Arguably the most alarming feature of a Water Closet is the infamous Dutch toilet bowl. Dutch engineers have designed the bowl itself to contain a plateau set well above the normal water level.
The purpose of the shelf is inspection. You're meant to look at the consistency, shape, color, abnormalities, etc. before flushing, and then hope that the rush of water cleans the shelf enough – otherwise, that's what the brush is for.
European toilets use less water (and may have the "dual-flush" option that lets users choose a lighter flush for liquid waste), and there's less splashback and less noise involved.
What is the typical Dutch toilet? The bowl has a unique shape which includes a sort of shelf, a little bit above the water level. Or as one of the students says in the video, there's an extra step, before the little pond at the bottom of your toilet.
The Dutch are threatened by flooding from both the sea and from rivers. To keep low-lying land free of water, they use dikes, which are walls that are built to keep water out. Along with the dikes, they use continuously operating pumps. If the pumps stopped, water would eventually seep back into low-lying land.
Most Italian public toilets don't have a toilet seat.
This has to do with maintenance. Since public toilets are often less than spotless, people often climb with their shoes on top of them, not to sit on a potentially dirty seat.
Meanwhile, in Australia and Europe, water is used to push the waste down the drain, so the “trap way” can be much wider, and less prone to blockages. It's also why there is much less water in an Australian or European toilet bowl, than there is in a US one.
IT IS FOR WATER CONSERVATION: The larger lever is to flush out around 6 to 9 liters of water, whereas the smaller lever is to flush out around 3 to 4.5 liters of water. Clearly, the larger one is to flush solid waste and the smaller one is to flush liquid waste.
Why is There a Sink in The Bedroom? It may seem a bit weird to see a sink in the bedroom, but it is quite common in the older parts of the cities! In the good old days, sinks were often in the bedrooms because showers were not in your typical dutch apartment until about 50 years ago!
No Bidet Spray
Yes, it is true. Most of us do not properly wash our butts after a poopy session. Instead, we only use paper to dry-wipe our filthy derrières. Whether you call it a bidet spray, shower rinse, or bum gun (my personal favourite), you're generally not going to find one in a Dutch home.
Those were once free stalls for women created in the 1970s after a demonstration demanded equal public toilet opportunities. Unfortunately they've been closed for years due to improper use—notably drug use—by locals with bad habits.
While not every country is governed by these rules, many site toilets still adopt this seat style for hygiene reasons. Split toilet seats offer more space so the user won't accidentally hit the seat with their genitals, and it also reduces the chance of splashing urine onto the front of the seat.
They are intended to be used when seated. The hinged seat is the part of the toilet that sits on while really using it (in the case of a woman) ... The lid stops debris from falling into the toilet and spray from filling the air when the flush the toilet by preventing objects from falling into the toilet.
One of the reasons some countries have always favoured toilet paper, it appears, is the climate. Most countries in Northern Europe are cold for a good part of the year, and although we live in the 21st century and water heating is available today, it's just a habit that's been passed down the ages.
I m told that the shelf is indeed to catch one's leavings for examination. I have even heard this is for easy stool sample collection. How many stool samples is the average German taking? The obvious downside (besides smell) is how to get the poo all the way down.
Empathizing with the Greeks
Believe it or not, Greece is by far not the only European country where you can't flush your toilet paper. It is in good company with 9 others: Belarus, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Moldova, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Turkey, and Ukraine.
After pooping, Italians use toilet paper on their butt, but not obsessively so. The person will get themselves clean enough then slide themselves from the toilet seat to sit on the bidet and get extra-specially clean.
France, Portugal, Italy, Japan, Argentina, Venezuela, and Spain: Instead of toilet paper, people from these countries (most of them from Europe) usually have a bidet in their washrooms. A bidet like a toilet, but also includes a spout that streams water like a water fountain to rinse you clean.
Some higher class hotels have European-style flush toilets, but it should be fairly obvious which are which. France – Contrary to popular belief, many places in France have toilets that you can actually safely use and you'll be able to flush the paper. This isn't the 1980s you know.
The Dutch simply put on a rain coat, a “rain suit”, or they get out their umbrellas.
The Netherlands sources its drinking water from groundwater and from surface water. The drinking water companies purify water from these sources, producing drinking water that complies with statutory requirements. These vital institutions also monitor the quality of drinking water from source to tap.
River dikes prevent flooding from water flowing into the country by the major rivers Rhine and Meuse, while a complicated system of drainage ditches, canals, and pumping stations (historically: windmills) keep the low-lying parts dry for habitation and agriculture.