Touch-free tech from TOTO

TOTO’s reputation for hygiene and comfort innovations is legendary. Its research and development goes to extraordinary lengths to ensure quality, reliability and functionality across its product range. Kaizen, the Japanese principle of perpetually striving for improvement, guarantees the TOTO product lines keep constantly evolving and improving.

Recently TOTO has had the privilege of being specified by some of the world’s leading hotels in the UK, including The Peninsula London, The Dorchester, The Mandarin Oriental Mayfair, The Londoner and the soon to be opened The Emory.

Image credit: TOTO

Technology has become key in enhancing hotel hygiene and essential whenever several people use the same bathroom. The fewer things that you need to touch by hand, the better. Touch-free taps and hand dryers are now becoming more of a common sight, so too are WASHLET shower toilets. TOTO has designed special solutions especially for the guest bathroom that will elevate standards of hygiene. In addition to several WASHLET models with automatic flush options, the Japanese sanitaryware company offers touch-free taps, hand dryers and washbasins with dirt-resistant surfaces.

To facilitate this process, TOTO has developed two technologies: LINEARCERAM and CEFIONTECT. LINEARCERAM makes it possible to achieve the same level of stability with less material. Combine this with the special CEFIONTECT glaze, and you create a resilient product for everyday use.

The unique LINEARCERAM material is a very slim, delicate-looking ceramic that is incredibly durable. It is used in many washbasins, including TOTO’s eye-catching asymmetrical TA vessel. It has an ultrafine, easy-to-clean ceramic which essentially prevents waste and bacteria from accumulating. This robust surface can even be cleaned using microfibre cloth and will still keep its brilliant shine after years of constant use.

Image credit: TOTO

CEFIONTECT is an ultra-smooth ceramic glaze that coats the toilet bowl. Its microscopic surface ridges are far smaller than waste particles, leaving no place for waste to gain a foothold. This glaze is especially durable, keeping the ceramic surface clean and beautiful for years to come. Conventional ceramic may appear perfectly smooth to the eye, but has gaps where waste, mould and bacteria hide. At just one millionth of a millimetre, CEFIONTECT’s surface ridges are much tinier than waste particles. It is also hydrophilic, referring to organisms and materials that attract water. Water spreads easily over the toilet bowl, so waste particles are smoothly washed away.

Guest bathrooms are trending more towards shower toilets with integrated intimate cleansing features that minimise the need for toilet paper. The latest models from TOTO are NEOREST WX and WASHLET RW. Once you approach the sensor-activated lid raises – and then the toilet flushes automatically when you walk away. WASHLET will determine how much water to use for the flush based on the amount of time you spend sitting on the toilet.

Image credit: TOTO

Automated taps equipped with sensors bring even more hygiene to the bathroom, including TOTO’s elegant, wall-mounted Automatic tap with concealed installation. The hidden sensor in the tap can register every hand movement and dispense the exact amount of water needed. The tap even generates its own electricity from the flow of water – no power socket required.

Finally, if you’re trying to maximise hygiene, the move from the touch-free taps to automatic hand dryer is an obvious one. TOTO’s powerful model is an ideal solution for hotel bathrooms, drying hands with warm air in no time. The brand research department has also managed to reduce the noise of the hand dryers to a minimum – making it a great option for hotel suites.

TOTO is one of our Recommended Suppliers and regularly features in our Supplier News section of the website. If you are interested in becoming one of our Recommended Suppliers, please email Katy Phillips.

Main image credit: TOTO