I went to London once. When I was there I used something I had never seen in the U.S. : a pay toilet. It was a free standing booth in a park somewhere. I used it more out of novelty than need. When I inserted the coins, the door opened and I was admitted into a pristine lavatory. After I left, the apparently water-tight door shut behind me and the booth cleaned and disinfected itself using a series of strategically placed jets. Doing business there was a pleasure (especially compared to some of the non-pay toilets I had visited during my trip). So wonderful is the self-cleaning toilet, that even DC metro has invested in a pot or two, which you can read about here.
Since that time, I have often daydreamed what life would be like if that pay-toilet technology were more pervasive. How about, for instance, having one installed in your own home? Who doesn't hate slapping on those long rubber gloves for a good scrubbing of the john? But why stop at the toilet? This self-cleaning concept could be used for any number of things. A car. A kitchen. A dining area. A grocery cart handle. According to my husband, one of the Honda Element's best selling points is that you can spray it out with a hose after the kids goo up the floor. (You can't really - unless you like shorting out your dash electronics - but, it is easy to sweep with a broom and mop.) Of course, the expense of the installation and maintenance of these home self-cleaning fixtures wouldn't be worth the benefit.
Since that time, I have often daydreamed what life would be like if that pay-toilet technology were more pervasive. How about, for instance, having one installed in your own home? Who doesn't hate slapping on those long rubber gloves for a good scrubbing of the john? But why stop at the toilet? This self-cleaning concept could be used for any number of things. A car. A kitchen. A dining area. A grocery cart handle. According to my husband, one of the Honda Element's best selling points is that you can spray it out with a hose after the kids goo up the floor. (You can't really - unless you like shorting out your dash electronics - but, it is easy to sweep with a broom and mop.) Of course, the expense of the installation and maintenance of these home self-cleaning fixtures wouldn't be worth the benefit.
Nope, I was wrong; I'd pay for that.
