{"id":42834,"date":"2024-09-30T09:00:00","date_gmt":"2024-09-30T16:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/kk.org\/cooltools\/?p=42834"},"modified":"2024-09-23T16:24:08","modified_gmt":"2024-09-23T23:24:08","slug":"toilets","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/kk.org\/cooltools\/toilets\/","title":{"rendered":"Toilets"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Once a week we\u2019ll send out a page from Cool Tools: A Catalog of Possibilities. The tools might be outdated or obsolete, and the links to them may or may not work. We present these vintage recommendations as is because\u00a0the possibilities they inspire are new.\u00a0Sign up here<\/a>\u00a0to get Tools for Possibilities a week early in your inbox.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Never fail flush<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Toto Ultra Low Flush Toilet<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Where I live, new toilets must be ultra-low flow using only 1.28 gallons per flush. We had trouble with our previous 1.6 gallon low flow toilets of various makes not dealing with large turds. But a few years ago I discovered Toto\u2019s UltraMax toilets. Hurray! They never ever clogged. I replaced three of our low-flows with Totos and put away the plunger for good. I was a little skeptical about the new super low-flow 1.28 gallon UltraMax 2 but they flush as reliably and forcefully as ever. In the year that we\u2019ve had two of them, not a single incident. The UltraMax 2 is a one piece unit; you can save $200 with the two piece Toto Drake 2 using the exact same \u201cdouble cyclone\u201d flushing design. Either one, this is the cheapest first-time, every-time, never-fail ultra low flush. \u2014 KK<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Luxurious, squirting WC seat<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Toto Washlet Toilet<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Compared with my previous visit to Japan 12 years ago, the most noticeable change I find today is in the bathroom. The \u201cIncredible Squirting Toilet\u201d has achieved almost total market penetration, and not just in middle-income homes. It even appears in fast-food restaurants and in public facilities in railroad stations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As you lower yourself to the thermostatically warmed seat, a concealed motor whirs briefly, providing your first clue that you are about to encounter a piece of highly sophisticated technology. The toilet then remains silent and passive until you reach the point where you would normally apply paper. Instead, you hit the spray button. A hidden tube extends itself beneath you, and with the precision of a heat-seeking missile, it directs a spray of warm water that simultaneously tickles, stimulates, and cleans the place that needs it most. While its aim is meticulous, you can adjust its penetration by gently flexing your sphincter muscle. The experience is so unexpectedly and uniquely pleasurable, I found myself tempted to visit the toilet repeatedly just for recreational purposes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Paper is needed only to mop up the water when the spray jet has done its work, but such is the effectiveness of the washing action, you will find no visible trace of fecal matter on the sheets of tissue, and can don your underwear in the happy knowledge that you have been cleaned by the same impeccable Japanese engineering that brought the world Honda motorcycles, 170-mile-an-hour trains, and robotic talking dogs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Higher-end versions of the squirting toilet eliminate the need for paper entirely, by allowing the option of warm-air drying. They also provide adjustment of the water-cleaning jet, including a pulsatile flow which I found especially pleasurable. And for those in Western countries who are sufficiently uninhibited to allow themselves the pleasures of using this rectal equivalent of a water-pic, I have good news: The squirting toilet is available as an imported item and can be retrofitted to older bathroom equipment (you simply swap out the seat). Toto, the primary Japanese manufacturer, offers the most basic model under the name Washlet C100, and if you browse online you can find it for around US$500. This has only the most basic features; you can pay more for more advanced models, including one that welcomes you by raising its lid when it sees you approaching.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A note for female readers: The squirting toilet has a second tube which can be deployed by women who wish to cleanse their labial areas. For anatomical reasons, I was unable to test this personally. \u2014 Charles Platt<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Deluxe mid-priced bidet<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

GoBidet<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Instead of the previously-reviewed Toto Washlet Toilet<\/a>, there\u2019s another bidet attachment option that is easier to install and use while being cheaper. The GoBidet is an adjustable arm that affixes to your existing toilet and swings into position when needed. I\u2019ve been using mine for at least six years. We had one in a hotel down in Costa Rica and I liked it so much I found a stateside supplier. I find it much more flexible than the fixed bidet seat variety. Although it costs more than the BioBidet<\/a>, the remote control handle makes a world of difference compared to a fixed tip. With the GoBidet, you\u2019re actually able to aim the nozzle. It\u2019s kind of like playing a twisted version of Space Invaders.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The bidet can be set to spray both hot and cold water, and the water hookups and mixing control are just like those in a single lever sink faucet. You move the water control lever up to increase water volume and to the left or right to make it colder or warmer. I have it hooked up to just the cold (attached to a \u2018T\u2019 from the toilet supply spigot). While it initially required some getting used to, I found it was easier than running a longer hose from the hot water hookup under the sink. Of course, in a new bathroom install you could run another hot water spigot next to the toilet supply. I\u2019ve used warm water bidets before and would definitely recommend setting it up with the hot water, if at all possible. It\u2019s $130, but they can be frequently found for less on eBay (new, of course). \u2014 Ed Tapanes<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Dual TP dispenser<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Double Paper Holder<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Modern public toilets employ versions of these dual TP holders, and even though a private household has no similar absolute need for one, it\u2019s very nice to permanently eliminate one of life\u2019s little nagging gotchas. I\u2019ve been using this model for 15 years, and it\u2019s served its purpose admirably: having an at-hand spare roll when the primary roll unexpectedly runs out. It\u2019s bound to happen someday to someone (maybe to a visitor), so why not attack the problem proactively? Rather than being haphazardly located under the sink, next to the john, etc., the spare roll is rather tidily found& #8212; neither in the way nor out of the way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Also, there is no spool to thread through the roll(s), meaning there\u2019s no detachable part to drop while re-threading or misplace while moving or painting. Instead, there are a couple of 3\/8\u2033 circular projections on each side that fit snugly into each roll\u2019s cardboard center. Press a little black button and an arm on the side pivots out an inch. Insert one side of the roll onto the center (fixed) post and swing\/click the arm back into place \u2014 fast and foolproof. This design also fits the roll more tightly than a spool, so the TP doesn\u2019t rattle on its axis while being turned and thoughtfully stops turning when the pulling stops. There are slightly cheaper versions of this style of holder, but they have spools. Besides, in 15 years mine hasn\u2019t failed, tarnished or scratched. I think building codes should encourage such dual TP holders. \u2014 Roger Knights<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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A sink in the top of your toilet<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Toilet Lid Sink<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

After you flush the toilet, incoming water cycles up through the sink before going down to refill the toilet tank. Water is used twice: Once for hand washing, and a second time for the next flush. \u2014 Charles Platt<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Cheapest bidet<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

BB-50 Natural Water Bio-Bidet<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I\u2019ve never felt completely clean after taking care of the paperwork end of visiting the restroom. This bidet attachment is cool because it fits on most toilets, is really cheap compared to a standard bidet, is easy to install and doesn\u2019t require you to modify the plumbing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Just remove the toilet seat, place the bidet on the bowl, put the toilet seat back on top of the brackets that hold the bidet, and use the longer bolts (supplied) to tighten the seat and bidet to the bowl. As far as the water connection, simply introduce a valve into the tubing in between the pipe coming out of the wall and where it enters the bottom of the toilet tank. There is a pressure dial off to the right of the seat (it allows you to go to the full pressure of the water coming out of the wall, so be careful!). The higher priced models have heaters, but that requires either patching into a hot water line or snaking an electrical cord around your bathroom for the models that come with mini hot water heaters. For me the basic, inexpensive one works just great, and the ease of installation was important (I am not the slickest with tools). The only maintenance I do is spray the bidet nozzle with a bleach\/water mixture whenever we clean the toilet. I have used mine in three different houses in the last two years, and it\u2019s truly enhanced my life. Why take two showers a day unless you really have to? \u2014Ryan Combs<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Tools for Possibilities: issue no. 106<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":13684,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0},"categories":[2387],"tags":[2388],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kk.org\/cooltools\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/42834"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/kk.org\/cooltools\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/kk.org\/cooltools\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kk.org\/cooltools\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/13684"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kk.org\/cooltools\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=42834"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/kk.org\/cooltools\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/42834\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":42841,"href":"https:\/\/kk.org\/cooltools\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/42834\/revisions\/42841"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kk.org\/cooltools\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=42834"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kk.org\/cooltools\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=42834"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kk.org\/cooltools\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=42834"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}