Everyone sits on the throne, no matter how rich or successful. England has a history of loo jokes (they even made a Carry On film about it). But if you take one small subject like the toilet, it’s interesting to delve into the history of toilets, how they are made today (not much has changed) and how much better they could be. So in this post, we’ll cover the lot – how to save water, composting toilets and washable loo roll (both not as bad as they sound), how to clean your toilet (naturally) and improving public stinky toilets! Also see ideas on how to improve public bathrooms and how to clean your toilet, naturally. Also switch to eco-friendly toilet tissue.
the history of the toilet
The modern toilet has only been around a few hundred years, when watchmaker Alexander Cummings designed an s-shaped pipe to keep out foul odours (before sewers were installed in London, parliament had to close down quite often, as the stench was so bad!) Back in Roman times, the invention of a public bathroom was met with wonder, with friends chatting as they wiped their bottoms with a short wooden handle and sponge on the end (where the phrase ‘getting hold of the wrong end of the stick’ comes from) If you’ve ever visited museums to teach children how we used to live, you’ll have seen houses with modern planks with holes outside windows, where people would go to the loo (hopefully with no-one walking by underneath!)
As people grew more affluent, people began installing toilets (though many had them in the garden which you still see in old houses with an ‘outdoor lav’). But things got worse before they got better, as populations exploded, leading to 100 people or so in cities sharing one toilet. This led to overloaded sewers and brown water coming out of drinking taps, which led to tens of thousands of people dying of cholera. Finally laws were passed to bring about the hygienic toilets we see today.
how to make modern toilets better
Even though most homes now have a modern flushing toilet, the basic design has not changed much in hundreds of years. This means that older cisterns waste a colossal amount of water, creating nearly all the make-up of water bills. Don’t flush anything down the loo other than toilet paper (luxury versions can clog drains). Don’t flush tampons, cotton buds, condoms or baby wipes. This is good for our marine friends (who don’t get them landing in their oceans) and also saves you a plumber’s call-out charge (and possibly flooded garden).
Modern cisterns need no help. But if you have an older toilet and can’t afford to replace it, use a Hippo Flush Bag (also in a slimline version). It costs a few pounds (some councils offer them free) or Buffaloo Flush Bag costs just 99p. These are basically the safer version of putting a brick in your cistern, and save up to 3 litres of water for each flush. If the 90% of older cisterns in the UK had one installed, it would save 600 million litres of daily and £25 a year on water bills (£3 per employee – £3000 for a company with 1000 staff). The small hole ensures fresh water replaces stale with each flush – installed already in Houses of Parliament, Buckingham Palace and the White House.
Another way to reduce your toilet water loss and bills, is to check if you have a leaky loo. Not getting this fixed can waste hundreds of litres of water, and cost £300 more in bills. Wait 15 minutes after you use the loo, then dry the back of the pan (inside) and place a sheet of toilet paper (see above link for image of where) and wait 3 hours. If the paper is wet, there’s a leak. A small plumbing job is in order.
install a water-saving toilet
If you can afford it , the best way to save money is to replace older cisterns with new ones (also quieter). Armitage Shanks Sandringham (around £100) has a water-saving dual flush, lever or push button flush and optional security fastener to prevent lid removal (though who goes stealing toilet lids is anyone’s guess).
Propelair Toilet (above) has completely reinvented the toilet, using 84% less water by using a two-section cistern (one for air, one for water). Close the lid to seal, then air blows activated water and pushes out the contents, for a powerful flush. This takes 3 seconds, and you can flush again in 30 seconds (subject to water pressure).
The Hand Held Bidet is a portable alternative to expensive bidets. Made from stainless steel, it connects to your water supply and with the touch of a button, you get a stream or spray in two modes (you can also use it to spray soiled nappies and incontinence pants). Toto WASHLET Toilet (used in over 65% of Japanese toilets) combines a toilet and bidet in one, which cleans itself inside and out before and after use. The jet extends to an angle, to stop poo falling on it!
