Service Robots Eliminate Need to Spend Time Cleaning ‘Disgusting’ Toilet Bowls

For most Americans, household chores rank right up there with paying taxes as the things we dread the most. There may be no more tedious task that spiffing up the bathroom, specifically scrubbing and disinfecting the toilet bowl. While none of us wants to get on our hands and knees to sanitize the “porcelain throne,” it is part of American’s cleaning routine, according to a national survey conducted by Altan Robotech.

Four out of every five people we surveyed (80%) spend less than two hours a day on household chores. That’s the same amount of time the respondents spent relaxing. There seems to be something wrong when we, as a society, are cleaning our house as much as we are sitting and spending time with friends and family. That could be why nearly two thirds (64%) of consumer respondents would buy a robot cleaner, such as the Giddel, to take care of this arduous chore.

Respondents Find Cleaning Toilet ‘Disgusting’

Perhaps one reason so much time is spent cleaning is fear of germs. This is especially true when it comes to the bathroom, with a particular focus on the toilet. Half those surveyed found toilet cleaning to be “disgusting” and “tedious” (figure 1). Despite these feelings, 68% of the respondents scour the toilet every week, pulling out the toilet cleaning kit that includes detergent and the brush, and spending as much as a half hour disinfecting the bowl.

A growing number of domestic service robots, such as Giddel, are being used in more and more homes across America and throughout the world. Giddel is a replacement for the brushes that require you to don protective gloves and exert physical force to remove the stains found in the bowl, on the rim and even on the underside of the seat. Giddel, with any standard toilet-cleaning detergent, can completely disinfect your toilet bowl.

Robots such as Giddel are necessary given the fact that there are 3.2 million bacteria per square inch in a toilet bowl, according to research conducted by a luxury bathroom product manufacturer. Rather than using old-fashioned elbow grease, new technology allows toilets to be cleaned with the press of a button.

Germs Living in Your Toilet

Cleaning a toilet with a robot helps keep your bowl clean and germ free. It can remove the most common bacteria found in a bowl:

  • Shigellosis – A gram-negative bacteria found in toilet bowls, shigellosis can cause a wide range of symptoms, including severe diarrhea and dysentery. The bacteria cause inflammation of the intestines and are usually passed in fecal matter.

  • Staphylococcus – These bacteria can be hard to kill, particularly the methicillin-resistant strain known as MRSA. According to the San Diego County Health and Human Services Agency, MRSA is often harbored in toilet bowls.

  • Salmonella – These harmful bacteria can cause severe vomiting and diarrhea in affected persons. A study conducted by scientists from the Aston University School of Health and Life Sciences in the United Kingdom examined the household conditions of six families who had recently suffered from a salmonella outbreak. Salmonella bacteria were found in the toilet bowl, specifically under the water line, in four of the six households.

  • Serratia marcescens – A very common bacteria in toilet bowls and the environment, Serratia marcescens can cause a pink or gray lining inside the toilet bowl. Illness such as urinary tract infections and pneumonia can be caused by these bacteria, though they are generally harmless and can be killed with the aid of chlorine bleach.

With bacteria such as those described above living in your toilet bowl, it should be a priority to clean it regularly. Equally important is to protect yourself against these germs when you are doing this chore. A toilet cleaning robot is your best solution.

Traits to Look for in a Service Robot

Survey respondents did have a concern about how good a job a robot could do. So, here are some things to look for when evaluating a robot cleaner that can keep your toilet bowl disinfected:

  • Durability – The robot should have an industrial-grade telescopic arm, advanced sensors and heavy-duty mechanisms that allow it to have the power and dexterity to clean thoroughly around the entire bowl, including hard to reach spots such as under the rim.

  • Intelligence – In today’s smart-home society, service robots need to be highly intelligent. They should have advanced algorithms to identify the toilet, allowing it to apply the proper amount of pressure to remove stains and bacteria. It should also be able to recognize whether the bowl is oblong or round, so a single robot can be used on multiple toilets in a home.

  • Sanitary – The robot should be designed so only the brush touches the dirty areas of the bowl and it works with common liquid cleaning solutions. For example, Giddel’s middle can be filled with any thin antibacterial liquid disinfectant, such as Spic and Span®, Mr. Clean®, or Lysol®. An internal pump automatically dispenses the disinfectant during the cleaning process. This coupled with the strong scouring action of Giddel (figure 2) – even in difficult-to-reach areas – after a household toilet bowl cleaner, such as Lysol or Clorox®, is directly applied to the toilet bowl ensures a very high level of hygiene.

  • Portability – To receive the greatest return on your investment, the robot should be portable, so it can be taken to each bathroom in the home to clean and disinfect every toilet.

There is no doubt that regular cleaning and disinfecting of a toilet and entire bathroom is necessary to prevent sickness and disease. With a portable toilet cleaning robot, that disgusting and tedious chore no longer has to be done the old-fashioned way. Robotic technology, which the survey revealed was a desired alternative, can keep the toilet bowl clean while you spend time doing better things.

To learn more about the portable toilet cleaning robot, visit the Giddel product features page.

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