How to find a clean restroom on a road trip

Nobody plans a road trip around restrooms, until the moment they need one. A little planning saves a lot of regret at the next exit.

#Look past the gas brand

The brand on the sign tells you whose fuel is in the tanks, not who runs the store. Two stations with the same sign can be nothing alike inside. The company that runs the store is a better clue: chains that run their own stores tend to keep them consistent.

#Bigger stops are usually better

Travel centers and big-chain convenience stores have more stalls, more staff, and a cleaning schedule. A single-bathroom station at a quiet exit depends entirely on how the last few people left it.

#Stop before you have to

The worst restroom decisions happen with ten miles of nothing ahead. When you pass through a town with good options, stop, even if you could hold on. The next stretch might be the empty one.

#Know the long gaps

Rural interstates can go 30 or 40 miles between real stops. Before you leave, glance at the stretches with no towns. Those are the places to stop before, not during.

#Restaurants count

A sit-down restaurant or a chain known for clean dining rooms is often a better bet than the gas station next to it. Buy something small if you use the restroom; it's the decent thing to do.

#Rest areas are a coin flip

State rest areas are cleaned on a schedule, but quality varies a lot by state and by how busy they are. They're great when they're good, and they're open all night.

#Late at night, pick the big lights

After about 10 pm, smaller stations close or lock their restrooms. Truck stops and 24-hour travel centers are the reliable choice. If it's lit up and busy, it's open.

#Pack a small kit

Hand sanitizer, a pack of tissues, and a few wipes cover you when the soap's out or the towels are gone. It takes up no room in the glove box.

#Let the app watch the road

Best Exit's drive screen shows the best stop ahead as you drive, picked for the restroom you use and what you need, and can say it out loud so you don't have to look. After you stop, it asks how the restroom was, so the next driver knows.

How was your stop? Rate the restroom in about ten seconds. Rate

Stopped here? Rate the restroom.

Reviews come from the Best Exit iPhone app. It asks right after you stop, so scores come from people who were just there.

iPhone app coming soon