As people travel the world, absorbing the amazing differences in culture, food, architecture and history of various nations, they also start to notice the similarities that unite as as people: the need for a good bathroom. Truly, a vacation can be made or broken by the 'facilities. When people return from Japan, you often hear them rave about the toilets. The Japanese have invested much time and effort into developing what some refer to as the ideal toilet. Read on for a look at some of the advances in toilet technology that could work wonders in your new home.
Low-Flush Toilets
As a design, low-flush toilets are not new to the marketplace, especially considering the 1.6 gallons-per-flush limit imposed by regulators a few years ago. However, toilet-makers began to utilize computer models and sophisticated math to get the most out of those 1.6 gallons, and consequently many modern toilets can outperform their earlier incarnations. When picking out the toilets for your new home, give serious consideration to these newer low-flush models - they can be a real water saver.
Bidets
Common in European countries, the concept of the bidet is just starting to catch on here in the U.S. If the design of your bathroom has the space to accommodate it, you can have a separate bidet installed. This solution, however, usually requires additional plumbing lines to be run. Newer toilets are starting to be shipped with seats that come complete with a bidet option in them. So in addition to a comfortable, heated seat, you also get a soft, soothing, aerated stream of warm water for personal cleansing. And for the truly posh, some seats come with a remote control.
A handy feature of the bidet-enabled seat is that there's no need to purchase or plumb-in a separate bidet.
Self-Cleaning Toilets
"Advanced" toilets are also coming with an anti-bacterial glazing to prevent the growth of germs and kill bacteria. Some toilets also feature a special coating on the inside and outside to keep the toilet clean. And those that come with their own built-in, automated air deodorizer quickly eliminates any toilet odor.
The Truly High Tech Toilet
To really tech-up your bathroom, more recent toilets are coming with remote-controls and environmentally-friendly low-flush bidet/toilet combos that have seats that rise to 'greet' visitors and are heated for maximum comfort, and a warm-air dryer.
Alas, toilets of this type can approach US$5,000 in price so they are truly for the home that must have everything. These toilets may not fit your average new home design, but the new advances in toilet technology require that toilet no longer be overlooked when choosing your new home's fixtures.