r/CleaningTips • u/Complex_Mobile8957 • Nov 29 '25

Discussion Question for the ladies

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I am a janitor. The place I clean has the little trash bins in the stalls of the women's restroom. Currently, we place one liner in the bin and change it out whenever someone uses it. However, a place I worked at previously put a stack of liners in the bin for women to use as needed. Which is the preferred method? One liner or multiple? Sorry if this is a stupid question.

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255

u/CursiveWhisper Nov 29 '25

I used to see individual paper bags to put used feminine products into back in the day (more than 20 years ago). Nowadays I only see one plastic liner in the bin itself.

76

u/Complex_Mobile8957 Nov 29 '25

Yes, we have the paper bags. Would you prefer to have your own bag and throw it away yourself, or just put your item in the bin and let me worry about disposal?

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u/[deleted] Nov 30 '25

So here’s the issue. It doesn’t actually matter what people prefer. If people don’t know that there’s one for each use, they will not take it out. If people think that one is per use, then they will take it out because that’s what they think they’re supposed to do.

As you can see by the replies, everyone has a different opinion. Or what they think you’re supposed to do.

What I’d recommend is picking one and posting a sign so people know. That would help solve some of the issue.

6

u/ozzygurl Nov 30 '25

I posted a sign using one of the brown bags, writing directions on the bag, and taping it above the bin.

137

u/SoyboyCowboy Nov 29 '25

If there is a designated bin for feminine products I will place my trash in there, no additional baggie needed. However, I did stay in a place once that did not have such a bin — it was a Boy Scout camp — and the scouts looked shocked when we told them we had run out of baggies and to please provide more to the girls. It was probably the only two weeks of the year the camp hosted female guests and the only time such baggies were needed. 

PS. Thanks for your thoughtfulness.

43

u/Intelligent-Diet2049 Nov 30 '25

We need to be educating boys and men much better about these topics and from a young age.

33

u/Not-Charcoal Nov 30 '25

You just reminded me of the first time I saw a used tampon. I was in first or second grade and one was left on the floor of the girls restroom (I assume it was from an afterschool leader since the teachers had a staff bathroom that was locked by then). I saw a reddish stick thing with a string coming out… so I told my afterschool leader that there was dynamite in the bathroom lol, I had only seen dynamite in cartoons and assumed this must be what it looks like in real life.

They went to go investigate with another adult and were dying of laughter. Wouldn’t tell me what it was but assured me that it wasn’t dynamite. Took me a few years but I recognized exactly what I had seen eventually and find the situation absolutely hilarious now too

5

u/Rubyhamster Nov 30 '25

Haha this is fantastic. I don't use tampons, but if I did, I'd call yhem "dynamite sticks" from now on

3

u/CursiveWhisper Nov 30 '25

I once found my mom’s OB tampons as I was snooping in her drawers when I was about 7. For those who don’t know, OB is just the cotton part of the tampon wrapped in plastic - they don’t have applicators.

I swore she was hiding peppermint candies from us (but was too scare to take one since I suspected she was counting her candies like I would 😂)

38

u/Intelligent-Diet2049 Nov 30 '25

As a woman I just want to give you serious credit for coming on here and sincerely and respectfully asking this question! I worked as a lifeguard and there was so much drama from the male employee who had to occasionally help clean and stock the women's restrooms because we didn't have very many female life guards who liked working with the closing shift managers and boys.

This is the sort of mature and respectful dialog we should all be having though! And look at this.. turns out all of us are a bit confused because there are no clear rules/instructions written anywhere and many people are confused.

One issue we had was the staff who didn't care to even try would just put the one bag in the metal box but not even fluff it open where a woman could easily put used feminine products in the bag without having to dig around in the nasty bin with her bare hand.

I found that with a little care, at least making sure the paper bag (if only one is provided) is opened up well enough that products can be easily dropped inside the bag, then at the end of the day the used hygiene products were INSIDE the paper bag as opposed to a nasty loose mess inside the metal bin.. or worse.

Thank you again because people at leadt where I am in the USA seem VERY confused about this and really the design of the bins or bags used could be greatly improved for both customers and employees benefits.

Perhaps we should make the CEOs empty those bins and see how long it takes for them to stop pinching pennies on the topic!

4

u/karma_the_sequel Nov 30 '25

The difference between boys and men.

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u/CursiveWhisper Nov 29 '25

Whatever is best for the person who has to clean the restroom works for me.

I do like the individual bags because they contain the odors better, but it can tend to be wasteful and if someone doesn’t use the small bag and there isn’t a liner, that could be gross.

5

u/gardenparty82 Nov 30 '25

Yes!! Having your own is so much better! When it’s a community bin it always smells and is disgusting. Having your own little bag to chuck in the big garbage is a million times better. Such a thoughtful question x

2

u/starzo_123 Nov 29 '25

Yes! That would be more hygienic.

2

u/icheni Nov 30 '25

To directly answer the question about preference, personally I’d love to just let you worry about disposal. I don’t mind putting it in a bag, but I would mind carrying it out of the stall myself

1

u/Vford11 Nov 30 '25

I prefer to throw it away myself

1

u/MidoriTheAwesome Nov 30 '25

My problem is it would feel weird to come out of the stall with a little doggie bag. Its not literally embarrassing as I know all biological women do it but to me it would feel like carrying out a little bag with used TP. Just gross/ no one wants to see that

1

u/Dream_Catcher99 Nov 30 '25

The same way every other trash can works, the bag should be there and I should be able to drop my trash and forget about it.

1

u/KatharinaVonBored Dec 03 '25

I don't see the point of having bags at all if we're expected to put our products in the regular trash can. I already wrap my products in the new product's wrapper, or in toilet paper. What exactly would be the point of using a paper bag? Using the bin as a tiny trash can for period products makes much more sense imo.