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Comment by XorNot | Hacker News Reader

The thing is American toilets are bizarre to start with. You guys have an insanely high water level, and accomplish flushing by basically just draining it.

Australian toilets are very different - the water level is low, and the flush is accomplished by violently dumping water from the tank into the bowl from a rim - which, having experienced both - effectively washes it clean with the percussive action.

Australian toilet flush example (work safe, nothing in it): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4RWoJ2VNd3o

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Yes, everytime I go to America I feel ashamed because I have to flush like three or four times... I often wonder if I'm doing something wrong. In Europe (same design as in Australia) I never have to flush more than once.

Just speculation, but I suspect the American design is better at containing smells. Sure, that's also solvable by just promptly flushing, but I wonder if this is a calculated decision by manufacturers to avoid getting a reputation for "smelly toilets" caused by people sitting on the throne reading the day's paper or whatever.

Having used both American-style toilets and first world-style toilets, I'd say the former is stinkier simply because there are often remnants left behind after people give up/toilets get clogged. Throughout my life in America, I saw clogged and filthy toilets more times per year than I could possibly count. Honestly, I was always a little afraid using the toilet when I ate a little too much the day before since there was a good chance of being clogged. Clogged toilets are comparatively rare in other countries I've been to, and I've never personally clogged one outside of America (yet).

I've had the same experience. I've never had a toilet clog while living in Norway. I even asked where the plunger was (I moved to Norway through marriage, so I could ask all sorts of questions).

I have pretty much the same opinion about US-like toilets: I don't get them. There's only one public US-like toilet that I know of in the entire European city where I'm currently living (inside of a KFC restaurant) and it's always strange when you use it. I actively prefer the toilet from the McDonald's restaurant that is just 50 meters away. If it matters my post about the public toilets from my city was chosen as one of the 2 posts of the year on my country-specific sub-reddit, I even had my best friend message me with a link to it telling me about how his co-workers were talking about how they had found "the local George Constanza" on that sub-reddit, so suffice is to say that I know a thing or two about public toilets :)

So I’m not the only one that thinks European toilets seem purpose built to punch you in the face with odor?

Toilet design varies globally, and this is not necessarily due to some function-focused reasons of the designers.

You might find this short video entertaining (Zizek on toilets): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rzXPyCY7jbs

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