What a TOTO WASHLET Is
A TOTO WASHLET is an electronic bidet seat that replaces your existing toilet seat and washes you with warm water from a retractable wand. TOTO introduced the WASHLET in 1980 as the first luxury toilet seat with electronic bidet functionality, and the seats still fit most toilets sold in North America. This collection holds 16 products, from the entry-level S1 to the top-of-the-line S7A, plus the auto flush kit.
What every WASHLET does
Every WASHLET gives you a rear wash and a softer front wash, with the spray position, pressure and water temperature all adjustable, plus a heated seat you set to your own comfort. The wand is a slim resin nozzle that stays tucked behind a door until you call for it, and it cleans itself before and after every use. On the S7A the spray water runs between 86 and 104 degrees and the seat between 82 and 97 degrees.
The technologies TOTO builds in
Three names appear on nearly every WASHLET spec sheet. PREMIST wets the surface of the bowl before you go, so waste has less to cling to and rinses away more easily. EWATER+ mists the wand and bowl after each use, keeping the bowl cleaner without harsh chemicals. An instantaneous water heater warms water on demand instead of storing it, so a long wash never turns cold. Higher models add a warm-air dryer, an ionized carbon deodorizer, a night light, and on the S7A a touchless auto open/close lid.
WASHLET or WASHLET+
A WASHLET is the seat on its own, sized to retrofit a toilet you already own. WASHLET+ is TOTO's matched system: the same seat paired with a TOTO toilet engineered so no water or electrical connections show. If you want that integrated look instead of a seat swap, shop the TOTO WASHLET+ toilet sets. If you would rather compare TOTO against other brands first, the wider bidet toilet seat range covers Brondell, Blooming, Nova and more, and our guide to whether a bidet is worth it sets out what changes day to day.
What a WASHLET Will Not Do
The limits are worth knowing before you order:
- It will not run without power. Every WASHLET seat needs a GFCI outlet within about three feet of the toilet.
- It will not change your bowl shape. Elongated seats fit elongated bowls, round seats fit round bowls.
- It will not fit every toilet. French-curve bowls and tight tank clearances rule some models out.
- It will not hide the hardware the way WASHLET+ does. The supply hose and the cord stay visible behind the bowl.
- A tank-heated model like the A2 or KC2 will not deliver endless warm water.
How to Choose a TOTO WASHLET
Choosing a WASHLET comes down to four checks: whether the seat fits your bowl, whether you have the right outlet, how the model heats its water, and which comfort features you will use often enough to pay for. Work through them in that order.
1. Measure your bowl before anything else
TOTO sizes WASHLETs for two bowl shapes. Measure from the center of the two seat-bolt holes to the front rim: roughly 18.5 inches means an elongated bowl, roughly 16.5 inches means a round one. Take three more numbers while you have the tape out. The bolt holes should sit about 5-1/2 inches apart, you want at least 2 inches between the front of the tank and the center of those holes, and at least 8 inches of clear bowl width measured from the center outward. French-curve bowls often fail that width check. Once you know your shape, shop elongated bidet seats or round bidet seats.
2. Confirm the outlet
Every WASHLET seat is electric, and TOTO calls for a GFCI outlet within three feet of the toilet. The cord on the S7A is 3.9 feet, so an outlet across the room means booking an electrician rather than a plumber. The one exception here is the Travel WASHLET, a battery-powered handheld unit with its own water reservoir.
3. Instantaneous heating or a stored tank
The S-series seats and the slim K-series use an instantaneous heater that warms water on demand, so the wash stays warm for as long as you run it. The A2 and the round KC2 heat a small stored tank instead. That costs less, but the stored warm water runs out during a longer wash and then needs time to recover. If two people use the bathroom back to back, choose instantaneous heating.
4. Pick your feature tier
The range steps up in a straight line. The S1 covers front and rear washing with warm water and a heated seat. The S2 adds PREMIST, an air deodorizer and a night light, all run from a side control panel on the seat. The S5 and KS6 move you to a remote that stores settings for four users, in a slimmer tankless body. The S7 refines the shape again, comes in Classic and Contemporary versions, and works with TOTO's auto flush kit. The S7A adds the touchless auto open/close lid. Two seats here also come in Sedona Beige if cotton white is wrong for your bathroom: see the Sedona Beige bidets and toilets. Our step-by-step bidet installation guide covers the T-valve connection.