The family cottage had only one minus - the old outdoor toilet, which was not a particularly tempting place to visit. The solution led to increased use and a continuation of family traditions at the cozy cabin in Nordmarka, outside of Oslo, Norway. After they installed a Cinderella Incineration Toilet, they enjoy even more family time together.
"Tua" has been the site of several generations og family history, Cathrine Jørstad tells us, as she lights a fire in the fire pit outside of the brown-stained family cottage in Nordmarka outside of Oslo.
Traditional cottage with an improved toilet facility
«Tua» was built by Cathrine’s husband’s family before the second world war. A simple cottage with electricity, but without running water and sewage. The only toilet solution was in the outhouse. That all changed when Cathrine joined the family.
«When I started using the cottage, the bucket toilet was absolutely disgusting! » Catherine explains, as she opens the outhouse door, exposing the little turquoise-blue bucket contraption inside.
«I get nauseous really easily. Add that to my fear of the dark and you have an intolerable situation», Catherine laughs. «I had to wake up my husband every time I needed to go to the bathroom at night. »
It wasn’t long before she suggested that the family install a Cinderella Incineration Toilet indoors. Cinderella's toilets are water-free and are powered by either electricity or gas and they can be installed in all kinds of leisure homes. The waste is incinerated in a closed incineration chamber and the exhaust gases from the incineration process are discharged via a separate exhaust pipe.
Easy to install
Cathrine’s husband, Øyvind, was probably a little tired of accompanying his wife to the bathroom every night, so the idea of a Cinderella was shortly approved by both him and the other members of the family. Øyvind’s uncle built a little room at the base of the stairs and made everything ready to install the new toilet.
«The installation itself was very easy, » Øyvind explains. «We made a hole in the exterior wall and installed the pipes and we were ready. Since then, there hasn’t been a single complaint about the toilet situation! »
The young people in the house completely agree. Not having to go out at night in all kinds of weather makes the visits to the bathroom all the more pleasant.
Easy to learn
Using a Cinderella is safe for children, and Cathrine’s 10-year-old nephew, Magnus, happily demonstrates how easy it is to use the toilet.
«The toilet is super easy to use! », Magnus explains. «First you lift up the lid and seat, and then you take a bowl liner and put it in the bowl. After that, you put down the seat and then you can go to the bathroom. When you finish, all you do is close the lid and press this button, » Magnus concludes, pointing out which button to press.
The bowl liner with its contents from the visit, falls into the incineration chamber where both wet and dry are burned at high temperatures. The only remains are small amounts of pure ash.
Cathrine confirms that it’s easy to instruct both children and adults in the use of the toilet. Every time guests arrive at the cottage for the first time, they get a little instruction.
«As long as you remember to use a new bowl liner for every visit, it works like a dream. Our family of five plus guests use the toilet all day long without any problems, » Catherine explains.
For the smaller children, Catherine usually checks to be sure that they have used it correctly.
«Little children pee in such small quantities that I usually poor a little water in the bowl liner to add weight so it will fall easily into the incineration chamber when I press the button, » she explains.
Environmentally friendly ash
Emptying the incineration toilet is easy but must be done when the toilet is cold.
«We usually empty it first thing upon returning to the cottage, because the toilet is cold, » Cathrine explains. «We open the hatch, pull out the ash tray and remove the container filled with sterile ash and empty the contents. » Cathrine demonstrates how she pulls out the metal ash tray at the base of the toilet.
The modest amount of waste, which consists purely of sterile ash, makes Cinderella a very environmentally friendly toilet solution. The ash in the container is completely free of dangerous bacteria and easy to empty.
«Emptying the ashes is a very clean and hygienic process, especially for someone like me, who normally finds such things a bit disgusting. It’s easy to keep clean. You rarely find the need for the toilet brush because everything is contained in the bowl liner and disappears when you press the button, » Cathrine tells us.
Enjoying the cottage more often
Cathrine's husband, Øyvind, agrees that the improvements have made life at the cottage easier and more comfortable now that everyone can go to the bathroom indoors with the Cinderella.
«We stay warm, there’s no smell and the toilet works perfectly. It’s definitely something I would recommend to other cottage owners, whether they have older cabins without running water, or maybe a more modern leisure home, deep in the mountains, » Øyvind tells us.
The couple conclude that investing in a Cinderella Incineration Toilet has ensured greater comfort and resulted in more enjoyment of the family cottage.
«There is no doubt that we use the cottage a lot more, now that we have a Cinderella, » Cathrine laughs, «and best of all, I can go to the bathroom alone when I wake up in the middle of the night! »
Advantages with an incineration toilet
- No need for access to water or costly sewage connections
- Not dependent on electricity
- Child proof
- Requires little space
- Easy installation
- No after handling of waste disposal, only a minimal amount of ash easily emptied in the household waste bin
- No supply of bark, chemicals or other treatments necessary
- No smell to attract insects
