If you’re the type of person who’d like to drop five grand on a toilet, you are living in the right age indeed.
Toilets have come a long way, and these days features include advanced water-saving flushing systems, hands-free flushing, self-opening and closing lids, self-cleaning bidets, drying wands, heating elements in the seat and foot area, ambient lighting, built-in speaker systems, Bluetooth connectivity and deodorizers.
“Modern toilets offer an unrivaled range of sophisticated features to enhance the bathroom environment,” says Trish LeDuc, manager of the Ferguson Bath, Kitchen & Lighting Gallery in Charlottesville.
Flushing
Manufacturers have for years been looking for ways users can save water when flushing, and municipalities like Charlottesville are happy to reward the effort.
The city’s offered a $100 rebate on all WaterSense toilets, a distinction given to those that are 20 percent more efficient than the maximum usage standard of 1.6 gallons, since 2012. And according to the American Water Works Association, toilets account for about 30 percent of indoor water usage, meaning there’s serious money to be saved on your utility bill.
Top-of-the line toilets these days all offer dual-flush options, contingent on the waste, meaning the less offensive of your byproducts can go down for as little as 0.8 gallons per flush.
Cleaning
There’s nothing new about bidets. In fact, they’ve been around for centuries. But they’re back in a big way, according to Ferguson spokesperson Zsavonne Perryman, who says the company’s seen a nationwide increase in the number of bidets and washlets purchased in the past year. That’s driven largely by products from manufacturers like Kohler and DXV that feature adjustable controls for temperature and water pressure, as well as more discretion than they’ve offered in the past.
“Many customers are looking for products that aid in better hygiene. A growing number of luxury hotels are including bidets and other amenities in the bathroom,” LeDuc says. “Customers enjoy the experience of using a bidet abroad and want to bring that experience to their own home.”
And toilets are cleaning up after you in ways that go beyond a simple spray of water. They’re deodorizing the backside and drying it, as well.
Connectivity
Everything’s connected these days, so why leave the bathroom bowl out in the cold? With easy-to-use Bluetooth technology, toilets are capable of connecting to your smartphone and streaming your music collection, FM radio stations, podcasts and more. Some even have the ability to download and store tunes in the wild event you ever find yourself on the toilet without your phone.
Atmosphere
Modern toilet features like built-in speakers, lighting around the bowl and heated seats and foot rests take the ordinary act of micturation and make it a miracle. Some toilet lighting cycles through various hues depending on the time of day and season, and heaters can be temperature controlled vents or ambient.
Toilet tech
Bring your toilet into spec with the rest of your smart home with these savvy sanitary centerpieces.
Kohler Numi The world’s most sophisticated (and expensive) toilet leaves no convenience undelivered. With a touchscreen remote and docking station, users can enjoy a motion-activated cover and seat, a self-cleaning bidet wand with integrated air dryer, a deodorizer that pulls air through a charcoal filter, heated seat and foot rests, illuminated panels and speakers for your favorite music.
DXV AT200 Ringing up at nearly $5,000, DXV’s AT200 offers an automatic open/close seat, deodorizer, 0.92 or 1.32 gallons per flush, air dryer, heated seat, bidet, nightlight and a motion-activated sensor. And, of course, it’s all driven by remote control.
American Standard Studio For those who want a modern, functional toilet but don’t need to fly the space shuttle from the throne, American Standard’s two-piece Studio should do the trick. The touchless toilet flushes automatically and features a “concealed trapway,” which gives it straighter lines and makes it easier to clean.—S.G.