British Toilet Association: Archived News from the British Toilet Association 

Golden celebration in toileting

When builder and entrepreneur Robert Willan came across an automatic bidet toilet in Europe which answered the needs of his ageing and less mobile parents, little did he envisage that half century later his find would have transformed the lives and independence of tens of thousands of people in Britain….

His discovery was the Clos-o-Mat ‘wash and dry’ toilet. This year the company he founded, Total Hygiene, celebrates its 50th anniversary, making it the longest-established dedicated manufacturer and supplier of disabled toileting solutions in the UK, and the only one that is still family-owned, now headed by Robert’s son Peter.

Today, more than 40,000 Clos-o-Mats are installed in homes, hotels, leisure venues and public buildings across the country, with hundreds more being exported. Some have been in situ for over 30 years, and are still in daily use- a testimony to their build quality and suitability for purpose- although the original design has long since been replaced.

Polio sufferer Nigel Harvey is just one person who appreciates the benefits of a specialist toilet. He bought his first Clos-o-Mat in 1968, and had it moved with him whenever he moved home over the next 42 years until it finally could no longer be repaired, when he replaced it with a new Palma Vita; he annually visits the same respite centre because it has a Clos-o-Mat. “I don’t like to go anywhere unless I know there is one I can use: once you have used one, you don’t like to use anything else!” he says.

Adds Peter Willan, Total Hygiene chair and CEO , “We British by reputation either do not discuss matters lavatorial, or find them amusing. But it is something we all do, and on average eight times a day! If you are one of the millions* of people who have any limitation which makes carrying out that basic function difficult or impossible to do alone, that has a huge impact on your ability to live your life with dignity and independence.”

Marking its half-century, Total Hygiene is unveiling its latest Clos-o-Mat evolution, the Lima Vita, which responds to changing market requirements: the wall-hung unit compliments today’s contemporary bathroom styling, as well as enhancing practicality when cleaning the bathroom or washroom. It features all the benefits of its proven Clos-o-Mat Palma floor-mounted toilet, which was the first unit of its kind developed specifically for disabled people, in partnership between Total Hygiene and leading commercial designer David Goodwin.

Both the Palma and Lima have an integral douche and drier, eliminating the need to manually cleanse with toilet tissue after toileting- yourself, or with the help of a carer. As a result, people have greater independence, and their dignity restored by being able to undertake basic personal hygiene with little, or NO, help. Total Hygiene’s range of accessories, including ‘soft touch’ remote pads, support arms, douche sprays and soft seats, enable the toilet to be personalized to individual’s needs, both initially and as they change over time, and accommodate issues of manual strength, dexterity, balance and mobility.

The Clos-o-Mat is also enjoying export success, with units now being supplied to most European countries, and a widening distribution throughout the Union.

4 April 2011