Not all shower toilets are alike

The shower toilet market in Europe has seen major changes in the past several years. Today, there are a number of providers offering shower toilets with a wide range of functionalities, features and designs. But not all shower toilets are alike. How can you rate the quality of a toilet with integrated bidet? What features and details should you look for to make the best choice? Keep reading to find out.

You’ll find a helpful checklist at the end of the article. Print it out for your reference – so you can tick things off while you’re shopping for your shower toilet.

How does a shower toilet work?

The most important feature on a shower toilet is the warm water spray used for intimate cleansing. Just the touch of a button extends the wand jet and activates the spray. People can adjust the water pressure, temperature and type of spray according to their personal preferences. Warm water cleansing is more hygienic, refreshing and beneficial than toilet paper.

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“When it comes to hygiene, there are major differences between shower toilets”

How do shower toilets differ in quality?

All about hygiene

When purchasing a shower toilet, ask specific questions about how hygienic it is. After all, there are major differences. We’ll share all the things TOTO does to ensure that WASHLET® can guarantee the outstanding hygiene and cleanliness you can count on.

This picture shows a nozzle from which the water jet of the comfort shower comes. The water jet is wider and consists of several widely fanned drops of water.

The wand jet – the heart of every shower toilet

The jet is an integral part of the shower toilet. It does more than just spray warm water for intimate cleansing. It also keeps this process as clean and hygienic as possible.

This is why the wand jet is so important to TOTO. The company has developed a number of standards to ensure that the wand jet on WASHLET® always stays as clean as before its first use:

Wand jet position above the toilet bowl:

Every WASHLET® has the wand jet above the ceramic toilet bowl. This keeps it from coming into contact with dirty flush water. It also protects the wand jet and technical elements from any rising water caused by a clog, for example.

This is a schematic representation of the nozzle position. The nozzle is positioned above the wet area, in the dry area. The nozzle is attached to the seat and only protrudes into the wet area during use.

Protective cover

When not extended, the wand jet disappears entirely behind a hygienic flap. This keeps the wand jet from coming into contact with faeces and urine.

Silicone-based material

The wand jet is made of a special silicone-based material. Dirt and waste washes off easily.

Wand jet angle

The wand jet extends at a 43° angle, preventing any waste from falling onto it.

Automatic self-cleaning

WASHLET® automatically cleans the wand jet inside and out after each use with EWATER+. When WASHLET® is not in use, the wand jet cleans itself regularly to ensure consistent hygiene at all times.

Cleanliness and hygiene

TOTO developed a series of technologies for WASHLET® to guarantee outstanding hygiene people can count on. Here’s a quick introduction:

EWATER+

Our smart EWATER+ feature makes WASHLET® even more hygienic: Depending on the model, WASHLET® uses EWATER+ to automatically clean the wand jet and mist the inside of the toilet bowl. EWATER + is electrolysed water, which has anti-bacterial properties. It is completely safe for the environment and breaks down into regular tap water after a short time.

PREMIST

Before anyone uses the toilet, WASHLET sprays the toilet bowl with a fine mist of water, called PREMIST. It’s more difficult for waste and dirt to stick to a moist ceramic surface than a dry one. The result: Less effort is required to get a cleaner toilet. It’s a great feature!

Illustration of the water vortex inside the WC ceramic appliance

CEFIONTECT

The extra-smooth CEFIONTECT glaze makes it harder for waste to accumulate, allowing it to wash away easily. Multiple layers of glass are fired onto the glaze, making it extremely hard, smooth and durable.

TORNADO FLUSH

The hygienic flush. Jets propel the water into the toilet bowl, creating a powerful whirlpool that thoroughly cleans every inch. The best thing: The circular movement makes the innovative flush both aerosol- and spray-free. This keeps bacteria and germs from spreading throughout the bathroom and onto the toilet seat.

Comfort features

If you want your shower toilet to enhance your everyday life, you should also take a closer look at the comfort features as well as the most important aspects of hygiene.

TOTO WASHLET® offers a number of comfort features in addition to the versatile hygiene technologies.

The heated seat is consistently warm – and especially nice on chilly winter days!
You can adjust the position, pressure and temperature of the water spray to your own individual preferences – and even save these settings to unique user profiles.
It’s easy to activate and adjust all WASHLET® features using the remote control – which also makes it possible for people with limited mobility to use WASHLET®, e.g. due to injury or old age.
After cleansing with water, you can activate the dryer for a comfortable, dry and clean feeling.
Finally, the filter system cleans the air in the bowl to eliminate unpleasant odours – an absolute gamechanger!
Several WASHLET® models also have a number of automatic functionalities, including an automatic flush or the touch-free lid that lifts and lowers automatically. Such features aren’t just comfortable – they’re also more hygienic.
Another comfort feature is the nightlight – muted, automatic lighting integrated into several WASHLET® models.

Our Research and Development team in Japan is always working on improving our products.

TOTO’s experience

There are other features that indicate whether or not the shower toilet is a certified high-quality product – one that will last a long time and is essentially worry-free.

TOTO has gained a wealth of experience in over 40 years of developing WASHLET®. So far, the company has sold over 60 million units world-wide. In the process, TOTO has managed to perfect all WASHLET® features and technologies. There are no more bugs or growing pains that one could otherwise anticipate with new product innovations. The opposite: TOTO has a huge Research and Development department consisting of over 900 employees. They are fully dedicated to enhancing and optimising TOTO’s products, bringing their scientific findings and experiences into improving the original WASHLET® from Japan.

Download - Checklist for buying your shower toilet