Auto-Flushing Toilets, a Blessing and a Curse: Part I

I have mixed feelings about Auto-Flushing Toilets (AFTs), as there a definitely pros and cons to this innovation in toilets. This post, the first of a two-part series, will deal with the benefits of AFTs.

Part I – The Benefits of Auto-Flushing Toilets:

Note: This list assumes the auto-flushing toilet works properly (I know this is a big assumption, so stay tuned for Part II — The Cons to Auto-Flushing Toilets )

1. The toilet gets flushed after someone who is a habitual “non-flusher”, we’ll call them Non-Flushing Individuals, or NFIs for short. The secondary benefits that result from this situation are at least fourfold:

a) Visual - You are not subjected to ghastly sights left by previous NFIs.

b) Olfactory - You are subjected to slightly fewer disgusting smells left by previous NFIs.

c) Sanitary – The messes left by NFIs no doubt make the restroom an even more germ-ridden place than it otherwise would be.

d) Clean-up – Building custodians should not have to clean-up behind NFIs. That would make their job cruel and unusual punishment.

2. You don’t have to touch a lever to flush the toilet. The handles of Manual Flush Toilets (MFTs) are disgustingly unsanitary, so avoiding contact with these is a huge blessing. No further explanation necessary.

3. You have more time to create distance between yourself and the recently flushed toilet, since you don’t have to lean over it to push the lever down–like you would with a MFT. Toilets flush with a pretty powerful force; who knows how many germs fly out of the bowl when it flushes. The head-start you get by not having to lean over to flush a MFT can be priceless. However, its possible you get caught off guard by a Surprise Attack Flush (SAF), in which case you might be stuck even closer to a Just Flushed Toilet (JFT) than you would be flushing a MFT… but that’s a story for the next post, Part II.

Have I missed any benefits to the Auto-Flushing Toilet? If I have, please discuss in the comments. However, I ask that you save discussions of the shortcomings of AFTs for the comments of the next post.