Swedish toilets and unrelated toilet myths

One of the first things I noticed during my initial visit to Sweden years ago was how deep the toilet water at my in laws' extended.  There was quite a distance between the toilet seat and the toilet water.  I thought this would be a great toilet to retire to – I’ve heard male equipments sag quite a bit in life's later years.  My retirement dreams were quickly put to rest one night when I got splashed while using the toilet, and I'm not the only foreigner who noticed this:  http://www.links.net/vita/trip/scand/plumbing/toilets.html

The water in Swedish toilets flushes straight down with force (no swirling).  Speaking of swirling, it’s a common misconception that toilet water swirls in different directions depending on which hemisphere, north or south the location of the toilet is.  The direction of the swirl depends on which way the rim jets are pointed, and has nothing to do with the earth’s magnetic field.

Recently, as I was using a public restroom I noticed a dual-flush toilet.  These toilets are an Australian invention.  There are two buttons to flush; one uses less water than the other.  You can guess which is for #1, and which for #2.  Dual-flush toilets are more expensive and use less water.  My wife’s mother told me a single flush doesn’t always do the job.  Dual-flush toilets are common in Swedish public restrooms.

Public restrooms here are not as common as in Southern California.  Years ago, I had to pay to use the public restroom at a mall in Lund (south of Sweden).  Now it’s free.  And I have yet to see toilet seat covers here.  Lo and behold, as I was researching this article, I realized toilet seat covers are unique to California only.  No other U.S. state makes them available in public restrooms.

WC, by the way, stands for “Water Closet”, an old term used for toilets with sinks in a designated room.

Thomas Crapper did not invent the flush toilet.  He made some improvements to it, such as inventing the ballcock.   The slang word “crapper” was also not borrowed from his last name.