog\/who-invented-the-porta-potty","title":{"rendered":"Who Invented the Porta Potty?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Portable toilet. The John. Water closet. The loo. No matter what you call it, we\u2019ve all used one. Whether they\u2019re located on a worksite, festival grounds, or at an outdoor wedding, porta potties provide much-needed relief when we aren\u2019t at home. But how did they come to be? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Porta potties haven\u2019t always looked like the large plastic enclosures that we\u2019re accustomed to seeing today. (Or the luxury portable toilet trailers<\/a> seen at high-end events.) They\u2019ve evolved quite a bit over time and are now manufactured to be as convenient and sanitary as possible. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Maybe you\u2019ve never really thought about who invented the porta potty, but you never know when this sort of trivia will become useful! There’s a whole lot of history behind the question.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After all, even the earliest humans had the same biological needs as we do today.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

An Abridged Porta Potty History<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Ancient Civilization<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Tracing porta potty history is no simple task. One could look all the way back to the 6th century B.C. when the ancient Greeks were using chamber pots<\/a> typically made from ceramics, tin, or clay. Some looked like chairs while others resembled small pots, with or without lids\u2026 The collected waste would be dumped in a field or composted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Medieval Times<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Several centuries later in the medieval era, the privy chamber<\/a> (among many other names) actually consisted of a toilet built into the wall. This was so that waste would fall through the hole in the (usually stone) floor and into the moat below. The toilet seat was made of wood and grass or hay was used as toilet paper. Did someone say comfort?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Medieval castle ruins have revealed that urinals also originated around this time so that castle defenders did not have to leave their posts for long periods of time in order to relieve themselves.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Keep in mind that all of this was well before flushable toilets\u2013those wouldn\u2019t come until the late 16th century<\/a>. And we\u2019re still very far out from sanitary designs. After centuries of changes, we arrive at the more modern porta potty resembling what we have today, but it still wasn\u2019t quite right.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

World War II <\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The first porta potty came during WW2. It took navy men and those working on ships a long while to go to the bathroom on the other side of the dock. The lightbulb moment came when they decided to seek out a portable bathroom option. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The rough and ready solution was constructed of wood and metal. That meant it was really heavy and really <\/em>foul-smelling. Fortunately, workers were just as turned off to these porta potties as we would be today, so these didn\u2019t last too long.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Later, to lessen the weight, Harvey Heather produced the first fiberglass porta potty<\/a> in the 1970s. He called it the Strongbox, but it still wasn\u2019t ideal\u2013mainly because the fiberglass blocked most light from coming in and these units weren\u2019t stackable for transport.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

George Harding\u2019s Porta Potty Patent<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Enter George Harding. Harding had been working on ships during WW2 around the time portable toilets were deemed a necessity. Noting the issues with the wooden and steel option, Harding created a portable toilet made from rigid plastic. He was awarded a patent in the 1960s.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The portable restroom industry transformed in the mid-70s, now equipped with cleaner, convenient, easy-to-transport options.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Modern Porta Potty<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Today\u2019s plastic porta potties are the easiest to keep clean and sanitary and the easiest to transport. With deodorizers and ventilation, smells are virtually non-existent. Portable toilets are also very durable. The life cycle of a porta potty<\/a> averages about 10 years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Other Names for Porta Potties<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Given their long history and common use around the world, porta potties have come to be known by many names, including:<\/p>\n\n\n\n