Wednesday, March 29, 2017

Replacement Toilet Lids and Seats - What happens when you don't use a toilet seat cover?- This Old Toilet 800-658-4521





There's a certain comfort in the toilet seat cover, the tissue-thin layer of grace between your bare behind and a piece of cold, dirty plastic. But what happens if you forgo the cover, boldly plopping down on a surface crawling with who knows what?



Probably nothing, according to public health experts. Seat covers do not stop germs, they said, and you're not likely to catch an infection from a toilet, anyway.
Toilet seat covers are absorbent and bacteria and viruses are tiny, able to pass through the relatively large holes in the cover's paper, said Kelly Reynolds, a public health researcher at the University of Arizona. That means they don't stop the spread of germs, she said, but the risk of germ transmission from your skin touching a toilet seat is unlikely in the first place.

Germs will more likely spread after you flush, when bits of fecal matter blast into the air in aerosol form, a phenomenon known as "toilet plume." From there, Reynolds said, the "bits of fecal matter settle on surfaces, contaminate hands and then get spread to the eyes, nose or mouth."

Dr. William Schaffner, a professor of preventative medicine at Vanderbilt University, agreed. He pooh-poohed seat covers to the Huffington Post, which found research has refuted notions that toilet seats spread sexually transmitted infections or gastrointestinal infections.

“That’s because toilet seats are not a vehicle for the transmission of any infectious agents—you won’t catch anything,” Schaffner said.

And covering the seat with toilet paper? That may even make things worse. Placing pieces of toilet paper around the seat as an impromptu cover only increases the surface area for germs to multiply on, as Raymond Martin, a director with the British Toilet Association, told Buzzfeed. That makes it "considerably less hygienic," he said. (And toilet plumes may have blasted fecal matter onto the toilet paper anyway.)
The seat covers can keep things cleaner, however, said Reynolds: They make people more likely to sit on toilets rather than hover over them, reducing general splatter. That makes them a "net benefit," she said.
The biggest risk in public restrooms remains the spread of fecal matter to the mouth, Reynolds said, and that starts with the hands. Just remember to wash your hands, lathering with soap and scrubbing for 20 seconds before rinsing, as the CDC recommends. Then you're truly covered.

source: http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation-now/2017/03/17/what-happens-when-you-dont-use-toilet-seat-cover/99293226/
by Josh Hafner

http://www.thisoldtoilet.com

Wednesday, March 22, 2017

Replacement Toilet Lids and Seats - This is why you should stop taking your phone to the toilet IMMEDIATELY- This Old Toilet 800-658-4521







A Montgomery County business owner is ready for the snow, with a plow unlike any you’ve ever seen. 
It’s made with a toilet.

David Goldberg is looking forward to the snowflakes after turning a snow blower, motor and toilet into a snowplow. He calls it Loo-cy. Goldberg created it a few years ago after he said shoveling got too tedious.
He gets a lot of looks, but said the porcelain plow does a great job. He plans to use it outside his business Tuesday in Bethesda.

“It has done well except that last quarter inch in last year's blizzard, for six inches it works wonderfully,” Goldberg said.
He added a salter this year and next year his snowplow throne will have a heated seat.




source: http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation-now/2017/03/14/maryland-man-made-snowplow-using-toilet-prepare-winter-storm-stella/99154866/
by Janice Park

http://www.thisoldtoilet.com

Wednesday, March 15, 2017

Replacement Toilet Lids and Seats -Save money with new toilet - This Old Toilet 800-658-4521






Don’t flush your money down the drain.
On average, people flush their toilets about 2,000 times per year, noting that when testing a toilet’s maximum performance, it’s done in the number of grams of waste in a single flush. The minimum standard is about 350 grams, Griffis said.
As of about 15 years ago, all toilets had to be 1.6 gallons per flush or lower. There are about 3,785.4 grams in one gallon.
“Anything above a 1.6 is an old toilet, but we see old toilets and unfortunately, they average three to five gallons per flush. If they don’t work well, you flush it once, it doesn’t go down, you flush it again,” 
There are also the dual flush toilets. The first option for liquid waste is one gallon per flush and the second option for solid waste is about 1.5 or 1.6 gallons per flush, she said, stating there is a lot of savings to be had with the dual flush toilets.
Toilets are one of two biggest factors in a water bill, with the other being showers,  that there are also water efficient shower heads. 
Water efficient toilets don’t cost more than regular toilets either. The cost comes in the quality and manufacturer of the toilet.
Though there was some wariness about them in past years, the 1.28 gallon toilets work really well now.
As long as you’re buying a quality toilet, that toilet’s going to work great for you.

source: https://www.pvtrib.com/news/2017/mar/08/save-money-new-toilet/
by Jason Wheeler
http://www.thisoldtoilet.com

Wednesday, March 8, 2017

Replacement Toilet Lids and Seats - This is why you should stop taking your phone to the toilet IMMEDIATELY- This Old Toilet 800-658-4521


TAKING your phone to the loo with you might seem like a harmless thing to do.
But it could end up making you ill – as harmful germs, wait for it… migrate from your poo to your mouth.


Germs from the toilet and surrounding surfaces will get onto your hand and end up on your phone, an expert has warned
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Germs from the toilet and surrounding surfaces will get onto your hand and end up on your phone, an expert has warned

And what’s worse is it’s not just your germs.
They are germs from anyone who has sat upon that same porcelain throne, one expert has warned.
The bugs inhabit the loo seat, the flush handle, the loo roll holder, even the door into the cubicle or bathroom.
They worm their way into any nook or cranny.
And while you might be borderline obsessional about hygiene when you pop to the lav, can you really trust that everyone else has been as considerate?
The Hygiene Doctor, Lisa Ackerley, urges you to think about the journey these germs take.
Where they are, how they will make the leap to your phone, and how they could then infect you – having invaded your mouth.
With that in mind, her advise is to leave your phone behind.
She told The Sun Online we pick up germs by touching surfaces in the cubicle.
These can then be transferred straight on to your phone.
And, even if you wash your hands, they will be transferred back to you.


Norovirus, also called the winter vomiting bug, can make you projectile vomit and give you watery diarrhoea
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Norovirus, also called the winter vomiting bug, can make you projectile vomit and give you watery diarrhoea

Dr Ackerley said: “If you take your phone to the toilet then you risk getting it covered in germs.
“In the loo there will be other people’s germs on the seat, loo flush handle or button and loo roll holder, and the door to the cubicle.
“These germs could include anything from norovirus to salmonella. So you don’t want those on your phone.
“To put it bluntly, germs go through toilet paper, so after you have finished on the loo, your hands are dirty, which is why you wash them afterwards.
In the loo there will be other people’s germs on the seat, loo flush handle or button and loo roll holder, and the door to the cubicle. These germs could include anything from norovirus to salmonella
Dr Lisa AckerleyThe Hygiene Doctor

“So if your hands are dirty, and contaminated with viruses or bacteria, and you pick up your phone after using the loo, then you will be transferring your germs and any others your hands have picked up onto the phone and then back on to your hands, even if you wash them after.
“The germs can then go either straight into your mouth – through nail biting or eating crisps – or from your hands to food – like making a sandwich.
“They can also go onto any surface where the phone goes.
“So if you share your phone with someone then you could be sharing out all the germs you picked up from the toilet.”
But, if taking your phone to the toilet is the only way you can sneakily check your messages at work, or you really must catch up on the days current affairs, then there are ways to minimise the amount of germs you will pick up.
Dr Ackerley said: “Let me make it clear – I’m not advocating using phones in the loo, but just being realistic about what people do.
“Keep the phone in your left hand.


Dr Ackerley says if you must take your phone to the loo, only touch it with one hand and thoroughly wash both hands afterwards
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Dr Ackerley says if you must take your phone to the loo, only touch it with one hand and thoroughly wash both hands afterwards

“Don’t touch anything else with your left hand.
“Use your right hand to wipe your bum, flush the loo and touch the door handle.
“Put your phone in your pocket or handbag with your left hand and then wash both hands thoroughly.”
If you are left handed, you can hold your phone in your right hand to free up you left hand for the job.
Norovirus is one of the most common stomach bugs in the UK and is also referred to as “the winter vomiting bug”.
It is very unpleasant but usually clears itself up in a few days.
source: https://www.thesun.co.uk/living/2890620/this-is-why-you-should-stop-taking-your-phone-to-the-toilet-immediately/
by Andrea Downey
http://www.thisoldtoilet.com

Wednesday, March 1, 2017

Replacement Toilet Lids and Seats - Toilet humor draws donations for Thomas Jefferson High School - This Old Toilet 800-658-4521


Tabitha Wood’s house on the east end of Council Bluffs was the talk of neighborhood earlier this week.
Wood woke up to an unusual object outside her home: a bright-orange toilet.
“The first reaction was just wondering who put it there,” she said. “It was pretty fun.”
Teenagers had delivered the fixture to Wood’s porch overnight. It came with a sign explaining it is a fundraiser for Thomas Jefferson High School’s post-prom.
“It was pretty fun,” Wood said. “I think it is pretty clever and people get a kick out of it.”
Three toilets are circulating throughout the Council Bluffs Community School District, with two in Council Bluffs and one in Carter Lake, said Jen Clark, an administrative assistant at T.J. who works with students organizing post-prom.
The idea came from image sharing website Pinterest, although Abraham Lincoln High School students have done a similar fundraiser in the past as well. Clark said this is the first time she’s aware of T.J. using toilets to flush out donations from the community.
Those receiving the toilet on their lawn or porch are asked to contribute $10 to have students come haul it away. For $20, they can choose a friend or neighbor to have the toilet delivered to, while a $30 donation buys insurance that it won’t make a return visit.
Clark said the toilets will continue circulating into March. Prom is scheduled for April 1, so the final preparations for post-prom will wrap up in advance of the dance.
The toilet deliveries will be in addition to other fundraisers for the event, which gives students somewhere safe to spend the evening after the culminating school social event of the year.
No specific goal for the fundraiser was set, since it was the first time T.J. did it, Clark said.
“This has, I think, exceeded their expectations because everyone has been more than generous,” she said, adding that people have given $50 or $100 – not the minimum of $30 – to buy the “insurance” to keep the toilet from coming back a second time.
Woods opted for the $10 donation, noting that her son attends A.L. But Superintendent Martha Bruckner was among those who bought the piece of mind.
The toilet read “you’ve been dumped on,” Bruckner said, after finding a bright black-and-orange toilet in her driveway on Monday. She described the fundraiser as a variation of teens “TPing” someone’s house with toilet paper, except it was a harmless way to get some attention and donations.
Bruckner said she paid to have the toilet delivered to Deb Goodman, a curriculum coach at T.J. who lives close to her house. Those receiving the toilets are given an anonymous number to call to make their pledge and set up a transfer of the fixture.
Clark said the students are receiving a positive response so far.
“The group thought this might be something different than the typical candy bar sales or something like that,” Clark said. “They’ve done really well. People seem to think it’s pretty funny.”
source: http://www.nonpareilonline.com/news/local/toilet-humor-draws-donations-for-thomas-jefferson-high-school/article_22315940-f97c-11e6-8a07-278ae2941dfd.html
by Scott Stewart & Krystal Sidzyik
http://www.thisoldtoilet.com