How to determine the age of your toilet

To some I am considered somewhat of a House Detective because I often employ many of my age old tricks to quickly determine the age of a house or when it was last remodeled. One of these tricks is to find out how old the toilet is. This will often date the house as well if the house is relatively new (less than 40 years old because many older toilets have been replaced by now with new low-flush models). It is as simple as removing the tank lid from the toilet and flipping it over to find the date stamped into the lid. The manufacturers stamp the date it was made into the lid when the clay is still soft. I believe I have also seen some companies print the date instead of stamping it and some do not have dates or are hard to make out. I would say the vast majority of lids have dates so this is a pretty reliable method of at least finding out when the last time a bathroom was remodeled. You can impress your friends and family now with this bit of knowledge. Just be prepared for the strange looks you'll get when you are caught looking under the lids. Toilets are considered dirty and taboo in most cultures. The truth is, the toilet tanks contain fresh water and are QUITE clean.