is a Japanese line of cleansing toilet seats manufactured and sold by the company Toto. The

electronic bidet An electronic bidet is a seat attached to an existing toilet or a part of the toilet itself, with a nozzle to squirt a jet of warm water for cleaning the anus and female genitals, electrically powered and with electronic controls. It replaces t ...

features a water spray element for genital and

anal cleansing Anal hygiene refers to practices (anal cleansing) that are performed on the anus to maintain personal hygiene, usually immediately or shortly after defecation. Anal cleansing may also occur while showering or bathing. Post-defecation cleansing is ...

. and commonly appears on toilets all over

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

. The device was released in June 1980 and as of January 2022, Toto has sold more than 60 million units.

History

In the 1960s, Japanese plumbing company Toto's goal was to import American "wash air seats" for domestic sales, mainly for sale to hospitals and nursing homes. Toto began domestic production in 1969, but wash air seats were expensive and sometimes caused

scalding Scalding is a form of thermal burn resulting from heated fluids such as boiling water or steam. Most scalds are considered first- or second-degree burns, but third-degree burns can result, especially with prolonged contact. The term is from the L ...

injuries due to poor regulation of water temperature. In 1980, Toto began to sell its improved Washlets in

after surveying employees to determine appropriate spray positions, since there were no biometric statistics available. In the 1980s, the term "Washlet" originated by the company Toto. Recognized for its pioneering role in 2012, the original Washlet G model was certified as item 55 of Mechanical Engineering Heritage.

Design

In 1996, Toto also released Washlets designed for Japanese-style

squat toilets A squat toilet (or squatting toilet) is a toilet used by squatting, rather than sitting. This means that the posture for defecation and urination is to place one foot on each side of the toilet drain or hole and to squat over it. There are severa ...

, but they proved difficult to use due to accuracy issues. Japanese-style toilets were replaced with their Western-style counterparts, and the model was discontinued around 2003. In October 2005, Toto released other improvements, incorporating

sleep mode Sleep mode (or suspend to RAM) is a low power mode for electronic devices such as computers, televisions, and remote controlled devices. These modes save significantly on electrical consumption compared to leaving a device fully on and, upon resu ...

for

energy conservation Energy conservation is the effort to reduce wasteful energy consumption by using fewer energy services. This can be done by using energy more effectively (using less and better sources of energy for continuous service) or changing one's behavi ...

, a remote control, and a Washlet that could play MP3 audio files. Upon her visit to Japan in 2005, pop singer

Madonna Madonna Louise Ciccone ( ; born August 16, 1958) is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and actress. Referred to as the "Queen of Pop", she has been recognized for her continual reinvention and versatility in music production, ...

commented that she had "missed Japan’s warm toilet seats."

Functions

The cleansing features include buttons labeled Oshiri ("Rear") and Bidet ("Front") with translations in English speaking regions. Most current models have a sensor preventing water from spraying while a person is not sitting on the toilet. For

antibacterial An antibiotic is a type of antimicrobial substance active against bacteria. It is the most important type of antibacterial agent for fighting bacterial infections, and antibiotic medications are widely used in the treatment and prevention ...

and

disinfectant A disinfectant is a chemical substance or compound used to inactivate or destroy microorganisms on inert surfaces. Disinfection does not necessarily kill all microorganisms, especially resistant bacterial spores; it is less effective than ...

purposes, the nozzle is designed at such an angle that the water does not splash back on the inside of the toilet (43º for anuses, 53º for

vulva In mammals, the vulva (: vulvas or vulvae) comprises mostly external, visible structures of the female sex organ, genitalia leading into the interior of the female reproductive tract. For humans, it includes the mons pubis, labia majora, lab ...

s), and the nozzle itself is washed with warm water when stowed away and before use. Anal and genital cleansing functions operate on different nozzles. Some models feature deodorizers and dryers for the user's convenience. The control panels usually features settings to change the intensity of the water spray, as well as warmth.

References

External links

Official link

Drake II specifications on TOTO official website

Washlet – TotoUSA.com
html {{Plumbing Products introduced in 1980 Toilets Japanese inventions

History

Design

Functions

See also

References

External links