TOTO’s iconic WASHLET was introduced to market in 1980 and is now celebrating it 40th Anniversary this year. In this time the Japanese shower toilet has become a defining product for several generations. As of March 2020 the Japanese Cabinet Office Survey confirmed that 80.2% of households in Japan use shower toilets (across all brands).
The efforts by TOTO to change toilet lifestyle culture from “wiping to cleaning” was testing, and it was only after overcoming numerous challenges including getting the correct water temperature and optimal position for cleansing, for example, that WASHLET saw the light of day. At the original launch the slogan was “Your Bottom wants to be washed too” a new concept, which has now taken hold as a way of life, where you can find it in many public facilities, offices, hospitality outlets and residential projects both in UK, Europe and internationally.
In 2019 total units sold exceeded 50 million worldwide with numbers climbing year on year. TOTO anticipates WASHLET sales growth outside of Japan to rise from 580,000 in 2018 to two million in 2022.
At present more and more 5-star hotels and landmark buildings globally are specifying WASHLET, increasingly it is possible to enjoy their comfort wherever you are travelling in the world. The public toilets at Narita Airport, the international gateway for travellers arriving and departing Japan, have a large presence of WASHLET housed within a specially designed space. All of these use multilingual remote controls for ease of use.
Over the last 40 years, TOTO has gone beyond the basic bottom cleaning function to add various new functions, like oscillating wands that can be used hygienically and safely as well as electrolysed water that keeps the toilet bowl clean. Recently, they have won well respected international awards like the iF Product Design Award and the Red Dot Design Award, continuously launching products that blend advanced design and function.
TOTO plans to evolve the design of WASHLET to match the needs of every country and region as well as to spread its pleasant and clean toilet culture around the world.
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