Why There Are No Toilet Brushes In America (And There Never Were)

If you go to a public bathroom in a bar, cafe or even an expensive restaurant, you certainly won't find a toilet brush next to the toilet.

It may not even appear at first. After all, these are crowded places, and train station toilets don't always have brushes.

But the same applies to hotel rooms, and if you visit an American family, you won't find a toilet brush in the bathroom there either.

How can this be and what should we do?

The answer is simple: During the development of American toilets, toilet brushes were never used.

In fact, there is no need for them. The reason for this is simple: they are not needed. How can this be? American people have the same toilet habits as us. The secret lies in the toilets.

American toilets differ from European toilets from the beginning. They are of the so-called siphon type.

If you look at the photo above, you may notice a suspicious amount of water in the white tank. This is because the toilet is equipped with a flush, and after flushing it is almost always there. Half a bucket of water remains in it.

Since there is always a lot of water in the flush, dirt enters the water immediately and does not stain the side of the toilet.

So there is no need to scrape it from the sides with a brush.

The question may arise, why is this convenient and “cool” solution not also used in European toilets, and why should brushes be used?

The fact is that American toilets are not suitable for installation in rooms where the sewer line is located above the ceiling. This is the situation in many places in Europe.

This is why European toilets are made with a side outlet. In America, different standards apply and the under-slab sewer line. Therefore the outlet is vertical and directed towards the ground. This function allows the vertical outlet to be used as a siphon, effectively removing the toilet contents and transporting them to the sewer.