World Toilet Day

Today, November 19th, is exactly one week away from Thanksgiving. As you may not have known, it is also World Toilet Day. This day was started by the World Toilet Organization in 2001 as a day to increase awareness about sanitation problems due to a lack of toilets in some countries. According to UNICEF, “poor sanitation, hygiene, and unsafe water claim the lives of 1.5 million children under five every year”. It may seem insignificant, but having a toilet is actually something to be thankful for this Thanksgiving.


Learn more about World Toilet Day and the World Toilet Organization.

The Science Behind Accuracy

Many of us have been in a toilet related argument whether we remember it or not. A toilet seat left open or an unpleasant mess left behind are both grounds for disagreement. But how much fault can we place on the guilty party?

This video from the Discovery Channel show Time Warp, discusses the science behind aiming accuracy among men. An model was constructed to simulate a human bladder in action. Other variables were added to the test to demonstrate the difficulty of accuracy. Check it out below.

3 Helpful Resources For A Running Toilet

Is your toilet running? Why don't you catch it?

It seems as if my toilet runs at the worst possible moments: when I am trying to sleep, running late for something, or when guests are over. Not only is this annoying, but it can also be expensive. A running toilet can waste two gallons of water per minute. Learning how to fix a running toilet can prevent you from paying for unnecessary water usage, but also save you time and frustration. Here are some resources that I found helpful.

This three-minute video from This Old House will show you where parts are located in your toilet tank and how to troubleshoot the problem.

To learn about different problems and the correct name for each toilet part, read this toilet repair article from Do it Yourself.

If your toilet needs to be replaced, read our toilet buying guide before making a decision on a new toilet.

Sources: This Old House & Do it Yourself

Bidets

A bidet is a bathroom fixture that looks like a toilet but is equipped with a small bidet faucet. The faucet sprays a stream of water that will cleanse the area in need. The water can be a substitution for toilet paper and some people even use a bidet faucet to clean their feet. Bidets are popular among men and women living in European and Asian countries because of their many health benefits.
A bidet faucet can also be hooked up to a traditional toilet. Another option is a bidet style toilet seat. The toilet seat functions as a bidet with water pressure and temperature controls. The bidet style toilet seat pictured below also features a light for nighttime use, an activating sensor, and an energy saving function.
View more bidets, bidet faucets, and bidet style toilet seats.

Toilet Tricycle

Every year, at the end of the summer, the city of Philadelphia hosts a festival showcasing various artists and performers. People from all over come to see the Philadelphia Live Arts Festival. Back in 2005, the festival began with an interesting event- a toilet tricycle race.

To participate, artists created a form of transportation using a toilet and a tricycle. I suppose using a one-piece toilet would be the option because the artists can't attach it to anything but the tricycle. Too bad the race only happened one year, it would be very interesting to see a group of toilet tricycle racers.


Sources: Cool Hunting
Philadelphia Live Arts Festival

Vintage Advertisements: American Standard

Currently, American Standard is a popular bathroom fixture manufacturer which is the result of American Standard Americas, Crane Plumbing, and Elijier merging together. Though this merge occurred as recently as last year, American Standard has roots dating back to 1875 when the Standard Sanitary Manufacturing Company was founded. The company was so successful that in 1929, they were the largest producer of bathroom fixtures. The "American Standard" name was created when the Standard Sanitary Corporation merged with the American Radiator Company.

The following are vintage advertisements for American Standard products. The first was printed in 1959 and discussed the new American Standard bathtub with a contour shape that made bathing more relaxing.

A close-up of a pink, 1959 American Standard vanity sink.


The Fiesta sink advertisement from 1968, tells consumers that the "sporty Fiesta makes other kitchen sinks look like they're standing still".


From the same campaign, the 1968 advertisement features a self ventilating toilet that can be installed in one hour for $150.


View our American Standard bathroom products.

Sources: American Standard
Retro Renovation
Ad Classix

The Toilet Quiz

We all use a toilet every day. But how much do we really know about them? Click on the little toilet below to take the toilet quiz. Find out if you are a toilet expert, or at least try to beat my score of six correct answers out of ten.

Installing a Toilet

Toilet installation sounds like a difficult task to those of us who aren't experienced with plumbing or remodeling. However, according to the DIY Network, the toilet "is easy even for beginners to install".


In the how-to article about toilet installation, it is stated that the toilet should first be completely assembled before installation can begin. The article goes into detail describing each step necessary beginning with installing the knock-out flange which will be compressed under the toilet to create and airtight seal and keep sewer gases and debris away. Next the toilet will be attached, sealed, and bolted to a wax ring atop the flange. The process ends once water supply lines are connected and toilet seat is added.

Read step by step toilet installation instructions from the DIY network.

Bathroom Photoshop

If you've ever visited Worth 1000, you've seen the many photo-altering contests. Contestants are presented with an untouched image and are to create a more interesting image using Photoshop or other software. One contest featured a simple bathroom with a toilet, pedestal sink, bathtub, and mirror.


See the new bathrooms created below.


View the rest of the contest entries at Worth 1000.

WaterSense Toilets

According the the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), toilet use accounts for 30% of all water used in the home. WaterSense, an EPA sponsored program, certifies toilets that can save 20% of household water use. To become certified, the toilets must go through meticulous laboratory testing and meet all WaterSense standards.

The EPA discusses the many ways to benefit from a WaterSense toilet, which include...

• saving 4,000 gallons of water per year
• using 20% less water per year
• reducing water utility bills
• rebates and vouchers for discounts on purchasing a WaterSense approved toilet

WaterSense toilets perform just as well, and many times, even better than regular toilets. There are also many options to chose from. Take a look at a few below.



See more water saving toilets and read more about the Environmental Protection Agency's WaterSense program.

The Proper Way to Hang Toilet Paper

Toilet paper may not be a popular topic of conversation but I know that I have had multiple conversations about the correct way it should be hung on a toilet paper holder. There are those who like the sheet to hang from the bottom, and those who like to easily access it from the top of the roll. It is especially frustrating when you visit someone's home or use a public restroom and you have to take time to figure out where the toilet paper begins. Thankfully, someone created a series of photos with discussions on what they believe is the correct way to hang toilet paper and the problems that may arise from not hanging it properly.



View all five photos and the full lesson in hanging toilet paper.

Source and Photos: Toilet Paper Article from Current Configuration

Toilet Shaped House

This is Haewoojae, a toilet shaped building commissioned by the World Toilet Association. Haewoojae, in Korean, means "a place of sanctuary where one can solve one's worries". By creating this toilet building, the World Toilet Association aims to solve the worries of the two billion people who live without the luxury of a toilet and sanitary living conditions. You can help the WTA in its efforts by donating $1 to visit or by dropping $50,000 to spend the night in this 24 foot tall toilet.
The two-story toilet shaped house was built by Sim Jae-duck and is located near Seoul, Korea. It features four bathrooms, each equipped with a toilet, urinal, whirlpool bathtub, and glass shower. At the center of the house is a bathroom showcase, surrounded by glass windows which turn opaque on command; as well as a motion sensor that cues classical music when a bathroom user is detected. Additionally, the toilet house features water saving fixtures and technology, turning rain water into drinking water.



Sources:
Reuters
Free Library

The Toilet Restaurant

A successful Taiwanese banker gave up his professional job to sell ice cream on the streets in toilet-shaped, disposable containers. It did so well that he decided to open a restaurant in Taichung, Taiwan. Named Marton, after the Chinese word Matong meaning toilet, this toilet themed restaurant offers a different dining experience for its visitors. Diners sit upon glitzy, sparkling toilets while enjoying their meals atop giant utility sinks and bathtubs converted into tables. Additionally, the walls are decked with urinals, similar in shape to the souvenir containers customers sip their beverages from.


Outside the Marton, there is always a line and other eager diners must book three weeks in advance to guarantee a chance to dine at the toilet restaurant. This success has driven the owner to open another location.


As you may have guessed, a meal at the Marton is unlike any other restuarant. Meals are served in different sized ceramic toilet bowls, manufactured specifically for this toilet-themed restaurant. Make sure you save room for dessert - a swirl of chocolate ice cream served, of course, in a miniature toilet. For frequent diners, a customer loyalty program is in order. Once you have earned enough points or credit, you receive your own toilet-shaped bowl to enjoy meals at home!




To learn more about the Marton toilet themed restaurant, check out this video.

Lego Automatic Toilet Flusher

You may have seen a clawfoot tub constructed solely from Legos, but have you ever seen an automatic toilet flusher assembled? Mike D-Amour and Will Gorman of BattleBricks.com crafted a small robot sensor using a Lego Mindstorms NXT kit that has the ability to flush the toilet for you.

A Mindstorms NXT kit is not your usual Lego kit. With NXT you can build robots, vehicles, and small machines. These kits also come equipped with many parts, sensors, and software to program your creations.

The “RoboFlush” offers an automatic or manual flushing option. It even says “thank you” before it flushes. To watch the automatic toilet flusher in action see the video below.

iBathroom

I came across an article about someone who converted an old Macintosh SE computer case into a toilet paper holder. He first cleaned and gutted what was left of it. After applying new white paint to the outside, and silver to the inside; he used super glue to attach a small toilet paper holder. To finish, he added a roll of toilet paper and affixed a plastic binder cover to replace the missing screen. He affectionately named the holder iWipe.


To complement the iWipe, an iToilet is necessary. Here, two guys picked up a discarded toilet, spray painted it silver, matching an iMac and continued to install computer parts; turning an old toilet into a functional computer.


Check out the entire process from beginning to end: