What is a skirted toilet and is it easier to clean?

Every toilet has a trapway, the curved passage inside the porcelain that carries waste from the bowl to the drain. On a traditional toilet, you can see that shape from the outside, with curves and gaps between the bowl, the base and the floor.

Skirted toilets are also called concealed trapway toilets, and the skirt describes the base, not the tank. American Standard's skirted Cadet 3, for example, is a two-piece toilet, so a skirted toilet doesn't have to be a one-piece model. The porcelain wraps around the base so the outside looks like one smooth piece. Kohler describes the result as an "easy-to-clean, uniform toilet base that hides the trapway and toilet bolts." Its concealed trapway models have "smooth, flat surfaces and low-profile bolt caps" that are "easy to wipe clean."

American Standard describes its skirted toilet the same way: smooth, skirted sides "conceal hard-to-reach areas where dirt can hide."

For the base, yes. The reason is simple geometry. A traditional toilet has folds, ridges and a gap at the back where you can't get a cloth to reach. Dust, hair and drips collect there. A skirted toilet has none of those. You wipe one flat surface from top to bottom, and you're done.

The difference shows up most in a few places:

• Behind and beside the bowl. No hidden nooks to reach into.
• At the floor. The base sits flush, so there is less to scrub where it meets the tile.
• At the bolts. Low-profile caps cover the bolts, so there are no exposed bolt heads to wipe around.

### How do you clean one?

Start at the top and work down, so drips land on surfaces you haven't cleaned yet. Wipe the tank and lid, then the seat and hinges, then the bowl rim and the outside of the bowl, and finish with the skirted base and the floor around it. The base is one flat panel, so a single pass with a cloth or wipe does it. Then scrub the inside of the bowl with a brush, the same as you would any toilet. Skip drop-in tank tablets with bleach or chlorine, since Fluidmaster warns they damage toilet parts.

Some makers add finishes that help. American Standard says its skirted Cadet 3 has a PowerWash rim that "scrubs the bowl with each flush" and an EverClean surface that protects against mold, mildew, odor- and stain-causing bacteria. Those are manufacturer claims for that one model, so treat them as a bonus and check the specs on any toilet you buy.

What the skirt doesn't change is the inside. The bowl, the rim and the water line clean just like any other toilet. If the inside gets stained or crusted, that comes from the water, not the shape. In Phoenix, hard water leaves mineral rings in any bowl. Our page on how hard Phoenix water is explains why, and it applies to skirted toilets as much as any other.

The skirt is about looks and cleaning. It isn't the part that decides how well a toilet flushes. Two things matter more: how much water the toilet uses and how the passage inside is sized.

For water use, look at the gallons per flush. American Standard's skirted Cadet 3 model, for example, is listed at 1.28 gpf and is WaterSense certified. EPA says WaterSense toilets use 1.28 gpf or less, which is 20 percent below the federal standard of 1.6 gpf. EPA also says WaterSense toilets must clear soybean paste test media and toilet paper from the bowl in performance testing, and that today's WaterSense toilets "far outperform traditional toilets from the 1980s and 1990s." So the label is a good sign of flushing performance. It's better than choosing on style alone.

For the passage itself, American Standard lists a "fully-glazed 2-1/8 inch trapway" and a "durable 3 inch flush valve" among the features that "help prevent clogs." Those are the kinds of specs to compare between models, skirted or not.

So a fair way to shop is to pick the flush performance first and the skirt second.

The toilet has to line up with your floor drain, so measure the rough-in before you shop. Kohler's advice is to measure from the wall, not the baseboard, to the floor bolts. It says the most common rough-in is 12 inches, with 10-inch and 14-inch versions also sold. Measure yours before you shop, and buy the matching size. A baseboard is easy to include by mistake and throws the number off by its thickness, which is why Kohler says to start from the wall itself.

A few other checks:

• Seat height. American Standard lists its skirted Cadet 3 round-front model at 16.5 inches, chair height, and skirted toilets are sold in other heights and bowl shapes too. Our page on comfort height vs standard toilets helps you choose.
• Bowl shape and space. Round and elongated bowls need different room. The clearance around a toilet has code minimums, which we cover in toilet clearance code.
• Bolt access. The bolt caps are low and flush, which is part of the look. Just keep in mind that the bolts are under the caps if you ever need to tighten or replace the toilet.
• Flush volume and label. Look for gpf on the spec sheet and the WaterSense label.

If you're replacing an old toilet, the swap is a manageable job, and HQ Plumbing and Air can do it and tell you the price up front. Our page on what goes into replacing a toilet explains what affects it.

Neither Kohler nor American Standard lists any. The practical points are small. The bolts sit under the caps, so you lift the caps first if you ever need to tighten or replace the toilet. And the skirt is a cleaning and style feature, so it can't make up for a model with weak flush specs. If you notice a damp spot on the floor near the base, check it out. Our page on why a toilet leaks at the base covers what to look for.

### The takeaway

A skirted toilet is easier to keep clean on the outside, and that is its main advantage. It looks tidier, it has fewer places for dust to hide, and it doesn't cost you flushing performance if you pick a good model. Choose the gpf and the rough-in first. Then choose the skirt if you like the look and the easy wipe-down.