Buying a new toilet seat can be a simple or as difficult as you like, depending on what you care about: materials, size, shape, cover prints, etc.
In this post, we aim to give you a good overview of the different things to consider when you’re looking to buy a new toilet seat.
Table of Contents
- 1 Buying a new toilet seat: Introduction
- 2 Toilet seat: Shape and fixing
- 3 Warmer sitting
- 4 History of the toilet and the seat
- 5 Material and cleaning of a toilet
- 6 Cover images available in many types
- 7 Brake mechanism on more expensive toilet seats
- 8 Brands and prices
- 9 Buying a new toilet seat: Conclusion
Buying a new toilet seat: Introduction
Using a toilet sitting down without a toilet seat is not comfortable.
Fortunately, it is rare for a toilet bowl to have no toilet seat.
Still, it can happen as in the vandalistic destruction of a public toilet. Repairs there usually take longer than when a toilet seat is broken at home.
But the comfort of a toilet seat is actually indispensable. Yet a toilet seat also has another function if equipped with a closing lid.
In particular, the lid is intended as an embellishment of the toilet. Many types of images can be found on those surfaces.
Toilet seat: Shape and fixing
The shape of a toilet seat matches the top of the toilet bowl, which is oval. The middle area of a toilet seat is open.
The seat is attached to the toilet bowl with a hinge, and that’s a good thing. After all, we must also be able to put up the seat.
Warmer sitting
The toilet seat material generally provides a warmer seat than the porcelain of the pot.
In addition, more expensive versions are sometimes equipped with heating which provides extra comfort.
Because the seat has a larger surface area than the top edge of the pot, sitting on them is also more comfortable.
History of the toilet and the seat
Some type of toilet seat has actually been around for centuries and was used on the first toilets and poop boxes from the Middle Ages.
The first toilets consisted of a slab of wood or clay with a hole in it like in the later toilet seats.
So the difference is that the original shape was a square or rectangle and later a kind of half-frame of about three inches wide.
A bucket or an open sewer or flowing ditch was underneath that slab of wood or clay.
There are also examples of castles where there was a lake or river (deep) under the slab.
Later, in the Middle Ages, a toilet consisted of a box with a hole in the lid. Inside that box was a bucket that could be quickly emptied because the lid could be lifted.
Such toilets are also referred to as poop boxes. In the homes of wealthy people, the lid was sometimes covered with velvet or cushions.
Toilets in the form of simple poop boxes continued to be used for centuries, sometimes well into the twentieth century (these are now inconceivable because we would be afraid to poop out of shame).
Material and cleaning of a toilet
Most toilet seats are made of plastic, but lacquered wood is also common.
The seat’s material must have the ability to be appropriately cleaned where, unfortunately, environmentally friendly cleaning agents are not always used.
Some toilets have a self-cleaning program where the seat is automatically cleaned after each visit to the bathroom. The material used must then also be suitable for this cleaning mechanism.
Overweight users should also pay attention to the quality of the materials and aim to find a heavy-duty toilet seat, such as these toilet seats that are top rated for heavy users.
Cover images available in many types
The lid on the toilet seat serves primarily as a shield from the toilet bowl. It is also a more pleasant idea for a toilet user to close the lid first and then flush.
With sturdy material, a toilet bowl with a closed lid can also serve as a seat, for example, in a small bathroom.
However, the lid is a great surface to add a different look to the toilet for many.
Those who do not choose an inconspicuous color can choose from a wide range of lids available in all colors of the rainbow.
In addition, there are also numerous toilet lids with images on them.
Prints are available such as plants, flowers, beaches, mountains, abstract figures, aquarium scenes, pictures of animals or famous buildings, paintings, and so on.
Brake mechanism on more expensive toilet seats
A particular version of a toilet seat, also referred to as a soft-close mechanism, cannot accidentally slam shut hard.
A brake mechanism causes the seat to lower slowly.
Such seats will be very welcome in a household with small children who may let the seat slip out of their hands.
But this type of toilet seat is also helpful for other toilet users.
Brands and prices
Toilet seats are available from a variety of brands.
Because there are numerous designs available, the seats also come in various price ranges.
Discount offers also regularly appear on the market, which is a bonus even though the expense of a toilet bowl does not have to make a big hole in your budget.
Buying a new toilet seat: Conclusion
In the end, it comes down to your personal preference of materials, size, shape, cover prints and so on.
Most toilet seats will be just fine for any regular user. However, heavy-duty seats optimized for overweight users definitely exist as well.
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