Proof positive that mankind is not employing a significant portion of his brain capacity:
We still don’t build residential bathrooms with drains in the floor.
Why is that?
How many of you have never, ever had a toilet over flow? A pipe break? Or just an overwhelming urge to take a handheld shower head and pressure wash the entire room?
Look me in the eye and say it’s never happened.
Now how hard would it really be to put a drain in the floor? There’s already one for the sink and the tub–just run a few more feet of pipe for heaven’s sake. Or my sanity’s–whichever floats your boat. (And don’t you dare point out that I did the plumbing here myself–I was influenced by centuries of faulty thinking.) I say it’s time for a residential plumbing renaissance, people!
Or maybe just time to put the toilet paper under lock and key… I could dole it out like they do at restrooms in Mexico–three or four sheets per customer. I might even insist on a tip–it’ll finance the next remodel, which, at this rate, will be needed way too soon.
Mental Maytag 
December 10th, 2010 at 8:01 pm
I guarantee you’re not the first one to think of that! Probably most folks would consider a floor drain ugly. But cover it with a bath mat when it’s not in use, eh?
December 10th, 2010 at 8:19 pm
Seriously! Or put it under the sink, or in the floor of a closet–just slope the floor ever so slightly in that direction, the way they do in laundry rooms–it’s code for laundry rooms here, so why not bathrooms? I’ve had way more problems with my toilet than I ever had with a washing machine! Although–when the washer backs up, that’s a LOT of water, I must admit.
December 10th, 2010 at 10:36 pm
Caylee did that at our house just two weeks ago. It’s amazing how a three year old can get a full roll of toilet paper into the toilet and flush it before anyone notices.
December 14th, 2010 at 7:42 pm
Seriously! Cortni did it once with paper towel. Ugh.
December 10th, 2010 at 11:54 pm
I’m with you. But I also have dreams of one day having a kitchen that has a drain in the floor. A kitchen where I can close a door, push a button, and it washes itself like a dishwasher. I think I saw it on that show “home improvement” a long time ago. Genius if you ask me. I’m guessing every mother in America would invest.
December 14th, 2010 at 7:43 pm
I think we should do an entire house built along that same principle. It should clean itself while we’re at church…