Why did Soviet toilets have a shelf?
These days, during the day, you won’t be able to find an old-style toilet with a special shelf, but in Soviet times, all Khrushchev-era apartment buildings were equipped with such a miracle of consumer goods. But everything flows and changes, and modern models are already produced with a funnel-shaped bowl. What was the shelf intended for in rare samples of the last century, and was there any benefit from it?
The content of the article
What shelf are we talking about?
People born in the 21st century have no idea what kind of construction we are talking about. Meanwhile, the bowls of all Soviet models were not sloping, but with a kind of shelf where human waste products were collected before they were washed into the sewer pipe.
Just don’t blaspheme the good old pedestal for excrement without understanding it, because a bowl of this design had not only disadvantages, but also certain advantages.
What are its functions
At first glance, it may seem that the shelf could perform only one function - to facilitate the collection of stool samples. But Soviet designers were not at all stupid and short-sighted. By creating a horizontal platform in the toilet bowl, they tried to reduce the amount of bacteria scattered along with splashes during flushing.
In the harsh reality of that time, when apartments were mostly small-sized, and in order to save space the bathroom was combined with a bathroom, this measure was completely justified.A person presses the water drain, and if the toilet is funnel-shaped, then the splashes fly in all directions, and toilet bacteria in incredible quantities fill a space within a radius of two meters.
And here, nearby, there are towels being dried, and toothbrushes with toothpaste in a glass on the sink. And all these items are susceptible to attack by harmful microbes, and through them it won’t be long before the apartment resident catches some kind of nasty infection.
And don’t think that ultra-modern anti-splash designs can protect you from this scourge. Or a good old shelf. Although it requires a lot of water to flush, and you will have to use the brush several times more often, practically nothing will splash out.
Although not everything is so rosy. A toilet with a pedestal may have protected residents from ubiquitous bacteria, but on the shelf itself the water often stagnated, which was fraught with unpleasant odors, the appearance of rust and, strange as it may sound, the cause of the proliferation of those same harmful bacteria at an accelerated pace.
Are there any positive aspects
An important advantage of the Soviet design was that if you dropped an object into the toilet, thanks to the shelf, it could be easily pulled back out. But if, for example, a mobile phone falls into a modern funnel, then you will only get stuck with your arm up to your elbow in the hole, saving your favorite gadget. And then you definitely won’t be able to get out without the help of rescuers.
Thirty years ago, such a problem as a mobile phone in the toilet simply could not exist, since telephones were landline and bulky. You can’t carry such a unit to the toilet due to the limitation in the length of the wire, and if you do, you won’t drown it due to its large size.And if you drop something smaller into the bowl - a ring or another object, then, thanks to the shelf, you can easily fish it out. In an era of total shortage, every thing counted, and it could not be allowed to be swallowed up by the merciless “mouth” of the sewer system.
For what reason do modern manufacturers refuse this modification?
Despite some advantages, this design had to be gradually abandoned in favor of funnel-shaped ones. Apartments began to be built in larger sizes, the bathroom was separated from the bathroom, so there was no longer a need to “catch” bacteria when flushing. And in modern models these pests do not accumulate in such quantities as before.
The trend to once again combine a bathroom with a bathtub, which has emerged in recent years, would seem to be designed to return bowls with a pedestal to their old place. But only very few people look for vintage models for sale, and most consumers prefer modern designs.
After all, no one wants to constantly use a brush to clean an inconvenient, always dirty shelf. And the problem of saving water with the installation of water meters has become more than urgent, and with a funnel, the toilet bowl is flushed much better with less expenditure of life-giving moisture.
It turns out that the old toilet design allows you to fight bacteria better than modern bowls. But on the other hand, he himself provokes the development of these bacteria in incredible quantities. Therefore, we decided to abandon toilets with a shelf in favor of a funnel-shaped bowl. And you are free to decide which of the two designs suits you personally.
Strange article... If you look at the catalogs of modern manufacturers, there are a lot of toilets with a shelf.
Almost all of the current toilets splash drops onto the person sitting... Is “splash from the toilet” useful for a person? I have the opinion that modern toilets are sabotage for humans. After all, someone received an award for the “rat proposal” of new toilets... And for E. coli flying with a splash onto those sitting... What a horror not to look at what happened... So you don’t need to eat food! It is better to disinfect the toilet than to treat a person from cystitis and intestinal bursts of flying bacteria from modern toilets. I still don’t have time to “get to the bottom” of who this pest is that approved the production of modern “bacterial splash” toilets?
It’s especially nice when you sit on the toilet, do your business, and from the poop falling down, splashes of a mixture of water, urine and excrement fly onto your butt! Last year we replaced the toilet and installed it with a shelf.
In modern ones, the “return” is constant. The larger your “larva”, the more splashes. Unpleasant remarks. This cannot happen in old designs.
As for “why they removed it,” it’s easier for the manufacturer. They bought cheap equipment that riveted poor devices without a shelf - and riveted this abomination.
And yes, getting tested is now a quest!
Continuing the author's thoughts:
1. In older models, the water did not drain along the entire rim of the toilet, but from the back wall. The shelf prevented the direct flow of water into the sewer.The dynamics of the flow thus washed all the walls. If the tank was hung high, the brush was rarely used.
2. The toilet bowl was designed with a narrow drainage hole into the sewer to make it more efficient to use the plunger. Today, a well-designed drainage sewer system has allowed us to forget about this mandatory item in the toilet room. But if it suddenly happens that you can’t do without this tool, then it will turn out to be not as effective with new models than with old ones.
3. If the cold water in the apartment (or in the whole house) is turned off, you can put toilet paper on the “shelf”, do the “dirty thing” and flush with less water than in modern toilets. It’s better, of course, to always put a piece of paper, even when there is water.
4. We complement all this with unpleasant splashes during... hmm... “performance”))) And this is the main reason for the shelves.
“Soviet designers were not at all stupid and short-sighted”!
The main disadvantage of funnel toilets is that feces and urine splash back onto the skin rather than splash when flushed. By the way, as far as I read, such a toilet was invented in England, and it was the first in history. They invented the shelf later.
Beach shelf...This type of bowl is called dish-shaped, and the current ones are funnel-shaped.
One thing that is perplexing with the designers is that they don’t sit on their toilets and their brainchild doesn’t splash into their ass.
This is not a Soviet invention. Before the revolutionary toilets also had a shelf.
toilet paper in the water and splashes will not fly....
the first ones...and the next ones? or do you have an inextricable tapeworm = it comes out and folds neatly?
Everyone is right in their own way, but still, where can you buy a toilet of an old design? Or where can I buy a dispenser for this damn funnel-shaped one?
for ANALYSIS! what is not clear?
I purposefully chose my home not with a shelf, but with a hole closer to the front. Thus, waste products first fall onto an inclined slope and then smoothly slide down it into a bowl of water. Many manufacturers call similar models “Comfort”. Nothing splashes there) It’s quite possible to find comfortable toilets, in general.
And those who came up with a hole right under the fifth point are to be executed to hell. I hate these toilets. But, indeed, there is a solution: throw a piece of toilet paper into the water, then it won’t splash.
Rare nonsense, simply at every point. I was especially pleased by the idea that in the modern world there is no need to think about not spattering bacteria. The author should be ashamed. But it’s unlikely to happen, there won’t be enough brains.
What nonsense did I read? This “shelf” made it possible to use the toilet without the help of a brush.
The main drawback of such toilets was the incredible stench in the apartment, but in modern ones, feces fall into the water and the smell is much less. In American toilets, water fills more than half the toilet. They are considered the most hygienic. We also chose a toilet with a hole closer to the front wall, then the feces first fall on the slope and do not splash. But you should almost always use a brush.
And, among other things, a toilet with a shelf, for example, was successfully used by our cat. He stood on the shelf and did his business.We moved to another apartment - we visited a hundred stores, looking for a toilet with a shelf.
Yulia, it was in such a toilet, with a shelf, that my cat learned to go to the toilet on her own, and therefore we never had cat-like, smelly trays with papers or sand! The only thing was that when the cat needed to use the toilet, she meowed in the toilet so that someone would use a brush to sweep away the water from this shelf, all that was left was to flush it after her and that’s it, no smell!!!
Why the author got the idea that toilets “with a shelf” are now in short supply is unclear. The choice in stores is huge and there is also plenty of assortment on shelves. So the choice is always up to the consumer. As long as there is demand, there will be supply.
...you can’t carry such a unit to the toilet due to restrictions on the length of the wire.... Author, in Soviet times there was a fashionable accessory for the telephone - an extension cord was called, with a smooth or twisted wire. True, they didn’t drop phones into the toilet; they treated things more carefully; an ebonite device could easily break an expensive bowl))
I live in Germany. About 5-6 years ago I needed to have a stool test. They gave me some kind of cardboard to fill out. And then it began: I had never thought about the shape of the toilet, including at home. Time allowed and I was not in much of a hurry. After home, out of interest, I visited all the toilets of the clinic and hospitals, cafes and restaurants, government institutions, including the town hall and the bar, as well as toilets in shops and public city parks and squares. As a result, on the 3rd day I took an old advertising brochure with me and just went into the forest. That’s how it was for me.
The toilet is “sanitary.” That’s what it was called under the old regime.
The most important thing is that they don’t write anywhere that the ass on the funnel is covered in splashes, wet and cold! And yes, I also throw almost half a roll of paper there so that it doesn’t splash... So, the paper consumption increases by an order of magnitude!
Our cat used to go to the toilet with a shelf all the time, but he didn’t learn to flush after himself, and the new funnel-shaped cats are afraid to fall into it. + for manufacturers of cat accessories, - for the wallet of cat lovers
Gentlemen, forgive me, how is it necessary to shit so that your entire ass is splashed?? In general, what kind of nonsense do they write - E. coli, “bacteria spread throughout the room” - it feels like when the toilet is flushed, a toxic fog rises, a fierce tornado is born and a whirlwind covers the entire toilet, and from it viciously grinning muscular bacteria rise, with machine guns at the ready start chasing the poor, freshly defecated victim! Don't write nonsense. If there is E. coli, it will make itself known before you sit down on your “throne”. And the rising column of poisonous spray will long be secondary for you. Keep the toilet clean, use a hygienic shower (yes, it needs to be designed at the renovation stage, but it’s a must-have) and never worry about horror stories about evil bacteria spreading through the splashes of shit on your toothbrushes. You're just flushing the toilet, not blowing it up!
Everything is not true. Initially, a one and a half meter pipe was attached to the toilet and a cast iron flush cistern attached to the wall was installed on it. Due to the fall of water from such a height, a very strong pressure was created, which easily washed away any stuck pile. Eyelets for flush cisterns installed directly on the toilet bowl appeared much later. I think they have already been lapped up by Western designs.
People are mistaken, the dirtiest place is the kitchen, because there are more bacteria there than in the toilet, since we cook and eat in the kitchen, that’s where you can pick up a stick and anything else if there is poor sanitation, so it’s not the toilets you should be afraid of. But otherwise, I agree ,Soviet toilets are better and there is less splashing.
As for preferences, which toilet to choose, this is a personal matter for everyone. Personally, as a big cat lover, I prefer toilets with a shelf. All cats easily learn to relieve themselves in the toilet, and voila) no creepy litter trays that need to be changed!
Oooh this unforgettable kiss of Poseidon!!! When your torpedo tube releases a submarine. Whoever came up with a shelf for a larva in a marble horse deserves a monument!!! And the inventor of new thrones, on a count!!!
It was convenient for the cat to go into the old toilet, he stood with his hind paws on the “shelf” and calmly did his job, but he fell into the new toilet, now he only goes into the litter box, and is afraid of toilets.
A smart toilet (with a shelf) is smart because it is also a diagnostician: you can promptly notice digestive disorders or, especially if there are children in the family, an illness. I assume that doctors, and not just designers and plumbers, participated in the development of the classic toilet.
It’s not true, I specifically looked for a modern one with a shelf, and I found it. The advantage is, first of all, the absence of “gurgles”. And this is the most important plus.And, unfortunately, no one has canceled testing and examination of contents for medical purposes. So I'm for shelves. And you can find them with shelves.
It’s just that in America there is a bidet, but in Russia there is nowhere to put a bidet. but our people are bad, if it’s foreign, it’s downright classy, like I have a compact, I’m cool, but the fact that in Europe there is a bidet for such toilets, no one cares, and then it starts - oh, but the ass is wet, and the toilet is not convenient. Remember, in the union nothing was done just like that, our grandfathers and great-grandfathers worked out everything very thoroughly, from size to our laziness.
Lower the toilet lid when flushing so that splashes mixed with bacteria do not fly away.
But still, where can you buy a toilet with a shelf? I've been looking for a long time. Not long ago I was doing renovations in the toilet room, I was looking for something with a shelf and something nice and not too big. But I couldn’t find it, so I left the old toilet with the shelf. In stores they say that they don’t make these anymore, on the Internet there is only one option, but it doesn’t suit us.
So I, too, am in favor of impaling those who destroyed the domestic industry and making us sit on these ugly tulips. It would be better if these bacteria hovered in the air, which they already do, than to splash on your bare butt. Especially in public toilets.
What is the topic, what is the article.
The Japanese were also seriously concerned about the toilet, and so the toilet appeared - a revolution in terms of hygiene
Modern economic conditions dictate fashion! Payments for utility resources are high, therefore such wasteful expenditure of resources as in the USSR, when it was possible to fill and flush toilets with a shelf several times, is unacceptable.
So engineers invented a modern, economical funnel-shaped toilet that performs two functions at once: taking a shit and washing your ass with splashes at the same time. The more you defecate, the larger the wave of splashes that washes over your butt. As a result, resource savings mean less water consumption for flushing and washing the ass.
Illiterate nonsense of the author. Previously, I didn’t care about bacteria flying all over the toilet. Toilet designers pursued the main goal of ease of flushing. Since the shelf was made with a recess, there was always a certain amount of water in it, which means waste, according to the developers’ plan, did not stick and was easily washed off. This was the only reason for keeping the shelf.
But to spite the author, the splashing was even greater than from the funnel-shaped seats. The recess in the shelf served as a kind of springboard and the water ran perpendicular to the front wall of the toilet. Any man who has used such a toilet will tell you this - all real men have a dangling splash indicator.
You can cut a hole in the lid of any toilet seat for your cat.
The main advantage of a toilet with a shelf is for those who have a CAT! I remember I had a cat and a toilet like this, she did all her business in it, sat on the shelf with her muzzle in the flush cistern, her tail towards the viewer, and pooped into the pipe with water - it was clean and practically not smelly, if you saw the poop floating below, you flushed it. We didn’t bother with any trays or fillers. Now the cat is gone and the toilet is different, modern, where the cat cannot sit down... That’s why we don’t get any more animals...
An illiterate article with a shelf that flushes better than modern toilets