The SaniGirl Interview

Susan Thompson is the founder and CEO of SaniGirl, which makes a disposable pee funnel—in fact, the disposable funnel I like best. She chatted with me about SaniGirl pee funnels, the business, and helping a wide variety of people.

What is SaniGirl?

SaniGirl is a patented disposable pee funnel. It allows women and girls to pee standing up comfortably. It gives us women another option, instead of sitting on dirty toilet seats, or cleaning them, or hovering over them, or squatting outdoors, or holding it, and all those other things that we have learned to deal with. Now we have a comfortable stand-to-pee solution. The funnels arrive packaged flat, simply pop open for use, and are positioned securely against the body so urine can flow into a toilet, a container, or away from the body outdoors.

Why did you decide to create this product? Who is it for?

I basically created it out of a need for myself. I am an outdoorsy person. I found myself peeing in horrible places all the time, whether that be on a hiking trail, or, you know, I grew up on a farm, so I remember those days, and I do love to travel, and go to events, and I’m always on the go. I also have my mother next door. She’s aging, so she has trouble with sit-to-stand, and she had knee surgery. And I have a daughter. When I started SaniGirl, she was almost to the point where she could manage herself in the bathroom, but holding her up to hover over a toilet or trying to magically hold her up and balance her outdoors—it was really complex. So I had a problem that I was hoping I could find a solution to.

And I had not heard of any disposable or reusable urination devices when I started! But I have since tested a lot of them, just like you. Because it was a personal issue for me, based on my needs, and my mom’s needs, and my daughter’s needs, and other women who can relate about having to pee in horrible places, and not have the facilities that we deserve every time we have to go so mostly, that’s who I created it for. In the beginning, I was thinking about traveling, camping, hiking, festival events, amusement parks but as you get to know your customers, and you talk to more women, they come up with all kinds of uses. I say women, but we do have some men also. There’s just so many uses. Shapewear. Going to Target. You just get the gamut-- any restroom away from home.

So it was designed out of a genuine need that I experienced, across all ages, not just for me. It’s really just about wanting to create something that’s cleaner, better, and easier. It’s a practical, on-the-go, personal hygiene solution for women. It gives women and girls another option and the peace of mind to go where life takes them without worrying so much about the bathroom situation.

Now, I tested mostly reusable stand-to-pee devices. And then I tested about four disposable ones. And disposable funnels have some advantages. What are some ways that having a disposable funnel is useful?

I have tried and I have used many of the reusable funnels. And I think there’s certainly a place for both types! It can be the same consumer, but a lot of times it’s not the same consumer.

And you have to consider the consumer. For me, reusable was really not a practical option. I need it everywhere I go: at a soccer game at a park with my child, if I’m at a girls’ night out at a restaurant, if I’m at a stadium, et cetera.

One of the biggest advantages is one funnel versus many funnels. Because so many times, women —and myself included— will need the funnel, but it’s in the car. Or I need the funnel but it’s in my suitcase. You don’t have that one funnel available and on-hand when you need it. I wanted something I could have everywhere.

You can stash them everywhere! They come in packs of ten, twenty, and fifty, so you can put plenty in your car, your gym bag, your work bag, your purse, or your pocket. They’re really convenient to have on-hand and available when you need it. With one funnel, if you don’t have it, you can’t use it. The value is having one exactly where and when you need it.

Also, reusable funnels are bulkier and take up more space; they’re not as easy to just slide in your pocket or purse if you’re going out to run errands, or living your daily life. So I feel that disposable is more practical for me to carry. SaniGirl folds flat and is compact and discreet, so it can easily be slipped into a purse, carry-on, work bag, gym bag, pocket, or car compartment.

Then there’s cleaning. The places where you need a funnel most do not always have a practical or sanitary place to wash a reusable one. You may be outdoors without water, in a porta potty, at a festival, or in a public restroom where the only option is rinsing it in a shared sink. For many women, that is uncomfortable and not very hygienic. Otherwise, you have to put it back in your bag dirty and carry it until you can properly wash, disinfect, and dry it later. For me, that was not convenient. I don’t like that for myself. It was unpleasant to have to do that. That all involves a process. The reality is that many users do not want to clean the product. They also don’t want to store it dirty. Whereas with SaniGirl, you can just buy a pack, and have some everywhere, and have it for your specific purpose. For many customers this matters: no washing, no disinfecting, no drying, and no carrying a dirty funnel around to wash later.

Basically, I think SaniGirl solves the availability, hygiene, cleaning, and storage problems. And there’s the share-ability too! If you have one funnel, you can’t share it with your friend. But if you have a pack of funnels and your mom or your sister is going to the same travel rest-stop as you, you can be like, “Here! Use one of these!” Or you can give them away to friends or family. Share more, spread the word more.

SaniGirl is really more of a preparedness system than just a camping equipment funnel. I feel that reusable funnels started out as a camping and outdoor product, and I feel like they have stayed in that realm, whereas SaniGirl is more like a personal care and hygiene essential you can carry everywhere.

Can you talk about disposable funnels and the environment?

SaniGirl is made from fiber-based, water-resistant paperboard, and it is recyclable. It is lightweight and does not require all the extra products and repeated care that come with cleaning, drying, and storing a reusable funnel.

Reusable funnels are usually made from plastic or silicone, often using fossil-fuel-based materials, and many of them are not recyclable. They also require water, soap or disinfecting products, drying, and storage bags or containers. Those additional products and processes also have environmental impacts to consider.

Sometimes people automatically think reusable means more environmentally friendly, but it is not that simple. If someone uses the same funnel hundreds of times over many years, then reusable may be the better choice for them. I believe SaniGirl is an equally environmentally responsible option—and for many travel, outdoor, and on-the-go users, it may be the more environmentally friendly choice.

Let’s talk about SaniGirl as a company. What challenges have you faced?

I would say that the number one challenge is that consumers just don’t know that the product exists! The manufacturers that are out there, the other women business owners--it’s hard because we’re all small brands. We’re mostly single female founders, or we have a small crew. We’re not Kimberly Clark or Johnson and Johnson. It’s really hard to get market awareness out to such a large population. When you think about the product, it’s really a product that anyone from age three to a hundred and three can use, right? So how do you gain awareness with fifty percent of the population? It’s just really hard.

The challenge is not convincing women that difficult bathroom situations exist - they already know that. The challenge is helping them realize that they now have another option besides sitting, hovering, squatting, holding it, or struggling through the situation.

So we start with those early adopters. You start with those first target groups, which would be the ones that have the immediate need, like camping and hiking, music festivals, and travel. But really, it’s also for the mom going to the soccer game who has to use the port-o-potty, or the senior citizen who just had a knee surgery or can’t sit-to-stand, or someone with mobility issues, or the pregnant woman. It’s a product for everybody.

So how do you get awareness for all women, when you’re a small brand? And you don’t have the marketing dollars to put behind many commercials? That’s hundreds or thousands, if not millions of dollars, to do. That’s definitely the biggest challenge.

Stores and retailers are also a challenge. They don’t know where to place the product. It can fit in feminine hygiene, travel, outdoor recreation, emergency preparedness, and/or mobility support. So getting into stores, that’s kind of a challenge.

The other thing is that if somebody tried a funnel once, and they didn’t have a successful try at it, whether that be with reusable or disposable, they are embarrassed and don’t want to give it another try. So I think overcoming that initial apprehension and learning curve is sometimes a challenge. They think it will just happen. It’s something you have to learn, because we’ve never gone this way before. We encourage first-time users to practice once or twice at home. It is simple, but because it’s new to us, practicing the positioning at home builds confidence before needed for travel, at an event, or outdoors. We want women to have confidence and be happy to have the freedom to go anywhere without worry.

But overall the reception is just amazing! From our customers, from the market in general, what people have to say is great.

Have you experienced any pushback in marketing this type of product?

I wouldn’t say pushback. Maybe people will laugh, or say, “Oh, that’s weird!” Or they’ll think it’s a novelty product. Or be like, “What do I need that for?” But when you start to talk to women, and you explain, and ask, “How do you feel about port-o-potties at a festival? How do you like airplane bathrooms? How do you like squatting over a snake or poison ivy in the woods?” Then they’re like, “Oh! I get it! Yes! I do need this product!” [Laughs]

So it’s more about education, I think, and helping the first-time user. Because it is so different. We’ve never peed that way before. We’ve never been able to stand and go. We doubt that it will even work. We’re worried that the funnel is going to leak. We don’t know if we’re going to hold it right. It’s just so unfamiliar!

It’s not difficult. It’s actually very simple. But that uneasiness about trying a new way or trying a different product, it can make people say, “I’ll just squat. I’ll just blanket the toilet with toilet paper. I’m used to it.” That’s fine—but things advance, and innovations become available for a reason! We don’t always have to do the same thing we’ve always done just because we’ve always done it. Let’s have an open mind, and think, hey, maybe there’s a better way to do this.

I think in the beginning, maybe we got some pushback. Maybe people would compare peeing standing up to being a man. I disagree. For me? I was squatting like a dog. I wasn’t peeing like an elegant woman. [Laughs]

Men, especially, love the product. Any time I talk to men—and I talk to plenty of them—they completely understand and get the product right away. They say, “I need that for my mother. I need that for my sister. I need that for my daughter.” Why? Because as soon as I say, “How would you like it if every time you had to pee, you had to go into the men’s room and sit on the toilet?” And they’re like “No way! No way! I’m not doing that!” [Laughs] So they get it, they understand.

I think when you talk to women, as far as pushback, it’s just about education, and saying, “This is just hygiene-related,” or “This is just convenient,” or “This is comfortable.” Or maybe you have a medical need and it works out better for that.

So I wouldn’t say pushback. Maybe anxiety about trying something new, or fear about whether it will work. But once a woman or a girl tries it one or two times—and the first time, I tried it, it was weird, but awesome!—once you try it a few times, you get it down pat. You can use most devices, you just have to know how to position it.

And it’s so liberating! It’s such freedom. That’s another real benefit: less worry, less mess, less exposure, and more freedom to travel, attend events, spend time outdoors, or simply use a restroom away from home with confidence. It’s like complete peace of mind. It gets rid of all the “ick” feelings you have going into any bathroom situation. It takes away the worry, for me, and everyone I know who uses them. They’re like, “Oh, I don’t care, I can go into the worst port-o-potty, and it doesn’t bother me at all anymore.”

One thing I was really eager to talk to you about was “My Little Helper,” SaniGirl’s children’s funnel. SaniGirl is the only brand that specifically has a product for children. And that’s crazy to me because children pee too! Can you share about that product, and your inspiration for that?

“My Little Helper” also comes out of a personal need, because I do have a daughter. Whether they’re three, or eight, young girls need help in the restroom. I chuckle every time I walk into a bathroom and a woman comes in with a girl, because the first thing that they say is, “Don’t touch anything!” That was me, with my daughter, and I hear it all the time, right? So it’s even worse for our children. At least as a woman, you can usually hover over a toilet. They cannot. You can go to the bathroom unassisted; really they cannot. My Little Helper is for the parents and for the children.

For the parents, we no longer have to freak out about them getting dirty, getting wet, getting soiled, helping them, holding them up, juggling a purse, a phone, a bag, hands on our children—it’s just nerve-wracking! It’s not fun to go into a public bathroom with a child. Or outdoors, squatting in nature, because then you worry about them peeing down their leg, or onto their shoes. So it’s a freak-out saver for parents and it’s not traumatizing for the kids. They can just simply stand and go.

Although kids can use the women’s version, we designed a special product made just for girls, and it’s their own cute princess or the newer adventure design. It’s a different shape for their bodies, and a bit smaller. So they can feel like they have their own product, and so they’re more likely to use it. I think kids’ products are important. Those “Mommy, I gotta go NOW” moments can be anywhere! [Laughs]

I do hear a lot from dads, too. Because if you think about young girls when they’re out with their fathers, dads HATE taking their little girls into the men’s bathroom. They don’t want them sitting down in a men’s bathroom. A lot of times, they prefer to go anywhere else than a men’s bathroom! So this is another thing that can help guys help their kids. I think My Little Helper is important. I hope more little girls will get to use it, and more caregivers can find the product too.

I hope so too! In another interview, a friend asked, “Why wasn’t I taught this in Girl Scouts?” And those products weren’t on the market then. But they are now. And I think this is a great option for kids.

What you just said is very important. Because if you think back to our generation, when we were younger, the conversations we would have related to this topic were completely different. It’s very foreign to us, it’s quite different. We tend to push back more than the younger generation! But if a child grows up using it, that’s just normal for them. They do not have the reaction that some women have. There’s no stigma.

Now, you mentioned that men use this product too?

Yes, they do. That didn’t occur to me when I created SaniGirl. I was thinking about me, my mom, my daughter, and everyone who experienced this problem as a female! But I’ve learned. I’ve had a lot of emails, or comments made to me. I had a 90-year-old woman write to me and say that her husband uses SaniGirl because—well, I guess there’s a lot of urinary conditions men have that don’t allow them to have a regular stream or flow into a toilet. They can’t stand to urinate. But apparently there are several urinary conditions where men can benefit from using a funnel too.

Other men will say, “The funnel makes it easier for me to go in a container! It’s easier for me to pee in a water bottle.” So yeah, who knew? I didn’t know. But I love hearing about it. SaniGirl is for anyone who can find a benefit to using the product.

Do any customer stories stand out to you?

The ones that really mean so much are the ones that say, “This is a lifesaver.” They say, “I had this surgery a few years ago. I had the back surgery, or I had the knee surgery, and it was a lifesaver.” We have a customer who loves our product, and she has a genetic condition that requires her to be in a wheelchair. She couldn’t go out in public alone because she couldn’t transfer by herself in a restroom to the toilet. Now she can just scoot right up to the edge and go right into the toilet. It has given her greater mobility dignity, independence, comfort, and freedom. So those ones, the ones where people say it’s a game-changer, where they say they avoided going to outdoor events, or that they avoided being away from home for a certain amount of time, those are really great to hear. It means a lot. It makes me love to do what I do. It’s not just a novelty product. It really does help a lot of people.

And I don’t think that bathroom problem is going to go away with AI or anything else. So do we wait for all bathrooms to be pristine and clean, and for there to be some kind of bathroom that appears behind a tree when we need to go outside, or do we come up with ways to make our life more comfortable when we encounter situations where we need products like a pee funnel? I think it’s something that’s going to be needed for a long time. I don’t foresee us growing a penis.

I mean I hope not! How can we normalize products like SaniGirl?

It’s still sort of a topic that’s taboo, because of our upbringing. We don’t talk about bodily functions too much. Having candid conversations is important.

What I’d really like is for SaniGirl to be commonplace, to be a household name for women and girls on the go, along with your other ordinary personal care items like tampons, your menstrual cups, your condoms, your hand sanitizer, all of that. There’s room for female urination devices there. So hopefully, with your help, and us little people plugging at it, trying to get the word out as much as we can, it will be a household name someday. My vision is for female urination devices to become as normal to carry as hand sanitizer or period products.

Here’s hoping! Thank you Susan! You can get a pack of SaniGirl funnels for adults and My Little Helper for the kid in your life here. Check out my evaluation of disposable pee funnels at Pee Funnel Reviews. Click here to share your story.