Make Your Toilet Touchless with This $75 Gadget

Once upon a time, touchless toilets were the domain of airports, fancy steak restaurants, and Japan.

Now, Americans, your very own throne can flush itself, thanks to a new gadget from a Kohler. Via Gizmodo, last week the plumbing giant announced the Touchless toilet flush kit, a do-it-yourself product that can be added to almost any toilet to make it flush without your touch.

The battery-powered kit is centered around a sensor that activates the flush. Wave your hand over the sensor, and the toilet flushes. The kit eliminates the need to touch that germ-y tank lever while also making you feel like a toilet-controlling wizard.

Here’s what you get in the kit. (Four AA batteries included; the bulk of the system sits inside your tank.)

The Kohler FAQ webpage claims that “most people” can install the system in under 20 minutes. So we wouldn’t recommend trying to install this thing if you really have to go.

The Kohler system also eliminates the little flushing lever that you and your houseguests will be familiar with, patching it over with a little plug. This could cause some embarrassment and super-awkward moments; however, Kohler does also include a little decal that you can paste onto your toilet that indicates where the hand sensor is located.

You can order the kit for $100 from Kohler’s website, though we also found it for $75 at Home Depot.  At $75, the retrofitting kit is far cheaper than just buying a fancy steakhouse touchless toilet, which Kohler also sells starting at $363 and which have been available in various forms for years. So, if you’re committed to going touchless, are looking to save some dough, and are handy with a screwdriver, Kohler’s touchless kit could make for a fun and sanitary weekend project.

Happy touchless flushing, America.