High-Tech Toilets Eliminate All That Pesky Paperwork

One of the items homeowners are least likely to think about when embarking on a bathroom renovation is the toilet. In fact, until they have use for them, most people don't like thinking about them at all.

In today's renovation market, however, there's the opportunity to consider even the tiniest detail of every design element or fixture. Still, many homeowners - aside from fantasizing about one that would clean itself - would be just fine with saying "whatever" to a contractor when asked if they were thinking about something special for the commode.

As with everything today, though, there is a place for higher efficiency and almost decadent luxury in even the humble potty.

With most homeowners (and depending upon the requirements of your local building codes), the main focus of choosing a new toilet is going to be on efficiency. The physics of the toilet haven't changed much in the years since Thomas Crapper patented and began manufacturing his valve flush device.

Most residential toilets still depend on a reservoir of water that uses gravity and water pressure to eliminate waste in the bowl. It's this reservoir that has received the most attention from designers in recent years, with most shrinking in size to conserve water. Otherwise, the device is very much the same.

That need not be the case, though. In addition to the smaller, water conserving models, designers are now incorporating enough bidet-like features and electronics into their toilets to make a short visit worthy of an all-day stay.

Just starting with the toilet seat, it's easy to upgrade what you already have. The Brondell Swash high-tech toilet seat replaces a normal toilet seat and does so much more. Also called a seat bidet, the Swash 600 uses two retractable water wands to accomplish what toilet paper would otherwise. The seat itself is heated and includes a warm water wash with the ability to control temperature, pressure and pulsation via remote control.

For the ultimate in full-toilet luxury and convenience, the Japanese company ToTo manufactures the NEOREST Integrated Toilet, a "smart" toilet and "washlet" system that not only replaces toilet paper with warm water and air, but actually recognizes when it's being used for liquid or solid waste and adjusts accordingly the amount of water used for the flush. The NEOREST also features a lid that automatically opens and closes upon approach and departure, eliminating household face-offs over who left the seat up. It even deodorizes the air when you're finished.

And by the way - that fantasy about the toilet cleaning itself? The NEOREST does that, too, using a cyclonic stream of water to scour the bowl before and after the actual flush. The sleek, tankless design also makes the NEOREST an aesthetically pleasing addition to your bathroom.

It's so much more than Thomas Crapper would have imagined. But you can't help thinking he'd be pleased.