A recent poll from Cintas Corporation shows when people "got to go, they've got to go," but the size of their bladder isn't the only factor when it comes to where they choose to stop to use the restroom.

The survey revealed that the number one factor overall in influencing where to stop was not surprisingly how badly one had to “go,” but that the cleanliness of the restroom and the facility also plays a role in the decision.

“Organizations often don’t recognize the effect an inadequately maintained facility can have on their customer’s perception,” said Dave Mesko, Cintas senior director of marketing. “Customers pay attention and they don’t forget a bad experience. Maintaining a clean and safe facility is a great way to win their trust and business, while enhancing your reputation.”

The top five factors that influence respondents’ decision of where to stop to use the restroom include:

How badly they have to “go” .................................................. 72%
Convenience to the highway/road .......................................... 61%
Safety/security of the area...................................................... 54%
Cleanliness of the restrooms.................................................... 53%
Overall building/facility cleanliness......................................... 41% (tied)
Location of the restroom.......................................................... 41% (tied)

Americans also cited the exterior appearance of the building/facility, previous restroom experience at the location, time constraints, other people in the car, the condition of the parking lot and the reputation of the facilities’ restrooms as factors of where to stop to use the restroom.

The data also revealed older Americans (65+) ranked facility-based factors such as restroom cleanliness (65 percent) and overall facility/building cleanliness (54 percent) higher than adults aged 18-34 (38 percent and 30 percent respectively). Also, women are more concerned with the cleanliness of the restrooms than men with 58 percent of women citing it as a factor compared to 47 percent of men.

“While some of these results may not be surprising, they reiterate the fact that a facility needs to pay attention to not only what their customers want, but who their customers are,” added Mesko. “Sometimes the most often overlooked factors are the most important.”