Reinforcing Hygiene

The entry of international sanitaryware brands over the years has opened up the Indian market for high-end, feature-rich sanitaryware that provide enhanced functionality, reduced human intervention, besides aesthetics and water and energy efficiency

By Seema Gupta

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Kohler India continues to redefine sanitaryware with its technically augmented products with a focus on delivering optimum hygiene in the bathroom. So we see a high-tech toilet with intuitive/motion-activated, hands-free opening and closing cover; a bidet with adjustable front and rear sprays and UV light for self-cleaning wand with 78 holes for gentle wash; an integrated dryer; temperature-controlled seat and water; and a touch screen with easy-to-use navigation for a personalised bidet experience. Kohler's Puretide bidet seat provides hygiene and comfort with functions such as a retractable wand, an adjustable front and rear wash, water pressure control, and single easy-to-use lever to control functions. It can be installed on a variety of toilets. The seat is easy to remove, allowing for ease in cleaning, and the retractable wand cleans itself with excess water after every use. The bidet seat does not require any electrical supply, but only a direct water supply. It also helps in keeping the bathroom dry and clean by reducing chances of water spillage.

The company's latest Veil Integrated Toilet has a concealed tank, automatic flushing with double siphonic flushing system, and an integrated bidet. Rimless bowl design ensures easy cleaning; while the intelligent auto-flush technology detects requirement for either full or half flush, and also has an option for manual flush. A single wand for front and rear wash with 5 positions enables hands-free hygiene. Sterilized water cleans the bidet wand after each wash and UV light sanitizes it every 24 hours. Night light, automated deodorizer to flush out bad odours, and speakers for music located at the back of the toilet complete the experience. Says Salil Sadanandan, Managing Director, Kohler Kitchen and Bath, India, "Our bathroom products are created keeping in mind the modern contemporary housing needs of consumers. At Kohler, our efforts are in designing products that enhance the lives of consumers by providing comforting luxury in their homes. Space saving, compact, technology advanced and integrated toilets are the future."

Hansgrohe bath products also come with QuickClean technology which helps users' rub-off lime scale deposits at an instant. "Our mixer aerators and showerheads are fitted with elastic silicon nubs, light rubbing of which removes lime scale deposits without breaking the taps, and ensure regular water flow in the products. We innovated the Select technology – an electricity-free, push-button technology for people who prefer simple and hassle-free functioning. The Select products operate at the touch of a button; from turning shower/faucet on or off to changing the shower mode. They are completely safe from the hazards of electricity, more hygienic with minimal contact with the bath products, and simple enough for kids to operate. "At Hansgrohe, we constantly develop technologies and products that make showering clutter-free and convenient, and we keenly focus on users' safety and ease in the bathroom. Also, our products are competitively priced," says Anitha Sharma, GM- Marketing, Hansgrohe.

Geberit shower channels of the CleanLine series are neat and easy to clean. In contrast to many conventional channels, dirt and bacteria do not accumulate along its entire length. Features include a visible SS collector surface, below, which is a central trap and waste, mounted like a floor drain. Its open outlet surface does not allow any concealed build-up of deposits, while its handy cover makes it easy to open. A practical comb insert means one can simply remove, flush out and clean. Made of brushed stainless steel, the shower channel can be cut to the desired length at the time of installation, and it can be installed in the middle of the shower area or at the wall. It comes with a complete installation kit.

VitrA's technologically advanced V-care smart WC pan (designed by the famous design studio NOA), combines the functionality and comfort of a toilet and the cleaning properties of a bidet within its design. User comfort is enhanced with the specially designed nozzle spray that allows the user to regulate the water as desired. A remote controller also comes in handy for controlling the nozzle position, water pressure, and the temperature of the water and of the seat. While the ergonomic design ensures comfort and hygiene, the rimless design of the inner bowl and a hidden installation by VitrA makes it easier to clean the water closet. Maximum drying and air purification and a touch-free toilet are the advantages of this WC, which is available in basic and comfort variants.

The Hindware brand of HSIL offers the water-efficient, automated hands-free water closet that is operated by simply pressing a button. Its Rimless Technology enables a powerful swirling motion flushing system that not only ensures that there is no rim shadow, but also helps in thorough cleaning. The cartridge (washer) is manufactured using Spanish technology, while the sieve has an anti-splash aerator which prevents water from splashing. The revolutionary 3C Technology (Cartridge, Casting, and Coating) ensures hassle-free operation.

The automate intelligent toilet from Hindware's Italian Collection offers Auto Pre and Post Flush features: The closet senses user's exit and flushes automatically. Pre-Flush happens when the user is going to use the closet. A sensor below the seat cover rim senses the user as he/she sits on the closet and automatically flushes the closet. Post Flush happens automatically whenever the user steps away from the closet after using it. So there is no manual flush, keeps the closet clean on its own, and there is a sense of all round cleanliness. Pre-flush and post-flush help in no stain and odour retention.

Hindware's 3D Massage and Oscillating Cleanse system has advanced automate features such as dedicated front and rear cleaning moods. The water is dispensed by infusing air with water for a soothing cleanse. The nozzle offers an oscillating cleaning mode and 3D massage effect, all at the touch of a button. Features include rear cleanse (posterior), front cleanse (feminine), auto clean nozzles, 3D massage and oscillating cleanse, hot/cool cleanse, water pressure and temperature adjustment and bubble wash. An Infra-red operated remote control with 18 buttons that is easy to use, and a in-built dryer blows warm, hygienic air and leaves no trace of moisture or discomfort.

There is no moisture on body post use, ensures germ free and hygienic operation, adjustable seat temperature, adjustable air temperature. For the users, visiting the bathroom is always a refreshing experience as the closet deodorizes automatically after every use. Additional features include a courtesy light, a slow and noiseless falling seat cover thanks to the hydraulic action employed and a feet Touch Flush With no levers, no push buttons for more hygiene.

Duravit's rimless, open design of the WC rim, innovative and powerful flush ensures hygienic flushing. With its new Rimless Technology, Duravit demonstrates how geometry, fluid mechanics and design can be successfully combined for maximum efficiency. In Duravit Rimless®, the open design of the WC rim enables an innovative and powerful flush. Water flows in the form of a horizontal arc, and then vertically, before flushing the entire inner surface of the bowl without splashing. This ensures perfect and hygienic flushing results, even with smaller volumes of water, like 4.5 litres. Thanks to the open, easily accessible rim area, the bowl is particularly easy to keep clean, and this reduces cleaning times considerably. In the DuraStyle Dry urinal, a hose diaphragm integrated within the outlet opens only when urine flows through and then closes again automatically, effectively preventing any odours. Highly functional and easy-care, the urinal is incredibly easy to keep clean.

Asutosh Shah, Managing Director, Duravit, informs, "All Duravit ceramics for the bathroom and kitchen are robust, hygienic and easy to clean. They are also available with WonderGliss, a hygienic and easy-care innovation by Duravit that was developed on the basis of nano - technology. WonderGliss easy-care coating conserves resources. The coating is fired right into the ceramics and doesn't give grime a chance: dirt and lime scale can no longer secure a hold and residues run off more easily with the water. This saves resources because less cleaning also means using less cleaning agent and water. Ceramics have many valuable properties: resistant to extreme temperatures, to odours or flavours, lightfast and hygienic. As a natural raw material, it is non-hazardous to use and also extremely durable. A specially developed high-strength ceramic mass with an elegant finish (DuraCeram) makes it possible to create countertop basins with a rim thickness of only five millimeters that are extremely easy to maintain, amazingly robust and impact-resistant."