Victorian Antique Water Closet

Victorian Antique Water Cupboard

Why Were Bathrooms Called Water Closets In The Past?

If you lot were born in the final hundred years you lot've always called a bathroom a bathroom, or perhaps a restroom, but have you ever heard anyone telephone call it a water closet? But where did that term come from? The answer is pretty surprising.

A little over 200 years ago, the terms for each room in a house were specific instead of being generic. Someone might go to the "bathroom" to have a bathroom because that'southward where the tub located. You lot might go to the "restroom" to remainder or get ready for your twenty-four hour period, and so there may have been a sink, a mirror, or other necessities. This is common even so in a lot of rentals and bed and breakfasts.

That beingness said yous went to the "water cupboard" to apply what is not referred to as a toilet.

A Picture of an antique water closet

A Picture of an antiquarian water closet

So why were the rooms with a toilet called a water cupboard?

If you research this at that place are a few dissimilar version of why water closets were given their name, there is one common version that is often found. In the late 19th century when indoor plumbing began being installed into homes, people had to brand room for the toilets that were to be installed. One common place to install a toilet was in a remodeled cupboard because of information technology's defended size and door.

Since it was the one place in the dwelling house that had indoor h2o, it was called the "h2o cupboard."

Fun Fact: modern day building codes however refer to the WC designation.

Urinals And Water Closets

In the Us toilets are even so referred to as h2o closets but urinals are non. This differentiates allows for like shooting fish in a barrel labeling of fixture types that are approved for different types of waste product. It may be important to annotation that the reference is but for the toilet but for the edifice codes. A "water closet" would be installed in a "bathroom," even if that bathroom technically does non accept a bath in it.

It's common place in other countries like Germany to have the toilet sometimes kept in a separate room from the residue of the bathroom or restroom. Some college terminate homes in the United states are designed like this as well. This is often technically still chosen a "water closet" because the toilet is kept in a divide area but still contained within the bath itself.

WC is nevertheless used often today, but every bit an abbreviated synonym for a toilet instead of a specific location or designation. Sometimes found listed on the toilet itself, then this designation is usually intended to meet a building code requirement.

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