CLOO—an abbreviation for Community Loos—is a start-up promising to create a community of registered users who choose to make their private bathrooms available to the public. It will work by providing an app that you use when you need to go to the toilet, which will enable you to search for a toilet nearby based on friends of friends who have registered. CLOO will send a notification to the loo owner and they can choose to accept your request. Once accepted, you’ll transfer a payment token then pop in to use the facilities. Both sides can rate the experience afterwards. For example:
“Lingered an alarming amount of time. Would not recommend.”
“Recycled toilet paper chafed.”
“Was impressed by their large supply of painkillers in their medicine cabinet. Curious about the amount of talc.”
I don’t want to use this. Ever.
If you live in Australia, there is already a National Public Toilet Map which is available online and as a phone app which allows you to locate the nearest public toilet instantly. There are some things that I am happy to keep in public hands.
Published on 22 September 2011 by Esmerelda Clark