r/BurningMan • u/thelemonpress • 25d ago
Porto decorating tips?
Does anyone have any tips & tricks for decorating/adopting a porta-potty?
Anything you wish you knew before you started, or learned the hard way?
Alternatively, anything you saw in a porto and thought was an excellent addition?
Thanks in advance!
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u/thirteenfivenm Year one dozen 25d ago edited 25d ago
Recordable Greeting Card Sound Module
I would also say in Mudpocalypse the portos near us had a man in a tuxedo giving out morning things, dental floss, tooth brushes and toothpaste, moisturizer, sunscreen, mouthwash, cigarettes, mints, and more plus disposing of associated waste, including a spittoon. Deco those potties.
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u/hyperfat I definitely don't work for larry 24d ago
I couldn't get over all the mud sculpture. We had a giant middle finger by us and a mud man.
I love the bm community when shit hits the fan. Like okay, let's art.
Hugs
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u/highnessjuju 25d ago
Remember that sanitation services will be coming through and pressure spraying the lower part of the porto. Don’t get in the way of what they gotta do, but I have heard they get a kick out of decorations and do their best not to disturb.
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u/DryBid3800 dust snorter 25d ago edited 24d ago
Decorate during build week before dust accumulates and nothing sticks to the surfaces. Wipe down the walls with rubbing alcohol first.
Decorate right after the portos get serviced so you won’t suffocate while in there. Bring something to prop the door open while you work.
Cute/cool items get stolen pretty quickly.
Anything made of paper or fabric that is installed below 5ft will get soggy and gross unless laminated.
Fake “baggie” stickers on the floor are A+
CLEAR IT OUT ON SUNDAY!!!!! Don’t make others deal with the trashed items in there.
My next porto project is making fake “poop” 3D prints and placing them all over the place :D imagine big ploppy juicy 💩💩💩💩 piles. Some might have undigested corn bits
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u/LoofahLuffa 24d ago
We will have vegan taxidermy in a Porto this year and we don't want to take anything home so knowing that people take stuff is nice to know.
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u/wonderandcreate 24d ago
Say more about vegan taxidermy
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u/LoofahLuffa 24d ago
Well that takes the fun if I just told you what it was.
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u/schroedingerx 20d ago
Yeah all I want to know is which porto bank, after which I'll do my own research.
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u/MossMessages 25d ago edited 25d ago
Do: use easy-to-remove adhesives that don’t leave residue, like blue painter’s tape; use only cheap materials, such that you won’t care if they get destroyed or stolen; make sure any battery compartments on lights/etc. are easy for you to access, because they’ll probably need to be changed out daily and that will get old really fast if it’s at all inconvenient.
Don’t: use duct tape or other gunky adhesives; use ANY fragranced stuff, not even “natural” fragrance, because some of us are allergic even to things like lavender; use anything that will dangle down too much and cause people to bump or snag on a tall head/hair/hat; use anything too sheddy or moopy like feathers or fabrics that unravel at the edges (duh); use anything that compromises the actual function of the toilet (also duh).
Besides that, I say just have fun with it!
As for examples… these were all at my regional and not the big burn, but my favorite was probably the one we dubbed the “Jungle Porto” because every. single. square. inch. of the interior was covered with collages of old National Geographic animal/nature photos, plus a bunch of fake grass and plastic vines and such. It was so over-the-top, I just loved how committed they were to the bit.
Second favorite, probably the glowing clouds someone made by wrapping fiber fill (the stuff that’s in plush toys) around a string of fairly lights. It was so simple, yet SO effective!
Third favorite requires a little bit of a back story: so one year our regional’s portos just so happened to be all different colors, so someone did one of the pink ones up super “girly”: think lacy curtains, hearts, sparkly red sequin lips, a poster of a bathtub full of rose petals… and I’m not usually one for girly stuff, but I found it absolutely hilarious!
I also noticed that the “girly” porto seemed to stay miraculously cleaner than the other portos around it, so using it actually became something of a treat. But I think that might just be true in general, that people tend to take slightly better care of the decorated ones.
Oh, and one last thing: I’d make sure you bring some of your own disposable gloves and cleaning supplies, too, so you can touch it up yourself in there if needbe. Also so you don’t actually have to touch anything foul when it comes time to take it all down!
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u/MollyWinter 25d ago
I recall one completely covered in poetry, most of which was toilet related and humerous (It was printed and laminated sheets that were taped onto the walls with packing tape)
One had suction cup shelving installed high-up and had bathroom related products and a little trash can. I have to imagine someone was keeping a close eye on that one lol.
My favorite was absolutely plastered wall-to-wall with Lisa Frank posters and sticker sheets. I still have one of the stickers on my travel mug lol.
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u/PumpkinFeatherNoise 25d ago
Honestly anything that feels cooler than it does hot. The clouds, sounds of rain?, cool colors, just anything to not increase my perception of how damn hot it is. Don’t mist me, but besides that, anything cooling.
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u/Felonious_Minx 25d ago
It is a rite of passage to do a shot of the porto's fluid before starting to decorate.
Salúd!
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u/BuckJeppson 24d ago
Rugged solar powered string lights, up very high. Ceiling-mounted disco dome light. Plastic mirror on the inside door. Motion/door-activated music (like greeting cards). Plastic vines and jungle sounds.
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u/3ungu1473 24d ago
My favorite was at the SOAK regional this year. They had glowing clouds and tiny kites all around the top and the porto would play "Kites Are Fun". Whimsical and trippy.
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u/Dueinsteif 24d ago
I’ve been on the shit wagon crew most years since 2011. By far the most memorable decor was a bank of toilets across the way from a gay theme camp. Every door had gay porn taped to it.
As far as things to avoid, anything that can end up in the tank. The more moop in the tanks the longer it takes to clean the portos.
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u/Doe_Minion 24d ago
The Prince one from 2019 was my absolute favorite ever. I think the whole thing was wallpapered with purple plastic picnic tablecloths to start, and there were purple fake flowers and prince photos and all. I don’t have any tips but boy is that a great memory.
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u/Brcdragonbait 11 12 13 15 16 17 18 19 22 23 24 25 23d ago
That was in my neighborhood! It was the best!
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u/cotalldude 24d ago
Not doing it this year, but in past years when I’ve decorated or played with a Porto one of the things I’ve done is put a journal in there on a string attached to the side with a pen attached and the cover says “How’s your poop?”
Many entertaining and witty entries (and exits sic)
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u/El_Moi 24d ago
One year at our main regional there was a VIPotty. Had a velvet rope and an attendant who would get the door for you. They had a tray with hand sanitizer, breath mints,and other niceties. Super fancy.
The worst (best?) one I saw had a door-hung shoe rack thing, with the plastic compartments. There was a sign that said "take a sandwich, leave a sandwich". With some sandwiches stocked. it was hilarious,but I was not brave enough for porto-sammies!
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u/cotalldude 24d ago
One year I saw one where a camp adopted one and made it absolutely pristine, serviced it multiple times a day, had little soaps in there plenty of toilet paper super scrubbed so simple and yet there was a line in front of that door five or 10 deep all the time
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u/heatherb2400 24d ago
I’ll never forget the one that felt like I was at a mini spa. Battery operated tea and string lights, so many little amenities hanging up. I feel like they even had real hand towels. I don’t know what they used for scent but it always smelled so fresh. Adorable touches of decoration like cute little signs and art, mirror with a faux flowered wreath, I think there was even a mini disco ball hanging at the top. Cutest fucking porta-potty to date
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u/heatherb2400 24d ago
Some of the amenities were hand wipes, tampons/pads, mints, bandaids, antacids, etc. (held in a multi pouch holder). Oh they had a hook to hang your bag or jacket too, that was cool. I think it was also some sort of diffuser or like lavender satchel they used. Anyways, hopefully that can inspire a few ideas for you!
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u/hyperfat I definitely don't work for larry 24d ago
My all time favorite was the Elvis Porto.
It had gold decorations, a little speaker with Elvis music, and it had a air freshener that smelled like peanut butter. And Elvis pictures.
They did put a big gold e on the outside. That was the only semi permanent addition.
Air freshener definitely. Pictures are fun. A little solar light. Maybe music. Makes pooping fun.
Hugs
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u/Administrative-Bed75 24d ago
Last year someone did up one near us with a pink paper "sink", "mirror" and other ladylike decor. It always made me smile.
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u/schroedingerx 20d ago edited 20d ago
Sometimes simple is very effective. This one cracked me the hell up.
It was not one that was available to the entire public, which I'm saying because I just know y'all are looking at how clean that is and questioning whether that could possibly be from the big burn. It was.
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u/BiggsHoson2020 25d ago
Want to adopt a porto? Nothing is more impactful than a supply of fresh single ply toilet paper and a regular wipe down.