Whether we like it or not, we visit it every day—and many times a day. While there, we do not realize what a luxury it is and how fortunate we are to live in an age when it is readily available.
From holes in the ground and openings in floors, through wooden seats and chamber pots, to clay vessels—the history of toilets has seen many forms. The first was most likely created in Mohenjo-daro, in present-day Pakistan, about 4,500 years ago. Interestingly, this oldest toilet most closely resembled modern ones: it was a seated facility, from beneath which waste was removed with water and carried away through a system operating on the principle of today’s waterworks. Ancient toilets are also worth mentioning in the context of communal use. Toilets were ideal places for meetings, conversations and negotiations, as a single room could contain as many as 50 toilet seats, often positioned opposite one another.
Thus, ancient toilets were a positive subject—they brought relief, fulfilled social needs and contained no taboo associated with physiological needs. Unfortunately, the high level of ancient hygiene flowed into the gutter in the Middle Ages. The fall of the Roman Empire, together with the loss of its water and sewage infrastructure achievements, brought a standstill—or even three steps backward—in the history of toilets. “Look out!” passers-by shouted in the 17th century to protect themselves from waste being poured from windows. Emptying chamber pots directly into the street, without regard for potential passers-by, was commonplace. Cities were flooded with excrement, waste and the mud it created—rivers of sewage flowed along the streets, making movement difficult and spreading disease. To remedy this foul situation and enable people to cross the city, successive layers of planks began to be laid over the excrement. This continued for so long that the level of the streets rose in relation to the buildings. One example from Poland: excavations in Elbląg revealed that these layers reached 4 metres below today’s street level.
It was not until the 19th century that hygiene returned. Europe could have been saved from drowning in excrement much earlier—in 1596, when the English poet John Harrington patented the first flush toilet. However, his design was flushed into the sewer of history because there was no sewage system in Europe at the time. Two entire, unclean centuries later, clockmaker Alexander Cummings designed the bend placed beneath the toilet bowl that eliminates unpleasant odours and is still used today.
From then on, toilets were improved and appeared in many homes, factories and public facilities. Today, the appearance of public toilets directly affects customers’ well-being. It is a luxury we sometimes fail to notice, but its absence is keenly felt. Today, we do not merely maintain hygiene—we want toilets that are elegant, clean and help protect the environment. We are increasingly paying attention to the amount of water and paper used, as well as recycling. With the right products, we can achieve this. Economical and more efficient foam soap helps reduce water consumption. Paper towels made from cellulose fibres with excellent absorbency mean materials need to be replenished less often. Meanwhile, elegant dispensers that can be recycled ensure less waste. And these are just a few of Katrin’s ecological products. They are all available at Paklo.pl.
In conclusion, toilets have been with us (with interruptions) for years. But without interruption, we expect more from them. Although they are a long way from their medieval counterparts, public toilets can still make your head spin. This can easily be changed with Katrin products. They are not merely aesthetically pleasing fixtures, but above all innovative solutions that meet the expectations of the most demanding customers. Their modern design, advanced technology, high capacity, and attention to hygiene and safety make them an excellent choice for various public places, offices and companies.