Kohler's Intelligent Toilet - The Household Appliance You Never Knew You Needed

Everyone Poops, as the title of the children’s book goes. When we toilet train our kids, we read them stories like Potty Superhero and The Potty Book and tell them it’s completely natural and encourage them to feel proud about using the toilet. We celebrate their milestones when they use the toilet every time for a whole day, then for a full week, and when they get out of diapers completely … then we never talk about the potty ever again.

That seems a bit odd. So, let’s talk about toilets.

You might think that all toilets are pretty much the same — slightly different in shapes and designs, a bit different in color, mostly shades of white or beige — but you’d be wrong. For the toilet, like everything else in our lives, technology has arrived. And it is amazing.

If you’ve traveled a little, you may have encountered a stand-alone bidet, essentially a sink for washing off your undercarriage after a long day or cleaning up post-toilet. The more adventurous of you may have even tried one out. But for the uninitiated (and according to Kohler, there are an awful lot of you), a bidet more often leaves you feeling shower-fresh after taking the Browns to the Super Bowl, as opposed to just using paper.

That same fresh and clean feeling can be attained with Kohler’s line of intelligent toilets, which integrate a smart, self-cleaning bidet into the seat of the toilet. The bidet can be personalized to users with a memory setting that will deliver the same pressure and water temperature, to the same location, every time.

But the easy-to-use intelligent toilet is more than just that. Models vary quite a bit, however, options include an inner bowl nightlight to help guide you to the Oval Office in the middle of the night. Some models include an adjustable temperature heated seat that is an absolute winner on chilly winter mornings. And many of the Kohler intelligent toilets also include a dryer that sends a warm breeze from the seat to dry you off after cleaning.

Further, some seats will sense your approach and lift the lid for you (and close it after use). Others include a fan with a carbon filter to help keep your bathroom fresh. And most of them have a remote control, which allows you to adjust all of these functions, as well as choosing between a half flush and a full flush.

Kohler’s top-of-the-line model also comes with a foot heater and (I couldn’t make this up if I tried) the ability to stream music and podcasts through its built-in speakers. Most of the toilets also have enhanced energy savings, which meet strict EPA guidelines.

To be sure, it’s not an inexpensive endeavor. The toilets can cost thousands of dollars and even the cleansing seats, which can be used to retrofit an existing toilet, can still come with a healthy price tag, (there are cleansing seats that can be had for well below $200). But for those who have used them, it’s a household appliance that is something they can’t live without.

When I took my family to Japan this past summer, the intelligent toilet was everywhere, in hotels, restaurants, and even in the restrooms of parks. In fact, in Japan, more than 80% of the population have one in their homes. We had a good laugh when we returned home and told some friends about the intelligent toilet, only to find out they had already installed two when they remodeled their home.

Both the intelligent toilets and the cleansing seats are easily installed. They have essentially the same requirements, the only difference being the need for a dedicated circuit GFCI electrical outlet in proximity to the toilet.

A toilet is one of the few home appliances that you really interact with daily and it’s one that hasn’t changed much since plumbing moved indoors. Do yourself a favor and check out Kohler’s intelligent toilets. As you sit peacefully, your feet the perfect temperature in the warm, tropical-like air wafting from the base of your Kohler Numi Inteilligent Comfort Height skirted one-piece elongated dual-flush toilet, dropping the kids off at the pool, you can relax to the soothing notes of a Puccini aria floating from the toilet’s speakers, a calming blue glow peacefully lights the room from the back of the appliance. You reach for the remote control to send a gentle, warm stream of water to clean yourself off. You push another button and a temperate and pleasant breeze dries you off. Satisfied, you stand, refreshed and ready to take command of your world, one more time. It is glorious. And it is worth every penny.