Like many other people living with disabilities, I am often forced to plan every outing ahead of time to ensure there is an accessible toilet nearby. Thankfully there is usually at least one around, but sadly so many public facilities are far from suitable for disabled users, resulting in us wasting a lot of time and energy playing toilet roulette! But this is where the Cleen App could help people of all abilities find the best toilets in a matter of seconds!

Anyone and everyone can benefit from using it, as all public toilets can vary in cleanliness and practicality. Although Cleen understands that people living with disabilities can benefit the most from their directory of reviews, which is why they have asked us to highlight their services throughout this series – starting with the two main functions featured within this app!

This feature enables users to review facilities in public environments; and as someone who is catheter dependent, who occasionally relies on a Carer to get me changed and who needs a sterile area to draw up medications, accessing clean accessible toilets is important. To complete a review all you need to do is follow these 5 quick and easy steps:

1. Find A Location – Activate your location settings to find your nearest facility. Alternatively, type in a specific place, postcode, etc. All of which is particularly helpful when you are planning an outing.
2. Choose Washroom Type – Simply click one of the following options: Men’s, Ladies, Baby Change or Disabled.
3. How Was Your Washroom Experience – Click the happy or sad face to represent your thoughts. If you choose the sad face, you can highlight any problems you have by clicking on the relevant category and selecting the issues that you would like Cleen to feedback to the facility owners! You can even make a suggestion, such as “I’d Like To See A Changing Places Room.”
4. Rate Your Experience – Simply rate each of the 3 questions displayed on your screen out of 5, with 1 star being the lowest and 5 being the best! You can also mention any additional comments you may have. For example, whether the accessible bathrooms were easy to use, if they had any parent and child facilities onsite, or whether the standard cubicles had somewhere to hang your bag/coat. This is your chance to say what you think, so make sure to include as much information as possible!
5. Your Cleen Rating – After submitting your review, you will receive your overall star rating, along with a little message thanking you for using the app!

This feature enables users to read what other people thought about a specific facility, either on the go or ahead of time. All of which prevents me from wasting time when it comes to urgently needing to use a toilet! To find a review, all you need to do is follow these quick and easy steps:

1. Choose Washroom Type – Simply click one of the options displayed on your screen to ensure you are seeing washroom reviews that meet your search requirements. For example, Men’s, Ladies, Baby Change or Disabled.
2. Find A Location – You can activate your location settings to find your nearest facility and check out if the toilets you are approaching are suitable for your needs and preferences. Alternatively, you can type in a specific place, postcode, etc. All of which is particularly helpful when you are planning an outing.
3. Read Reviews – Once you have found your chosen/nearest facility, you can see how many people have reviewed that bathroom and how they rated their experience. For example, overall rating, cleanliness, and facility performance. You can also read any additional comments they may have included, but the beauty of this feature is that the additional comments are purely a bonus. You can still learn about how suitable/clean each bathroom is from the star ratings!
4. Take Me There – The final feature within this section of the app is my favourite! As mentioned above, I often need to find my nearest bathroom, which is particularly difficult when I don’t know my surroundings. But by clicking this button you will automatically be taken from the app to your phone map, with a list of directions being automatically generated!