American Reacts to "Why American Toilets Suck"

[@HailHeidi]

Hiii everyone, those of you saying that America isn't a country or that it's a continent... different countries see this differently. In many countries, it's taught that North America and South America are two separate continents, there are 7 continents, and the USA is indeed a country, and one of its nicknames is America, since it's in the name. I'm going to keep using terminology that makes sense to me. 👍 But yes, I have heard the other points of view.

[@squidcaps4308]

The two flush buttons: #2 is the bigger button.

[@freudenberg101]

I have an IFÖ Sign toilet. It has one button that pivots left or right depending on the load. This is in Sweden.

[@hummingbird3771]

If another country also referred to itself as America I could see it being a problem, but they don't, so....I do make a distinction about the people. I think it's egotistical to refer to ourselves as Americans, and people from Mexico as Mexican, because they are in fact Americans, too, and that false division seems like a kinda racist micro-aggression. I think that distinction is important, like the difference between "oriental" and "Asian". Can you imagine how butt-hurt US citizens would be if Canada started calling itself North America?! lol! Kinda random, but have you heard the rock group Shinedown? I think this is the kind of vocal you were looking for in your Phantom of the Opera reaction video. Great songwriters full of heart and lived experience. They're sober and tearing it up!!! kzbin.info/www/bejne/qp6wgICBashne7s

[@adammarcinkowski-ko3el]

Ok Girl name out your channel is ... bad , "heil" , I would remove it , YT algorythm block such words.

[@VRPA3D]

@@adammarcinkowski-ko3el why it would be bad? 🤣🤣

[@Narangarath]

I grew up in Finland and have lived in Canada since 2012, I don't personally find there to be any meaningful odour reduction with more water in the bowl. What I do find, is that with more water there's a significantly larger chance of splash back and I am 9000% not ok with that at all, especially in a public restroom. Ugh, just thinking about it is making my skin crawl.

[@jaysimoes3705]

I thought so. Yuck!

[@lenusniq_9746]

The moment I saw that American water level, I cringed as I immediately thought about the splash back... yuck.

[@paul1979uk2000]

100% true, especially if having a crap, I find it annoying and not very clean, it's also more wasteful because you end up using more toilet paper because of the splash back. I know this because we had an American style toilet years ago and about 10 years ago, got a European style toilet in our UK home, it's far cleaner, no splash back and I've noticed that the flush power is much stronger, but I don't know if that's European, American related when it comes to toilets, might just be that toilet I have does it better.

[@tonikaihola5408]

I was in Austria this summer and the poop shelf design (hole in the front) meant no splash whatsoever! More odor though 😅 And much less paper

[@icoborg]

i honestly dont understand how you dont shit on yourself...especially in the less fortunate days...

[@firbolg]

As a former EMT in Europe, I can assure a stall door won't stop a paramedic from reaching a person inside... might slow it down for like 10sec... but they usually have a slotted key indent that allows you to open the stall and/or a sturdy dry kick will work as a last resort.

[@volundrfrey896]

Further more with modern interior doors you can just give it a strong pull and you'll rip it apart. They're mostly cardboard in both the US and Europe.

[@genorp]

No clue as to why he kept insisting the UK uses the US-style toilet. I have never seen a siphonic/high-water line toilet in the UK.

[@gonace]

Swede here, I've never worked at a workplace where they had stalled, at least where I worked there have been multiple (but smaller) toilets that have their own sinks, just like home.

[@Summer_and_Rain]

In Denmark it is a bit of a mix. From what I see, older places are mostly gendered areas with stalls. But when it is time to renovate, it seems that more opt to have unisex bathrooms, with toilet and sinks. Smaller places might only have one unisex bathroom.

[@katrinabryce]

In the UK it is pretty much always what they describe as the "French" style toilet. I've only seen the supposedly British ones on trains and aircraft. You can usually open the cubicle lock from the outside with a big flat-blade screwdriver, so it is not going to be a problem for an emergency worker to get inside.

[@paulthomas8262]

It is kind of in-between there is a vacuum but the water level is much lower then US. In any case he water level must be set right, that is why toilets smell. The water line plus a bend prevent sewer gases from coming out of the bowl. I agree the toilet with a high water line a very rare like in old school and hospitals, maybe the old outhouses in terraced house which are mostly gone now. Compact toilet are what are really breaking the mould becuase the is no ballcock and the have a kind of syphon in the tank. Instead the plunger moves a piston. But they can be temperamental.

[@derekallen3979]

"...You can usually open the cubicle lock from the outside with a big flat-blade screwdriver, " They are designed to be opened with na coin which will always be available.

[@katrinabryce]

@@derekallen3979 In the past, maybe. But I mostly go out with Apple Pay as my only means of payment.

[@blotski]

Thank you for pointing this out. I wasn't sure but did some research and sure enough the original video was completely mistaken. Siphonic toilets are not the norm in the UK. We have wash down toilets. Poor research by the original poster.

[@paulthomas8262]

@@blotski The original video was using a political commenter to answer a plumbing question.I think that is where they went wrong...

[@dailtelegraph4965]

I'm Polish, and in my experience, when it comes to the dual flush, it's either there are 2 sizes of the buttons, then you press the smaller one for the smaller flush or the bigger one for a "full flush" (you can often also hold the smaller button to regulate how much you want to flush), or, if the buttons are the same size, it doesn't matter which one you press, they both do a small flush, BUT if you press them both at the same time, that's a "full flush", if that makes any sense :)

[@WaddleQwacker]

At least in France (dunno about elsewhere) there are also single buttons that just keep flushing as long as you press them, so you are in full control. It's kinda cool because if you have an exceptionally heavy load you can just keep going on, and it can be plugged directly to the water intake without a tank, so less expensive, and you don't have to wait for the tank to be full in order to be effective. But public spaces and restaurants quickly replaced them all by dual buttons because we all know one person with less than two brain cells that will keep the button pressed down for 15 min just for fun.

[@dailtelegraph4965]

@@WaddleQwacker That's interesting, not something I've seen in Poland. I'm also pretty sure the other side of the spectrum would show up as well, pressing the button once and complaining it's "not working" XD but for a home, I think that'd be a great idea. I wonder if they sell toilets like that here...

[@MichaelBerthelsen]

There is often a difference in Western Europe, even if the markings are the same size: One is half-shaded, one is fully shaded, the half being the smaller flush.

[@manub.3847]

I can remember that in the past and possibly still today, some toilet rooms, especially in European department stores, were also open at the bottom and did not reach the ceiling. We were told at the time that this made cleaning easier: Pour out a bucket of soapy water and wipe it away, since there are only "separating legs" in the way and not "walls".

[@michaelgoetze2103]

That makes more sense.

[@michaeltb1358]

But the doors still fitted at the sides.

[@Narangarath]

@@michaeltb1358 And the gap wasn't knee height.

[@futurefox128]

US restaurants: Please eat as fast as possible. US toilets: Please sh*t as fast as possible. It all makes sense now.

[@RyanRyzzo]

Stripes make things go faster!

[@billyhills9933]

Sounds like they're one step away from replacing chairs with commodes so people can do both at the same time.

[@valentintapata2268]

@@billyhills9933 Aren't there sofas and gaming chairs like that already available in USA?

[@Hodoss]

Live fast, eat fast, shit fast, die young.

[@McKamikazeHighlander]

That's because US companies see people as dollar signs on an assembly line. Not as people

[@derekallen3979]

I would be quite interested to hear Heidi's comments about the so-called Turkish toilets where there is no cermic pedestal , just a couple of foot-prints moulded into the ceramic floor. The video is completely wrong about American syphonic toilets in the UK. I have never seen one anywhere plus they would contravene regulations which limit a single flush to maximum 6 litres.

[@delphzouzou4520]

I heard that in Turkey they call that 'french toilets" for some reason, I don't know if it's true...

[@edonveil9887]

​@delphzouzou4520 not unbeknownst to Paris.

[@jal051]

You used to find those at gas stations and some bars in Spain back in the day. Fortunately they're gone now.

[@fredosinsemilla3896]

I saw lots of them in Greece back in the 80's. I never took a dump in them though.

[@NerdburgChannel]

ah the good old fashioned "long drop"

[@janvandenhurk3251]

Here in Europe the dual flush (2 buttons) is for 'small button' pee/little diahrea & the 'big button' for the big dump loads .... Also the 'schelf toilets' mostly still in the Netherlands are for taking a stool sample or inspect your poo when/if you have a infection of worms

[@billyhills9933]

I immediately thought of one of these when my doctor wanted a sample for bowel cancer screening. Instead, I had to use cling film.

[@janvandenhurk3251]

@@billyhills9933 yup .... here we all take a little scoop from the platform for the sample .... and parents can check if their little kids have worms or possible bleeding inside .... wich is not possible in the american toilets

[@nirfz]

We had those shelf ones in austria long ago too, but nowadays you can't even find them to buy anymore. They do offer the advantage you mentioned, the disadvantage though is that it "smells" more. As it isn't covered by water.

[@wncjan]

First time I met shelf toilets was actually in motels in USA back around 2000.

[@janvandenhurk3251]

@@nirfz If you're willing to pay the p&p transport fees, you might look online in European online-webshops

[@WaddleQwacker]

I'm French moved to Canada. I don't think I have noticed any gaps in stalls in France, but I definitely notice them all the time here and it's sometimes even large enough for my fingers and/or with the toilet seat aligned on it. I haven't noticed any difference in smell, but I definitely have more clogs and I have to clean my entire bathroom more often because it easily splashes out. Also get splashed while sitting on it. It's the worse when in winter.

[@alicetwain]

Usually in Europe you are allowed planned breaks while working. EU mandates a break in every 6 hours shift, but the duration of the break is determined at national leve, either by law or through negotiation between unions and industries (or a combination of the two). In Italy it's 30 minutes mandatory break in every 6 hours shift, and goes up to a 60 minutes lunch break for the 8 hours shifts. Exceptions can be made for "hospitals or similar establishments, fire and civil protection services, industries where work cannot be interrupted for technical reasons, agriculture". Plus if you are working at a computer or in direct contact with the public you have the right for an extra 5-10 minutes (this varies depending on the jobs) break every 2 hours for resting, etc. So, you don't really need to lock yourself up in the toilet, if you need a break you just use your midmorning 10 minutes break. It's a recognised fact that such breaks increase productivity because they allow the worker to have a little rest.

[@eiramg]

In France, you have 3 minutes of break for each hour worked in a shift. So if for exemple your morning shift last 5 hours, your break will last 15 minutes. And for toilet break you take it whenever you need (of course you must not abuse it, you don t spend 20 minutes on the toilet ^^') and for certain situation, you must inform your chief/manager for them for some reasons (for exemple, a cashier must inform the information desk (accueil) for them to find a temporary replacement if needed)

[@Cdr_Mansfield_Cumming]

“Breaks? Breaks?” Our friends in the USA suffer from a management mentality that they employ drones not humans. A great deal of wonderful praise in Europe needs to be heaped on the Unions who fought long and hard for proper breaks. Of course, that mantle has been taken up for the EU who have managed to federate breaks across all European member countries to have a recognised minimum. (Yes, including the UK. Were hopefully, some political party at some point will recognise the error. The people made in electing to leave the EU and rejoin). Trying to understand how people actually function in the United States with no real recognised holidays. Let alone breaks during the working hours is something that makes me a Brit, scratch my European head.

[@CVLova]

at my job in norway we have 1 15 minute break at 9:30 and one 30 minute break at 11:30.

[@VRPA3D]

I have brake 15min at 9:30 then 45min at 12:00 and 10min at 14:30 in Netherlands. We work from 7:00 to 16:00 (9 hours) but you get paid 8 hours and that is totally fine for me

[@eiramg]

@@VRPA3D lunch break is not counted as a "break" in France, it s a break that is not paid, and you can go home to eat or go buya sandwich or go to a restaurant or a café, or bring your own lunch to your job and eat there in the break room but you re outside hours of work so you re free. What I meant by break is "paid breaks", during work hours. And this ratio of 3mins/hours is mandatory in France ^^ as for working hours, it depends on the bussiness. I work in a supermarket, open from 8:30 to 20 during the week and in the morning the sunday. As i m preparing customers s orders (drive), i can start as early as 7 and finish at 20, it depends on the timetable with my collegues. And you re forbidden to work more than 10 hours a day, except if the business has a derogation in which case you cas work up to 12 hours a day

[@leDespicable]

I don't know if it's always like that, but the most common arrangement for the two buttons will have the big flush on the left, and the light flush on the right. So far I've never encountered a toilet where it was different, but you never know, there could be exceptions

[@davidhyams2769]

It's due to the arrangement of the flush mechanism inside the tank.

[@jal051]

The big flush side is often bigger too.

[@franciscomanuelteruelgutie6790]

Spaniard here: this seems to be the standard in Spain, too. But I'm only talking from my personal experiences and impressions.

[@BlackHoleSpain]

@@franciscomanuelteruelgutie6790 Not really, at homes you don't find 2 buttons next to each other, however small one *INSIDE* big one is more common.

[@Narangarath]

I was thinking about this too, and I can't at least recall the light flush being on the left unless the design of the button is unusual (and then it's typically very obvious which button is which).

[@ninjaundermyskin]

Haha loved the closing, "maximize raw output"

[@daroldteitzel1649]

Was drawn in to the title of the video and not disappointed. Interesting content. Great video for sure.

[@Ohjeezno]

It's clear that you haven't been needing to use a remotely located gas station toilet in France during your trip. That would have been an experience you'd definitely have mentioned 😂

[@machintrucGaming]

Yes ! remote un-manned rest area toilets tend to be something else entirely !

[@kevinshort3943]

I am still traumatised from a Belgen one, from when I was a kid.

[@HailHeidi]

Lol I'll definitely be talking about when I tried using a public bathroom ONE time in France in a video coming up. 😅

[@interstellar.overdrive]

July of 2007, Narbonne plage. That's when and where I experienced it for the first time :D

[@jaysimoes3705]

Well France is getting much and much better too. It is not like how it was in the 80s.

[@tonchrysoprase8654]

Argh, I just did some re-modeling in the US and tried to get some first world standard. Suffice it to say my kids have to find some other way to pay for college, but I have a bloody in-wall tank like a normal person. And yes, in the extremely unlikely event that the flushing mechanism issue, you can service it without taking out the tilework. It's as if millions of people using a system for decades literally figured shit out - also, figuratively. The thing I always found amazing, tho are the stalls. The most prudish nation in the western world and public toilets have gaps you can drive a semi through so every passerby can get a good look at me taking a dump. That said, recently at my job they found the most American solution to the issue: a branded rubbery gap filler to fix an issue that should never had existed for an obscene amount of money.

[@jurgenporn1867]

This is youtube at its best. Something everybody is engaged in. Although the topic seems weird, it is just interesting.

[@bjornh4664]

As for how to easily see if a stall is occupied, the neatest solution I've seen (in Sweden) is the stall door handles made from clear plastic, with a red and a green diode lighting it up if it's occupied or not, respectively.

[@Deailon]

A low-tech solution in two-color plastic or wood that moves with the lock showing dark red when closed (dark is for the colour blind). It is so cheap, easy to notice and common I cannot understand the point of "knowing if it is occupied by watching if there are legs visible".

[@nirfz]

Most of the time the easiest way to spot occupation is: the door is actually closed. So many people leave the doors open when they leave, that in most cases that is enough clue. (And yes the little disc that turns between white and red or green and red is common here in europe.

[@valsblueforrest2961]

​@@nirfz Yes, just like the toilets in airplanes.

[@TooEasyL2P]

If you have same size it should be that "smaller" one is way easier to press and "bigger" is harder.

[@BuzzaB77]

I'm from the UK and I only encounter syphoning toilets in hotels typically.

[@Dritkant]

I’ve tried one of those old Dutch toilets, where the heavy load lands on a plateau, so you can inspect it before flushing 😂

[@johnklaassen9125]

When it drops on the plateau, you won't get sprayed by your own mix.

[@gedeuchnixan3830]

"Everything comes down to poo, from the top of your head to the soal of your shoe" how are you suppose to answere your doctor "what does your poo look like" when it´s soaked in water before you can take a look?

[@edonveil9887]

Sometimes even after the flushing...

[@michaeltb1358]

Also in Germany. The smell is terrible.

[@gedeuchnixan3830]

@@michaeltb1358 If the smell is a concern to you, you should rather check your diet than complaining about sanitary installations, if you have a good diet it doesn´t even smell at all. But how are US americans with the garbage they eat suppose to know?

[@Mimer6]

In Sweden, the focus is not on getting the most working hours per day, but on getting the most produced per day. Normally it is 8 hours with 2 coffee breaks of 15 minutes in addition to a Lunch. People are now talking about going down to 6 hours per day and productivity is almost the same in most professions anyway. It has been seen that significantly less is produced if it is a 10-hour day than if it is an 8-hour day. 8 hours is full speed while 10 hours is a bit at half speed instead. Svenska Toilet rooms are completely closed with a threshold at the bottom. If you are going to flush a lot - which button do you think you should choose the small or the big button? Many times it is a full circle on the large flush and a half circle on the small. But no police will come and take one if you hit the wrong button.

[@MrTjonke]

Often when you have a button that looks the same on both sides, there is a small difference: there is usually things like two water drops icons || one water drop.

[@peterheggs512]

1:30 idk, I always thought america is compromised of two continents (North & South America) and not a country

[@MelodyMan69]

Dual Flush Toilet was first released in Australia as a water saving measure after years of drought. Prince Charles (now King) was a bit confused when he visited Caroma (maker), but it was explained to him. Smells are easilty removed with ventilation system such as Odour Out that operates for 3 - 5 minutes after use. Popular in Apartment Projects.

[@domramsey]

"Oh, Heidi? The toilet girl? Yeah, I know her..." That's your future now. 🤣

[@sebswede9005]

"Hey, Heidi! I know you. I've seen your video! You're the toilet girl!" Heidi: 😞

[@whattheflyingfuck...]

she will merch gazillions of dollars with: heidi, nicest toilet girl 🤩

[@Eaglehead11]

I think I never expected to watch such a dramatic video about....toilets. It's almost like a mission briefing xD

[@Songfugel]

At least in Finland, I have never ever heard of toilet breaks, you go when you need to Holding in is not only very unhealthy, but extremely bad for productivity and CS No one cares about your breaks and respect your autonomy abd ability to limit them to the agreed upon limits unless they start cutting into your job performance in a noticeable manner Especially regular coffee breaks with your coworkers are almost mandatory part of Finnish working culture

[@PlasmaMongoose]

In Australia, loos with two buttons have the smaller flush on the left and bigger flush on the right side, think of it as press 1 for number 1s and press 2 for number 2s.

[@kristofferholst6053]

Two buttons is usually big for big and small for small.

[@svendemadsen8275]

We learn as long as we live ). The dual flush system actually also varies depending on brand/manufacturer. My dual flush toilet only has 1 button, like a see-zaw function. Push left for small flush & right for big flush. Whereas most toilets i come across in public or friends homes, has has a split button/2 button thing, where pushing 1 of em doesn't affect the other.

[@ydenneki]

For DUAL flush toilets the general rule is if you take a piss it's the left side button, and if you take a crap it's the right side ... unless the plumber put the button in the wrong way around, which I HAVE seen happen. You can usually tell if that's happened as the water will shut off sooner than the the other side.

[@eddykate3700]

First produced in Japan in 1960, and then proposed in a book by American industrial designer Victor Papanek in 1976, dual flush toilets were first designed in 1980 in Australia. Original water usage per flush was 11 and 5.5 litres but now water usage has been reduced to 6 and 3 litres. (Sorry I don't remember pints and gallons anymore.) Our home toilets have one circle on the top of the cistern with a quirky, rambling division down the middle. There is a circle symbol on each side of these divisions. One with a line down the middle signifying a half flush and the other is a complete circle meaning full flush. It's not that difficult once you "read" the circles.

[@XReflexian]

In the netherlands we mostly have the last toilet that was mentioned where you poop on a flat surface which then gets flushed down at the front. It has a few benefits. 1. You can admire what you have produced and smell it in its full glory 🙈 2. Water you just peed in doesnt splash up against your butt when your poop drops into the bowl so its more hygienic. 3. Your waste tells you a lot about your health, in our toilets its much easier to see if you have blood in your urine or poop for example which is a very good reason to go to the doctor if you do see blood. Bathrooms are pretty easy to open here if needed, all you need is a flat screwdriver or simular shaped object, i like my privacy when i do my thing so i appricate that our toilets are sealed off from the outside world.

[@aphotixtr5531]

Is that truly the one we mostly have? I am also Dutch and see the 'normal' french variant far more often in other people's home than the one with a flat surface

[@XReflexian]

@@aphotixtr5531 It is, it might be a bit different in some areas, but generally you will see the flat ones

[@amyloriley]

Big button / little button is like the Caps Lock and Shift buttons. You can also hold the little button for like 5 seconds (until all the water left the basin) to have the same effect as pressing the big button once. In case of doubt, it is not wrong to just hold the button for a while.

[@myopinion69420]

i think the issue she is stating is that some toilets have both buttons the same size. its not uncommon here in Australia for the 2 buttons being the same size. they generally have some sort of texture in the top, the half flush one will only be 'half filled' with the texture. cheaper toilets will just be printed on plastic with graphics depicting a half or full circle, of course that wears off. a fairly common design here in Aus is to have a circular button that is split in half, one will be half for half flush, the other for full flush. sometimes the design makes it hard to tell which is which. more common these days seems to be a rectangular 'button' that is split in 2 like the circular one, but the sizes will be different, the half flush will be shorter like this: _________ |_____|___|

[@amyloriley]

@@myopinion69420 Yup, here in Belgium too. Holding the smaller button for a longer time seems to do the same as pressing the bigger button in my experience.

[@FrankJonen]

The curtesy flush is left elbow, the "OMG I'm dying" is right elbow when seated.

[@felderup]

the slits at the side of the stall doors, reminds me of automobiles... there's a car called the harlequin(a vw i think), they take the same model of car, swap the parts, so each main part is a different colour. at the time, and still... you could take the parts of an american car and swap them, then fiddle around for a while to get the gaps to line up and be spaced nicely, it's a really big part of concours shows, you have to rebuild the car by scratch and get everything lined up perfectly. the harlequin, you just swap the parts, NO ADJUSTMENT at all, every part can be swapped between cars with no screwing around. toilet stalls(the thing you sit on that's called a toilet actually has no name) in north america are generally slapped together from bits that have massive amounts of slop, when the hinges aren't lined up properly they can bind and get someone stuck in there, so the gap is needed to compensate for classic american bad design.

[@stoissdk]

12:58 "... but to maximize raw output" ... I had to bounce that around my head for a moment...

[@Stst0012]

6:04 a little trick. Try pushing down on one half gently. If just the half that you are pushing goes down, then it's a "small dose". If both halves come down, it's for the "big stuff".

[@cjeelde]

Over 500 comments already so maybe someone already written this... So when you have 2 different flush buttons and both are different sized, it's about how powerful/big the flush will be - if you push "quick" on the button. I think it's normally about 2 or 4 liters of water and the tank got probably 6 liter or more. Something like that and that's probably average numbers. All toilets from different brands are a little bit different. But you can also LONG PRESS on any button to control the amount or water to flush. That vacuum flush is common on airplanes and trains from what I can remember. There's also toilets that's not using water at all. But I know almost nothing about that. Anyways I love your videos about USA vs Europe! I found your channel maybe 1 year ago thanks to that video about industrial bread in USA. Loved your channel since then! You had around only 2k subs back then. So happy that you got way more subs now. You deserve the best!!

[@terrytartu]

I live in Estonia now... My toilet has one push place a short push (touch) for light stuff (Pee) and for heavier stuff (Feces etc.) push wait half a second. In one place I rented there was a German style toilet which caught feces in a kind of shelf so one could examine if one wanted. The flush would wash all away - there was never a stain on this toilet bowl!

[@Lorentari]

I can't remember the last time I was in a stall - There is usually a tiled very very permanent wall between the toilets and an actual door in Denmark. It's just a room

[@eaglemob]

Hi there, we Europeans like privacy on the toilets. On the man toilets even if is a standing up one . there is a kind of wall between. You went to Europe ..but the most south you went was Italy. Next time try to go further south and further north for example Sweden and Portugal .. One time you go on the winter to Sweden-Portugal. And then the other time you go on the summer to Sweden-Portugal . In that way you understand and notice the North and the south of Europe. In Usa you have the same. Alaska-Miami-florida.. what ever !! I am happy that you Heidi visit us in Europe. WE appreciate that.

[@berndf0]

It's quite simple to indentify which button does what: Big button = big flush, small button = small flush.

[@tomwaller6893]

If it has a syphon, it is a symphonic toilet, and they use more water but make less noise. We can have a dual flush push button, and the small flush is typically nearer you. Or the smaller of the two.

[@Jamie_D]

There's always a small gap in those cubicle style toilets no matter what, but in most of Europe it's designed to have that gap covered by another part of the cubicle structure or whatever you wanna call it.

[@MrLibormortis]

I think the gap under the door makes it easier to clean so you can clean the floor without even going in the stall, saves money

[@matollsen2523]

6:10 when you press the one halt- you use the half tank( for the number one) when you press two buttons simultaneously, you use the whole tank.. ...for the number two...

[@BigAndTall666]

"Constipation blues" by Screaming Jay Hawkins comes to mind, lol... 😂

[@SiN88m]

Hey, ceramic is strong. They use it as heat shielding on space shuttles. 😅

[@archwombat9250]

We don’t use siphonic toilets in the uk. I have been to Germany and that inspection shelf is truly disturbing.

[@archwombat9250]

@Wishalloy I had just travelled by coach from Liverpool to Berlin on a university architecture trip. I had drank WAY too much on the day long journey and had my first bowel movement on an inspection pan. It was HORRIFIC! My experience and issues may be somewhat unique.

[@archwombat9250]

@Wishalloy we ran out of mixers in France so poured a bag of Skittles (sugar coated candy) into a litre of Vodka, and drank it straight through Germany. It was 20 years ago now but it is still a low point 😂

[@Jamie_D]

Lol i hope no one does try saying Europe is a continent and America is a country,that would be half embarrassing 😅

[@arekzawistowski2609]

Exactly. Everyone should already know that America is 2 continents not a country.

[@aliciasschorra1306]

Depends on some country you learn america is 1 continent and in other country they teach its 2

[@williamwilkes9873]

Perhaps incontiñent..........?..........yeh

[@arekzawistowski2609]

@@aliciasschorra1306 that's true

[@reefermaker]

There's a method in the madness with the modern UK toilets. Whereas the old style worked purely on gravity the modern ones are more water efficient by creating a dual cyclone creating a power flush. A single push button is split into a 1/3 -2/3. This design is so that the 1/3 button signifies that it doesn't use as much water per flush.

[@ebetross1416]

2 button system has different size buttons, never been confused about which one is for more water. Some cases when you push bigger button smaller button will be dragged along by bigger one. About saving water. The amount of water you have in bowl does not matter b/c it ends up having same amount it had. What matters is how much water goes through that bowl with each flush. So it is a matter of water tank size. Also 2 button system if used for #1 and #2 is what will save water. Or if you can control the button. Push it only as long as you need water and when you release the button it stops. This is what I do even with my 2 button system. Small flush might be even more than needed. Some systems don't allow to do that, they auto release all the water if you touch the button.

[@jagtcurlyDK]

We do have dual flush button icons that are the same size, but if they are, one will typically graphically show that one is half flush for lighter trips to the toilet 👍

[@seijika46]

In the UK I've only ever encountered the washdown type, never the siphonic. That said, we can also get uncomfortably big gaps around stalls - just not as bad as in the US (usually only at the bottom though, not at the sides).

[@stefan0325]

if you have two equally sized buttons (usually one big round or square button split down the middle) you press either side for little water and both together to empty the watertank.

[@RichardRenes]

And the weird thing is: if you want people to be more productive: make them work less, not more. The average work week for a Dutch person, for instance is about 30 hours/ week but in those 30 hourse, they tend to be more productive than an US worker is in 50 hours.

[@MrMonsster]

Loved it when my English friends came to the Netherlands and met 'the shelf bowl'. Never really though about it, but looking at your shit to see if you're healthy kinda makes sense. Smells up the place, sure, but doing your thing always does anyway.

[@sevilnatas]

I always thought the gap at the bottom of US stalls were there to make it easier to mop the floor. In my high school, boy's bathrooms didn't have stalls in them, just a long row of toilets. Sort of like what you see in the movies when they show basic training for the Army or Marines. We were told that the stalls were taken out in the 60s/70s because of drug use in the stalls. That may just be folklore.

[@remoraofficial]

5:50 In that situation for the smaller ones press just one button (it doesn't matter on which side) and for the big ones press the two buttons.

[@juusolatva]

Zizek talking about toilets after a 10 day cocaine binge

[@wzarcangel7026]

If you have 2 buttons the same size ore one button divided in 2, that means that if you press one half (dont metter whitch one) is for lighter stuff. Pressing both at the same time is for heavy stuff.

[@fyou4641]

you have those stalls with the half centimeter slit in schools and swimmingpools in europe. but outside that you rarely see those

[@thegrumpypapa5549]

Young lady. When he said that the water level in the toilet reduced smell he was speaking about the smells coming from the septic system and not from our bodies which is very different. You smell what has come out of a body and not what has already been flushed.

[@Thisandthat8908]

Many toilets here have a cancel option. A second button or half of the button tho stop the flushing before the tank is empty. So you can decide how much water you need.

[@BigzampanoXXL]

interesting to listen. I was not aware of these "ideas"....productive? I like to spend some minutes on the toilette.without any external pressure.

[@mikevik100]

There will only be smells if you dont flush...And in Norway we mostly have cubicles in shapping malls, ferries etc. Offices,schools almost everywhere tbh we have toilet rooms, in Norway anyway.

[@johnroekoek12345]

France still has places with holes in the ground as a toilet. Back than they had a light switch we had to turn right, but after two minutes or so the light went off.

[@evanflynn4680]

Which button: They will have a symbol on the button. At least when manufactured. The symbols can be worn off if they were printed on. It's become fairly common for the buttons to either be different sizes, shapes, or for the symbols to be carved or moulded into the buttons. Especially public toilets, so blind people can press the correct button.

[@jesperfrer1162]

Not sure if it was mentioned already. But if you are surprised by the "motivational" aspect of the stall design, then look into the whole slanted toiletseat thing. Seats slanted forward so they are not comfortable to be on, unless you have too. Diabolic! The Devil's in the details indeed!

[@SiN88m]

Normally the buttons are of different sizes, when they have small and big business flushing option. If the 2 buttons are same size, I experienced that the 2nd button is mostly a "stopper" where you can stop the flushing by yourself to preserve water. Simply try next time.

[@andreasflensmark8616]

Yes, from my experience in Denmark, bigger is always to the left, small right. the same for sinks, hot is left and right is cold

[@andreasflensmark8616]

Oh, and the smell. I think he is considering maybe just leaving the toilet, the p-pipe on the french, dry out more quickly 🤔

[@martindornan1667]

In 1775 Scottish inventor Alexander Cummings was granted the first patent for a flushing toilet. Alexander Cummings greatest innovation was the S shaped pipe below the bowl that used water to create a seal preventing sewer gas from entering the house through the toilet.

[@ializarg]

The type of flush button changes depending on the manufacturer design. Just use logic. If there are two buttons, one big and one small, I don't think it's necessary to explain what each one corresponds to. A more common design is the circular type with a small button surrounded by another button like a crescent moon. In this case, the small button corresponds to the small discharge and the entire set must be pressed (small button + half moon) for a complete discharge.

[@user-ki3df2lc1k]

I’m not sure maybe someone has already written that but let me explain what the main difference is between US and European toilet flush system. As you’ve noticed Heidi the water level in your country bowls is higher - this is because the content is being sucked out through the syphon (water seal) after you flush and the level must go higher than the max syphon elbow. In our Europe system the water flash pushes the content through the syphon so there is no need for such high level. Note that US toilet water flush is much milder whereas in EU it goes with more energy to overcome the syphon level.

[@jimmymiata]

tHE duo FLUSH IS NOT ONLY COMMON IN THE EU BUT ALSO IN THE pHILIPPINES where i live

[@finnishculturalchannel]

It's easier to wash toilets when the stalls have gabs on floor level, but the stall doors opening inward is just awkward. Whatever reason you give for that, I'm not buying it. And the toilet bowl should be a cone shape and have a hole just big enough for normal load to fill it and go through. That's how the weight and pressure of the water forces the load down to the drain the best and the least mount of water is needed. The hole should be under the person's own hole when he sits on a toilet seat, so the load ends up to the hole in the first place to wait for that flushing. If the toilet bowl looks like a kids' swimming pool or/and has a hole in front of the bowl, it's a design flaw. Also, the more there is water sitting in the toilet bowl, the more there is room for bacteria to grow and more there is scraping to do. Personally I have a toilet seat to inside which water tank I can put a cleaning tablet so that every flush is a refreshing and cleaning one.

[@HansMilling]

Usually in Europe, you have a half moon and a full moon symbol, to indicate half or full tank of water is used. Or as the model, two different button sizes.

[@The_real_Arovor]

Switzerland has toilets with siphons. But a quite low water level. Work really well

[@j7ndominica051]

Why does he have two water valves near the toilet model? Hot water in the toilet? Watch which side of the bitton pushes down deeper to flush the whole tank. I find that toilets always require the big flush or two big flushes. Something that floats won't go down. What about the splashback when something is dropped in the American toilet? The "inspection shelf" eliminates the splashback. But it needs cleaning more often. American toilets seem to get clogged way too easy. They have a giant hole in the kitchen sink where they can put down peels and whatnot, but freak out when they hear about flushing some waste down the toilet. The exit pipe seems to be too narrow to save water or something. I wouldn't hang out on the crapper for longer than necessary. I've heard of people reading there.

[@DramaQueenMalena]

The guy talking about toilets, the one who said toilets are different in different parts of the world, is Slavoj Žižek. A contemporary philosophy professor from Slovenia. He is very well known and very controversial. But he challenges people to think.

[@tonibufu6103]

6:00 In those EU toilets that has 2 buttons, right side button is always button to flash small waste.

[@jackie_v8]

0:16 its for save'ing water but some small button are so small they are hard to press... 9:34 they did back in the days...

[@biankakoettlitz6979]

usually one of the buttons are half Grey, for lighter stuff, the other is hole grey-ish...you see the difference.

[@andrecostermans7109]

Nah, the knee-high-gap on the door is a relic from Victorian, prudish Roman-Catholic, Calvinistic and Lutherian times . Through/by that gap anybody could see there was just one person/one pair of feet in the little room, and not two pair of feet doing naughty stuff !! Much of the old schools build in the 18- 20th century up to about 1980ies in Europe also had these gaps , particularly if they were associated with some religious network . The smaller gap on the sidewalls is nowadays done for cleaning reasons ( public restrooms).

[@argantyr5154]

In Denmark if they are the same size, then on one of the sides there is "raindrops" for you to use the "lighter" option. If different sized, then the big size for the bigger load. About the gab and longer breaks, I dont think it works, and why do they have it in public restrooms, places there is not for work say Hotels, or similar.

[@johannesmarkstrom3241]

Hello Heidi! Happy to hear that you had a great time in Europe. At least in Sweden the locks on the toilet doors is formed so that you can use a screwdriver or a small coin to open it.I think most Swedish people has played with this when they were kids. 😊 So the security aspect is solved that way. I`ve also heard that the gaps on American toilets has to do with production maximation and as a guy from Europe I think it`s horrible. This also explains the gaps on the sides of the doors. There is nowhere the workers can hide. My guess is that this dates back to Taylorism (= to maximize production among the workers. Ex: If you move your arm a little different you can do it quicker and increase you production.). Today in Europe we have left most of Taylors ideas.

[@valsblueforrest2961]

I heard that another reason for having such large gaps is to discourage hankki pankki.

[@PhilipKerry]

The flushing Toilet was invented by an English Plumber in the 19th Century named Thomas Crapper and that is where the phrase " taking a crap " came from .

[@tonys1636]

We may call the European WC the 'French' closet but they still have many older public ones that are the squat type, a hole in the floor with a footpad either side and the open 'bus shelter' type urinals. William Crapper was the person that improved the early flushing ones from a pump action to the weight of the falling water cistern type.

[@christopheripoll2580]

The hole in the floor is called "Turkish toilets" in France. As you mentionned, a few remain in old public-access facilities but they tend to desappear. I have not encountered such an installation for years. And indeed, we do have urinals for men in most of public-access facilities. Yet, 99% of French toilets are washdown toilets. Btw, I love the philosophical explaination of differences between French, British and German systems, even if the metaphysical way of thinking could be applied to the French too - we often self-criticize our trend to think too much and to make eveything unnecessarily complex.

[@jbird4478]

@@christopheripoll2580 The "Turkish toilets" are called "French toilets" in the Netherlands.

[@MikkoTikkanen]

Austrian/German "shelf" toilets hit different. They replace the lock of odour and general pleasantries for being able to inspect your.. err... "sample" (a remnant of ye old times when that was a problem).

[@shaduskoo]

The North American style stalls always leave me a little flushed in the cheeks when people walk by while I am perched on the porcelain throne. Thank you for sharing this crap ton of information about a shitty subject delivered in a comical way with us. May you be blessed with a clog free day!

[@BigWolf130]

I think all chair toilets suck. They all should be considered torture devices. Squat toilets are so much better for you

[@olgahein4384]

The so called "german" toilets are still pretty common in many households. They have their pros and cons. The pros are e.g. that when you make a BIG load, it lands on the 'display' and not in the 'hole' with water - so no toilet fecal water splashing on you from below. The downside is, of course, when you do the same load and take a little bit too long, it can kinda stick. Probably the reason why in Germany there is no toilet without a toilet brush and anyone with the slightest amount of decency uses them and scrubs automatically - it's also normal for us to have some kind of small cleaning tab hanging in the flush water or as a gel rose sticking in there, which also comes with a scent. So you clean the toilet with every flush. Tbh, those kinds of toilets are reasonable in hospitals, where having to inspect your produce does make sense (cause they can give clear signs for illness or malfunctions of the body). But not in every normal household, so it has started to change. But honestly, NOTHING beats modern japanese toilets that give you star ratings for your load, instant shower and dry cleaning afterwards and even automatic desinfection of the toilet seat. And some even say thank you thnx to a vocaloid program or smth. As for which flush button to use for which occation, i think here in Germany we don't even think about it. The smaller button is usually for liquid produce only, and the big button for the big load. There is also the flush and stop system: Only the big button flushes and the small button stops it. If you only loose some water in the toilet, you press the big button and the small one immediately after, which is enough (even with toilet paper). There is also the toilet where you have no buttons but only a handle at the side of the water tank, that you have to press down. You can manually push it back up again to stop the flushing if you only went for a liquid bathroom meeting.

[@blotski]

Somebody else pointed it out but I'll do it again. The original video has a fundamental mistake. Siphonic toilets are not normal in the UK. Plumbers don't fit them and if you want one you'll probably have to import it. In the UK they use wash down the same as the rest of Europe. Poor research there.

[@nickgrazier3373]

Being in the UK forces I’ve lived in Germany in German owned flats leased by the forces for married couples living within the local town. This means I’ve had experienced UK and German style toilets and been told the reason why as explained by the locals. The German style toilet bowl has a shelf on which your excrement is deposited while in use. As it was explained to me it was because the majority of the German people live and work very close to farming fields which by necessity uses fertiliser to make the vegetables grow better. As far as I was told part of the preparation of the fertiliser would have been animal and human faeces or poo if you prefer. Walking in the countryside with children it would be easy to pick up eggs from insects feeding on the fertiliser. The shelf let’s you inspect your faecesu for “worms” from the fields. When the chain is pulled to flush the toilet the water flushes the solids away. “Pulling the chain” is a British term harking back to the original toilet, which had a water tank above the bowl and it had a chain with a dangling handle as a weight so you grasped the handle and pulled it to release the water into the toilet, flushing away the effluent. On release of the handle (chain) the water pipe hole is closed and the tank is refilled again, but flushing the toilet in the UK as always been referred to as “pulling the chain”. There is third toilet in European countries, mainly in the southern countries, that of a hole in the floor. I know this sounds very barbaric but physiologically speaking is more healthy and better to facilitate the natural expulsion of waste products from the body. These are more likely to be found in Greece (mainly the Islands like Kefalonia [or Cephalonia]), some older places in Italy and Spain e.t.c. I mentioned this because they have another quirk in its function since there plumbing is different also, instead of the normal 4 to 6 inch waste pipes they have smaller 3 inch pipes which block continually. To mitigate this the toilet paper you use to clean yourself up has to be put in a covered waste bucket for that purpose. Strange heh? Well you wanted to be educated there you go!!! Cheers Aah Kid!

[@usbxg3474]

The shelf also helps you to get things back you might have swollowed accidently. It's of course not the main reason, but it helped me to recover a tooth substitute made out of gold (sorry, don't know the exact word for that because I'm not a native speaker) I've once swollowed after I fell down the stairs and lost two teeth.

[@valsblueforrest2961]

Even today many modern homes in Portugal use a covered dispenser for used toilet paper next to the toilet, instead of being flushed down.

[@RalfJosefFries]

Some years ago I worked in an german wood-tile factory. There the toilets were from the "american style" but there was an permanent flow of water in the bowl (that resulted in an permanently wet ass for all users... ) and the stall´s were also of the "american style" - no privacy. Additionally, except of the ceramics, all - I mean the stalls, the ceiling, the walls - all was painted in dark-brown (officially to avoid "scribbles"), the illumination was reduced (more an electric glowing than light) and flickered all 2 minutes and after 4 minutes it shuts down to darkness for 1 minute (all well programmed by the IT) , the heating was fixed to 10°C (50°F) and the windows were welded in an fixed-open-position, so that there was always (much too much) fresh air - all to make the use of the toilets as unpleasant as possible to "prevent" us lazy workers to spend too much time on the toilets. Was one of the great ideas of our then new CEO (born and raised in Boston) to improve "productivity" - since these improvement I personelly have some prejudices againt "the american way of management".... ;-P

[@tommay6590]

Better „flew by“ than „flew through“?😂😂😂😂😂