News

Toilet makers are being urged to reconsider some dual-flush button designs after new research shows that as many as eight in 10 people inadvertently waste water and flush money down the drain. Dual flush toilets were introduced to help people use less water in their own homes and businesses. By choosing a smaller flush instead of a longer flush, you can save about 2 liters of water per flush. But a new study by WRAS (Water Regulation Approval Scheme) has found that many Britons are confused about how some dual flush buttons are designed. WRAS created 18 typical dual flush designs and asked 2,000 people to identify the short flush button. The focus of this study is on buttons. More than half of respondents incorrectly identified a short flush in 5 out of 18 designs. In the worst case, 81% of respondents chose the wrong button. Ian Hughes, manager of approvals at WRAS, said: "Toilets use around 24 per cent of household water. Dual flush toilets can help reduce the amount of water wasted.” "However, our research shows that many of the designs in use are confusing and we call on toilet manufacturers to provide users with a more visible short-flush option. " Button designs are more effective if they have clear permanent markings to help people identify short flushes. Most people naturally assume that a smaller button means a smaller flush, but the larger button needs to be 1.5 times larger than the smaller button to achieve a recognition rate of around 80%. Some manufacturers use larger buttons to select short flushes. For those involved in the study, this was the most confusing design.

Energy prices in Europe have soared, and industry experts are now warning that this could lead to shortages of items that require a lot of energy to produce - including toilet paper. We may be heading back to the early days of the Covid pandemic, when people were stockpiling toilet paper amid rumors that they were running out of toilet paper entirely. But why is toilet paper often in crisis? Creating this bathroom essential is very energy-intensive. It takes an average of 11.5 gigajoules of energy to make one ton of paper products. That's enough to make about 11,500 pots of coffee. Since the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the price of natural gas has risen rapidly, reaching almost 120 euros per megawatt hour. This is the highest level in the past year. Europe relies heavily on this fossil fuel for energy. In Italy, paper companies have stopped production due to the energy shock caused by the war in Ukraine. The crisis has hit the entire production chain, from toilet paper to packaging materials and even recycling. The benefits of a bidet go beyond just feeling cleaner. Switching to a bidet can help you live in a more sustainable way, help fight deforestation, and offset the huge amount of water used to make paper.

Smart toilets may play a role in future COVID-19 tracking efforts, according to a new article published in the journal Nature. The authors describe a smart toilet platform, dubbed the Coronavirus Integrated Diagnostic Toilet, with a bidet-like attachment for testing fecal material for COVID-19, capable of isolating fecal RNA. Users can agree to stool sampling using a QR code. The platform then digitally reminds patients of their disease status. The researchers explained that the findings can be connected to existing Apple and Google's Bluetooth contact tracing systems for COVID-19 contact notification. The results could also provide "personalized longitudinal data" for public health agencies. "Smart toilets can access this underutilized data without requiring extensive user intervention, and even circumvent the behavioral fatigue caused by routine COVID-19 testing," the authors wrote. To be successful, the authors say, a smart toilet would need to "ideally" provide participants' test results within 15 minutes, be fully automated, provide a hygienic environment for users, securely connect data to a centralized network, and perform profiling on user data. De-identification and upload to the tracking network. However, the success of this strategy will depend on user acceptance. Certain environments, such as military barracks or naval ships, have experienced rapid and widespread outbreaks, and if a COV-ID toilet is installed, its residents are almost guaranteed to use it, But personalized testing may require consent. "Among the general public, people may avoid toilets or disagree with testing if they feel their privacy is threatened or are opposed to testing."

Technology has played a major role in China's fight against COVID-19, especially when the country hosts the 2022 Winter Olympics. Smart mobile toilets have been a key feature of the Olympics' closed-loop system, and Beijing 2022 organizers say they play an important role in preventing COVID-19. The entire system can be operated with just a wave of your hand, without touching anything. After the user leaves, the internal disinfection nozzle automatically disinfects the entire space, reducing the risk of cross-infection. In addition, the water supply and drainage system is equipped with a closed-loop disinfection device to cut off the fecal-oral transmission chain. Meng Jianmin, academician and designer of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, said: "Compared with traditional toilets, this smart toilet is more energy-saving and environmentally friendly. In terms of green energy, it saves electricity, water, land, and water. Other resources. We try to use the least amount of energy. materials, electricity and water to reflect or promote environmental awareness.” Meng said it is the first such product in the world because it can be used indoors. He said he believes the product will soon go global as more parts of the world pursue low-carbon infrastructure.

During the difficult COVID-19 pandemic, many of us are looking for new ways to save money. You may feel like you've exhausted all your cost-saving strategies, but have you tried to minimize your toilet paper budget? While the cost of a toilet paper pack may not seem high, it can add up over time. Washloo's team analysed the cost of toilet paper in the "big four" supermarkets and popular toilet paper brands, and their research found that the average cost of 3-ply toilet paper a year for a family of four was around £274.32. By comparison, however, a smart toilet, where the user flushes with water after using the toilet, costs just £4.46 a year for one person and £17.84 for four. Using a smart toilet makes toilet paper unnecessary and eliminates the cost entirely, saving families around £256.48 a year. And according to research, it takes about 37 gallons of water to produce a roll of toilet paper, and only one-eighth of a gallon of water is needed for each smart toilet flush. Using a smart toilet can help your family save money every year by eliminating the cost of fixing paper without changing the comfort of your everyday bathroom.

Delaying going to the toilet can be very bad for your bladder. If you're constantly waiting to go to the bathroom, your muscles may weaken later in life, or more directly, it could lead to urinary tract infections. Many people may resist going to the toilet if they wake up at night and want to. The average adult's bladder can hold two cups of urine, which can take up to 10 hours. When your bladder is about a quarter full, it sends a message to your brain to give you a little buffer if you wake up at night. However, if left for too long, harmful bacteria can build up, which can lead to urinary tract infections. If a UTI goes untreated and the infection spreads, it can turn into life-threatening sepsis. Prolonged neglect of the bladder can also wreak havoc on the pelvic floor, leading to uncomfortable dryness (urogenital atrophy) and incontinence of involuntary urination. Likewise, holding your urine too often can cause your bladder muscles to lose their ability to contract when you need them, leading to urinary retention, where you can't empty your bladder -- even when you want to.