The Benefit of One Piece Toilets in Three Little Words

Did you ever wonder who invented the first toilet? History of this now-ubiquitous plumbing fixture is colorful. It appears that Ismail al-Jazari, born in 1136 in Mesopotamia, is often cited as the man who invented a hand washing device incorporating the flush mechanism now used in modern toilets. However, since he didn’t use it in a toilet, he doesn’t get the credit. Some say that Queen Elizabeth I’s godson, Sir John Harrington, devised and installed the first flushing lavatory, which he called Ajax, in his home. When the Queen visited him, he proudly showed off his new invention and she asked him to install one at Hampton Court Palace, where she lived in the late 1500s.

Almost two hundred years later, a flushing water-closet similar to Harrington’s Ajax, was patented by Alexander Cummings of London. In 1848, a Public Health Act ruled that every new house in England needed to have a “w.c. (water closet), privy or ash pit” to dispose of our “night soil,” which was the name euphemistically given to human waste because it was removed from privies under the cloak of darkness so polite society would be spared from confronting their own excrement. From that point forward, the world decided toilets were a good idea. When John Michael Kohler founded his company in 1873 in Sheboygan, Wisconsin, little did he know that Kohler would be known for toilets. In fact, he made plows and other farm implements at the time. It wasn’t until the early 1900s that Kohler began making its mark as a plumbing fixture company. And in 1904, Kohler introduced the “Armeda” toilet, which was fitted together from a cast-iron toilet bowl that had been enameled with a porcelain coating.

Kohler’s Answer to Our Least-Favorite Chore

Around that time, Americans also discovered their least favorite household chore: cleaning the toilet. Almost 120 years later, Kohler now offers up a gleaming compromise: the one-piece toilet. You probably never really thought about it, but until now, most homes have had two-piece toilets. These are comprised of a separate tank and bowl that are assembled together to create the full toilet. While this has been the way we have known toilets to be, it has allowed for additional places for dirt and germs to hide in the joints between the two pieces.

Modern design and manufacturing now allow for casting the tank and bowl as a single piece, meaning the toilet is seamless. This toilet design offers a distinct advantage summed up in three little words: easy to clean! Without the seams, the fixture itself has a cleaner, more streamlined look and cleaning these toilets is a breeze

One-piece toilets are available in floor-mount or wall-mount models. The latter allows you to hang your toilet on the wall, eliminating even the seam where the toilet meets the floor. You can slide your mop right under the toilet for a truly clean sweep! Kohler now makes more than 20 one-piece toilet models to choose from, each with a distinct look. Whether your design style is traditional, transitional or extremely modern, there’s a Kohler one-piece toilet for you. 

Sink & Spout is home to not only the largest Kohler inventory in New England, but also New England’s Kohler experts. Our associates in all 15 showrooms have extensive training in Kohler products and design trends.