Wash Your Hands With Toilet Water
by Eric Kane, New York, NY on 07.20.06
In the past, TreeHugger has written about numerous alternatives to the standard toilet. From composting to dual-flush, we thought perhaps we had seen it all. Luckily, the folks at Gaiam are offering the Toilet Lid Sink, yet another take on the porcelain throne. Rather than explain this device, I’ll leave it to their description: “with each flush of your commode, clean water that would otherwise go straight down the toilet is first routed up through a chrome gooseneck spigot to dispense pure water for hand washing”. Although the concept isn’t new, this design certainly appears to be less obtrusive than others. Furthermore, the Toilet Lid Sink installs without tools, and is relatively inexpensive. It even has a built-in soap dish.
Why does it take so long for some good ideas to travel the globe? When I was a kid (some 30 years ago) I visited my Japanese grandmother who had kindly installed a "western" style bathroom in her house for all of her grandkids. It had this exact same tank lid!
This is pretty common in Japan. It is really a good idea.
repost? x1000
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editor note: You can never get enough toilet news! But seriously, I find many things about dual flush toilets and such, but not about those that you can wash your hands with. Do you have a link or post title?
I was just about to say, its common in Japan. And I've wondered for years about why it isn't availible here. The big/small flush selection is also prevalent in Japan, so I'd like to see a unit combining both at some point. Admittedly there are retrofit kits, but they don't count. :P
yes, this is a repost.
This may be a repost, but the last time I wanted to buy one I found that they were not being produced nor sold in this country... so, glad that Gaiam is selling them again!
I think the overall idea is a good one, but it seems really gross to someone who either throws a lot of parties or has indiscriminate roomates.
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editor note: How is it different than with a regular sink?
I posted a story on a Japanese toilet with a wash basin back in January. That one seemed to be an original, not an add-on, and the trick was that the water you washed your hands in was re-cycled into the tank. So you weren't actually washing with toilet water - you were flushing with wash water...
My daughter wrote about the tank-sink I installed.
http://homeofthefuture.blogspot.com/2006/06/woah.html
I think it is a wonderful water saving idea. We recently took a trip to japan and when we got back home we installed one of the sink things in the top of our toilet. Everyone that comes to our house says it is a wonderful idea.
Caroma is also manufacuring them and I will have some in stock later on in the year