Why Are Toilets White?

Have you ever noticed that the default color for most toilets is white? Why is that?

There are several reasons why toilets are often white. Toilets are usually made from porcelain, which is naturally white. Most people also connect the color white with cleanliness, and since hygiene is an important aspect of the bathroom, it helps us feel like our space is cleaner if there is more white. Another important reason why toilets are white is that it helps us to see dirt or stains more easily.

If you are still wondering about toilet colors, let’s look more deeply at these interesting reasons behind toilet colors.

Perfect Porcelain

Most modern toilets are made of porcelain. In its natural state, porcelain is white. Porcelain is a strong material that can withstand the tough job a toilet has. The toilet should last the lifetime of the home it is installed in, and porcelain can do this.

Porcelain sometimes gets a bad reputation for actually being fragile, but this isn’t the case at all. This misunderstanding stems from the fact that, in the past, porcelain dolls were fashionable. These dolls had delicate porcelain faces, arms, hands, legs, and feet. Although that is the same material as your sturdy toilet, porcelain dolls were made of very thin layers of porcelain. In thin layers, the material is fragile. This is why toilets are made of big, bulky pieces of porcelain.

Another important aspect of porcelain that makes it a great material for toilets is that it is rust-proof.

Simply Sanitary

The color white does not necessarily mean that something is cleaner, but our subconscious brains don’t know that. Humans automatically associate the color white with cleanliness. This could be because white will show up dirt and debris more easily. Dirt can’t hide on a white surface like it can on a darker surface.

Let’s be honest, the toilet is not the cleanest spot in the house, so it is important not only that we actively keep the space clean and sanitary, but also that our brains think it looks clean and sanitary as well. Anytime a manufacturer wants to help a customer view an item as clean, safe, and sanitary, the color white is first considered. No one wants to walk into their bathroom and see a brown toilet.

Dirt Detective

As mentioned above, not only does the color white give us the impression of cleanliness, but white also helps us keep an area or an item better cleaned. This is because dirt can’t hide on a light colored surface. If there is dirt, debris, or other matter on a white toilet, we will see it immediately. This helps us keep the area clean and tidy.

Better on the Budget

Porcelain is naturally white, which means in order for it to be colored, color must be added as an additional step in the manufacturing process and as an additional expense. White toilets are simply cheaper. If you have ever considered a different colored toilet, you probably noticed right away that it was more expensive than the basic white options.

Appealing Aesthetic

The bathroom can be a pretty gross place when you start to think about what all goes on in there on a daily basis. Our human brains need to be able to reconcile all that ickiness with something more pleasant. This is why home designers and homeowners seek to create a pleasing aesthetic in the bathroom.

This is easily accomplished by using lots of the color white. When we start with a white bathroom and add to that a sufficient cleaning routine, we can feel much better about what would otherwise be a pretty gross room in our house.

Real estate agents often recommend that homeowners update the bathrooms first when getting their house ready to sell. The most simple upgrade is painting the walls white and adding white accessories like shower curtains, rugs, etc. This gives off a modern, crisp impression to visitors even if the house itself is older. A small, outdated bathroom can be entirely revolutionized with the use of the color white.

Toilets Through Time

Our great-grandparents and great-great-grandparents would have laughed at our modern concern with white aesthetics. In fact, in the past, toilets were not even a consideration in home design. Many families, even well-off families, simply relied on an outhouse. This ultra-practical addition to the property took no thought to aesthetics or how color affected the subconscious. In fact, the facility found in the outhouse was often made of wood as comfort was also not a concern.

You may even recall your grandparents’ home sporting a colorful commode. In the 1950s, 60s, and 70s colored toilets were quite fashionable. It was not surprising to see them in pink, blue, orange, and green. You might still happen upon an older home or two that has a lovely “Harvest Gold” or “Avocado Green” toilet.

So, can you still buy colored toilets? Sure, but they are often more expensive than white toilets. They are not recommended for homeowners who have any intention of selling in the future.

Colorful Comebacks

Although colored toilets are certainly not the trend currently, you never know what types of home design trends might resurface.

Today, colored toilets are available to purchase, but they simply are not as popular as white.

There are alternatives to white toilets, however, that are quickly growing in popularity.

Black toilets are actually a pretty popular toilet color option. Black tends to have a similar effect as white when it comes to aesthetics. Sleek black accessories make us think of things as being modern, efficient, and surprisingly clean.

Another option that is growing in popularity is stainless steel. Stainless steel carries with it the same impression as white. We think of stainless steel items as being efficient and sanitary. Stainless steel also provides the benefit of showing up dirt pretty easily as well.

There is probably little chance, however, that your grandma’s “Avocado Green” toilet with matching shag rug will ever make a comeback. Thankfully.