Yahoo.com has been featuring the
Good Housekeeping article "2010 VIP (Very Innovative Products) Awards. Winners included a digital camera with its own built-in projector, a folding camping chair with embedded insect repellent, and Dolby technology that keeps TV volume level, preventing loud commercials from giving you whiplash. Another winning product made me chuckle:
"Brondell Perfect Flush, $79. This simple system is the first to turn nearly any toilet into a water-saving dual-flush unit, for a fraction of the cost of buying a new one. And it will slash up to $100 per year off your water bill. Installation takes a half hour or less, even for an inexperienced DIYer. The two-sided button sits atop the tank or can be mounted to the side with double-stick tape. Press one side for a small flush, the other for a full flush (or any of 10 increments you can set)."
Dual flushing systems have been standard in Germany for years and make a lot of sense. I was heartened to know that we will be able to set up such a system for each of our commodes once we move back to the U.S. With a family of 6, there is a lot of flushing going on. Here are some examples of dual flushing toilets here in Germany:
You also see toilets where you don't have two different buttons, but you can stop the flush to shorten it.
Here is the kids' bathroom toilet. You push on the bottom section of the large flush activator (not sure what to call it), and the flush begins. If you need just a short flush, once you've flushed away whatever needs to be flushed away, you press on the top of the activator to halt the flush. It works well for us.
6 comments:
Yes, but does your toilet seat spin?? Have you seen those, where after you flush the seat spins round atop a sponged soaked in cleanser? It's really most baffling.
And...have you become familiar with the "thud" toilet?? *ahem*
Siress Yorkie
I've seen the spinning toilet a few times -- always seems rather space-age-ish. And I toyed with idea of mentioning the "thud", Lord knows I found plenty of pictures of it online, but didn't think an American audience would appreciate it without getting grossed out. Have you mentioned it at all?
Speaking about the "thud," I remember another ex-pat telling me I would need to teach my kids the "Flush and brush" technique. But, we don't have the "ledge design" in any of our toilets in our house. Thank God.
I don't know if I've mentioned it yet...honestly can't remember!
We saw it more in Austria than Germany. I just don't get what the appeal is. Just looks like the loo's been installed backwards to me!
Yorkie
I have heard that the point if so that people can examine what's just landed on the ledge. So, it's for health reasons, apparently. I've also heard we're genetically programmed to "look" as a way to spot potential health problems. Don't know if that's all accurate, though.
I heard an explanation that's a LOT more...erm...perverse, but you know what they say: don't believe everything you hear about practices in other countries...!
I've got enough trouble keeping our hopper clean: tablets in the tank, toilet cage, scrubbing every day. I have never been so obsessed with my loo. What a strange memory to take away from our stay here.
Yorkie
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