Until recently, at least in the US, the one part of the household that seemed to be relatively safe from smart devices was the bathroom. That has been shaken up with the introduction of smart toilets. Yes. Even your toilet can have a little bit of intelligence nowadays.
A smart toilet is a worthwhile investment for many people due to the plethora of convenient features, hygienic advantages, and benefits for the environment. Smart toilets with multiple smart features typically cost $1,000 USD and up, and often include automatic self-cleaning, self-flushing, and self-closing lids.
In this post, we’ll explore smart toilet features and help you to decide whether investing in one is worth the money for you.
For other smart bathroom ideas that can transform your life, don’t miss my post on the 9 Coolest Smart Bathroom Ideas of the Year.
Are Smart Toilets Worth It?
Many people agree that smart toilets are worth the money for most people.
That said, if you are strapped for cash, it’s probably not worth ripping out your current toilet to fit a smart toilet.
There are several benefits to a smart toilet, and some of these benefits are going to save you a good chunk of change. Equally great, smart toilets can be eco-friendly. You can typically find smart toilets for $1,000 – $13,000 USD.
For a lot less, however, you can add a bidet attachment to your existing toilet.
If you are planning on replacing a toilet anyway, then a smart toilet may be worth the upgrade. When you use a smart toilet with a bidet or add a bidet attachment to your existing toilet, you’ll save a lot of money on toilet paper, too. (Read my post Is a Bidet Worth It? Yes and Here’s Why)
What Are the Features of a Smart Toilet?
Smart toilets can come loaded with a whole host of features. The more you spend, the more bells and whistles you’ll get.
Let’s run you through some of the awesome features that you may find loaded onto your smart toilet.
Smart Flushing
This is probably one of the features that you are going to love the most when you own a smart toilet.
Smart toilets can flush themselves! They have a small motion sensor built in. When you walk away from the toilet, the sensor will detect this, and the toilet will flush.
This is going to be brilliant for most families. After all, almost all of us know somebody that is notorious for ‘forgetting’ to flush the toilet!
Don’t worry if you are one of those people that enjoys a good flush while you are part-way through doing your business. Some of the better smart toilets on the market will do a half flush when you tap them with the side of your foot.
How is that for accommodating?!
Overflow Protection
I don’t care who you are. I am 100% certain that at some point, you have had to deal with an overflowing toilet.
This happens when your toilet is clogged, but you decide to flush the toilet anyway. Of course, the water that you are flushing in has nowhere to go but up. This can cause the toilet to overflow, creating a pretty bad mess.
Most smart toilets, including even the cheapest ones on the market, have built-in overflow protection. This means that the toilet is not going to flush if there is a blockage. This will give you an opportunity to clean it yourself. (Sadly, toilets that can unclog themselves don’t yet exist on the market.)
Water Conservation
Most smart toilets use a lot less water than your standard toilet.
In the age when everything is personalized and customized, your smart toilet will be no different; believe it or not, it will have built-in sensors to measure how much…umm…water pressure is required to wipe the bowl clean for each and every “event.”
Sure, the savings on your water bill may not necessarily be massive, but a penny saved is a penny earned, right? My Post, Water-Saving Toilets: How Much Will You Save will give you more details on how much money you will keep in your pocket!
Also find out what the best smart water-saving toilet is by reading my post, 9 Best Toilets to Save Water.
Self-Closing Lid
Yep! Many smart toilets on the market will have a self-closing lid, and some come with a slow closing lid. This means that you do not have to worry about there being an almighty clank when the toilet lid comes crashing down.
Bidet
A bidet can take the place of toilet paper by squirting water to clean your rear end. (Many people claim it is far more hygienic than using toilet paper.) Some of the better smart toilets with bidets also have a dryer built into them. This will save a whole lot of time, and you will feel ridiculously clean afterward. If you’re interested in a bidet, read my post How to Frind a Bidet That Fits Your Toilet to ensure you purchase the right bidet.
Now let’s talk about some of the features you’re more likely to find on more upscale smart toilets:
Adjustable Settings
Smart toilets will have adjustable settings built into them. This means you can program in the amount of pressure from the bidet based on the weight and preferences of each person in the family using the toilet. The smart toilet will then automatically adjust itself based upon who is sitting on the bathroom throne!
Music
Some smart toilets will even have music built into them. Now, many of us would prefer a good book to music. But just know that depending on the toilet model you choose, you may be able to hook ýour phone to the smart toilet speaker, or you may be able to store MP3 tracks on it.
Heated Seating & Foot Warmers
What more could you ask for when you need to do your business on a freezing cold, winter night than heated seating and foot warmers! In fact, a heated seat is probably one of the most desirable features in a smart toilet! And some smart toilets also include foot warmers.
Remote Control
Some of the more expensive toilets can connect up to your Wi-Fi. Once they are hooked up, you can control them from your smartphone…even if you are out of the house.
Now, you may not appreciate this brilliant feature, until you are rushing home from the grocery store and suddenly—urgently!—need to use the toilet. Wouldn’t you just love to flick a switch and guarantee a heated toilet seat when you walk through that door?
Self-Cleaning
Finally, the best smart toilets are self-cleaning. This means the dreaded task of scrubbing the toilet bowl will be forever gone. The self-cleaning toilets will likely use a lot less water than you would be using too.
Some people love the self-cleaning features. However, do bear in mind that you are likely only going to find this sort of feature in the most expensive smart toilets on the market.
Are Smart Toilets Hygienic?
If you have a smart toilet without a bidet, then a smart toilet is no more unhygienic than your standard toilet. In fact, for all intents and purposes, your smart toilet is just a standard toilet with a few cooler features built into it.
But if you have a smart toilet with a bidet, it can be a lot more hygienic than a typical toilet. This is because you won’t have to do as much reaching around and wiping, which can get bacteria all over your hands no matter how careful you try to be.
Many women who have vulvar and vaginal sensitivities claim the bidet is far more soothing to use than toilet paper, which can be irritating. If you have Irritable Bowel Syndrome or Crohn’s Disease, you might need to use toilet paper more frequently and cause serious irritation as well. The bidet can get you clean without any wiping.
Similarly, women who are pregnant and have trouble reaching their private parts can be assisted by a bidet. The same goes for seniors or anyone with mobility issues. Further, a study found that people with hemorrhoids and urogenital problems prefer to use a bidet.
Are Smart Toilets Good for the Environment?
Whether smart toilets are good for the environment is debatable. Here’s why: While smart toilets will use a lot less water than your typical toilet, many models do need to be powered by electricity.
Where we believe that a smart toilet is much better for the environment is when you get a smart toilet with a bidet.
It takes 37 gallons of water just to manufacture one roll of toilet paper, while a bidet can clean you up with less than a gallon.
We are certainly erring towards the fact that smart toilets are good for the environment. They are certainly no worse than your typical toilet.
How Much Do Smart Toilets Cost?
You can find smart toilets for $1,000 to $13,000 USD, but you can find smart toilet attachments like a TUSHY bidet attachment for about $100 USD.
Keep in mind that a smart toilet isn’t something that you will be replacing all that often, so you may want to purchase the one you really want for the long haul.
Smart Toilets Picks
In this section, I’ll discuss three great smart toilets. I didn’t go too cheap, though, because the cheapest smart toilets don’t include that many more features than a standard toilet. (You get self-flushing and not much else.)
EPLO Smart Toilet
The EPLO Smart Toilet is a fantastic smart toilet, and it isn’t even all that expensive.
It comes complete with a bidet system. Although, the real highlight here is that it also includes a feminine wash bidet. This can help keep all parts nice and clean.
The EPLO Smart Toilet also has air purifying. It can quickly eliminate odors.
EUROTO Smart Toilet with Bidet
You won’t get self-cleaning functionality with this toilet. However, there are a variety of energy-saving features that make it more than worth the cost.
Like most smart toilets, you will need an electrical supply to keep this one powered. However, there are multiple energy-saving features built into it that can help cut the amount of power that is being used. Together with the water-saving features, you’ll be doing well by the environment.
The best water-saving feature is the pressure adjustment. This automatically adjusts the power of the flush based upon what’s needed.
There are multiple bidet options, again, helping you to save on your water bill while keeping squeaky clean. And the bidet includes a warm air dryer.
Ove Decors Tuva Bidet Smart Toilet
The Ove Decors smart toilet contains a self-flushing and self-cleaning mode. Made of high-quality ceramic, it has an elongated bowl which some people find more comfortable. To find out if an elongated toilet seat is the right choice for you, read my post Round or Elongated Toilet Set for a Happy Bottom?
It has many great features, including a heated seat, soft-close, lid and automatic flush, and LED night light.
You can also save presets, so the bidet knows your preferences in terms of water pressure and temperature.
So Are Smart Toilets Worth the Money?
If you’re buying a new toilet anyway and have extra cash to spare, a smart toilet can definitely be worth it. Features like self-flushing, self-cleaning, and bidet can definitely enhance the quality of your day-to-day life.
And if you’re planning to remodel your bathroom, now is the time to think future-forward so that you will have a bathroom that will age well and endure the test of time. Consider other smart bathroom technologies including touchless faucets, steam-free bathroom mirrors, Bluetooth bathroom mirrors, smart lights and smart bathroom fans. Most of these technologies are eco-friendly, hygienic and add a touch of luxury to your everyday life.
Tags: bidet, ecofriendly, features, how much does a smart toilet cost, hygenic, Is a smart toilet worth the money?