Heated toilet seat could burn your buttocks

With winter just around the corner, a warm toilet seat will no doubt increase comfort during people’s use. However, the city’s consumer watchdog warned on Tuesday that some electronic toilet seat models could warm up to 40°C and hurt users’ skin.

A recent Consumer Council test has collected information on 32 electronic toilet seat models from nine brands, priced from HK$3,399 to HK$14,800, a difference of more than 3 times, with the basic installation fee included for some models.

The Council said all 32 models they surveyed possess a seat heating function with
adjustable temperature, but consumers should pay heed to their installation and usage to avoid hurting their skin.

Of the 32 models, the Council said 12 of them claimed to be able to adjust the seat
temperature to a maximum of approximately 40°C, while two models had the widest
adjustment range from approximately 28°C to 40°C. 

The Council advised users to neither set the seat temperature too high nor sit for too long as the temperature might increase over time causing the user to feel hot. 

“Even if the seat temperature is only slightly higher than the body temperature, it may still cause discomfort with prolonged contact with the skin,” it noted.

Meanwhile, the Council‘s test also found 29 models equipped with a warm air dryer function, allowing users to dry their lower body parts with warm air after cleansing. Eight of them claimed the warm air could be adjusted to a maximum of approximately 60°C.

The temperature, despite being lower than the 65°C upper limit of the recommended Guobiao standard, might still cause skin discomfort when prolonged use, the Council added.

Consumers were advised not to turn up the dryers’ temperatures too high but to wipe the lower body parts with toilet paper after cleansing before drying with warm air to reduce skin discomfort that may be caused by prolonged exposure to warm air at higher temperatures.

Separately, the watchdog reminded consumers that they must acquire written permission from the Water Supplies Department and have the electronic toilet seats installed by qualified professionals to avoid backflow of contaminated water and subsequent contamination of the water supply system

Consumers should also ensure that the rated voltage and frequency of the toilet seats are suitable for local use and the products are fitted with plugs complying with the safety requirements, said the Council.