Environmental Designworks Sink Positive Tank Lid Sink

Plain and simple, I think the Sink Positive may be one of the best green inventions I've ever used.  After you flush any toilet its water tank refills for the next flush.  All the Sink Positive does is route that refill water first through a spigot (so you can wash your hands with it -- it's clean, just like it comes from the sink!) and then it sends the now "gray water" back into the toilet tank.  I just can't believe how intuitive, simple, and water-saving it is.

 

Actually, most impressive/scary is how much water actually goes into each toilet flush (even a low-flow!).  Whenever I've used this, I always have at least twice as much possible wash time as I need.  Totally amazing and every toilet should have one.  :)  I'd give it 10 stars if I could!

Think about it: every time you flush your toilet the tank and bowl refill with clean tap water. Cleaner than a lot of people in the world have to drink! Here's a great way you can save a gallon or two each time you flush.

People sometimes get confused about how this thing works, and think they're washing their hands in toilet water. That is not accurate. What you are getting is water straight from the pipe in the wall. The water goes into your toilet AFTER you wash with it and it drains out the small basin hole.

With me? So here's what happens:

1) You do your business in the toilet

2) Stand up and flush

3) CLEAN water starts pouring out of the little faucet

4) You wash your hands with it

5) As you do so, the toilet bowl fills up with soapy water from your hand wash

 

The water savings comes from NOT walking over to the sink to wash your hands with MORE clean water right after you flush. The soapy water only drains into the toilet bowl, not the tank, which keeps things a lot cleaner. All you will notice, really, is a little white cloudiness in the toilet bowl water from your soap.

The water runs out of the faucet for as long as it takes to fill your tank back up. That's plenty of time for us to get a good soapy hand wash. I've usually dried my hands and left before it stops running.

Please consider buying one of these to help clean tap water stretch further in your area. Water is becoming a scarcer resource as our population grows and demand increases. Sometimes it takes some pretty extreme measures to gather and divert enough water from our wilderness to support humans. Damming valleys, diverting rivers, and draining lakes isn't good if you enjoy the outdoors.

 

And saving a bit on your water bill is nice too. This is an easy way to do so. As an added bonus, everyone who comes over to your house and sees this thing will get a kick out of it.

I love this product. It was very easy to install and is easy to use. What a great way to reduce water use. You could potentially eliminate bathroom sinks all together. I got one for my niece and nephew and not only is it the perfect height for them, it reminds them to wash their hands after using the toilet and to think about saving water.

My only negative comment is that it is made of rather flimsy plastic (it does adjust to fit your toilet tank) and expensive for what a basic product it seems to be. I still recommend it to everyone and think it is a great idea.

Great concept.  If money were no object, I'd use these things everywhere -- it's a great way to reduce water consumption.  Leaning over the toilet to wash feels a little awkward, but I'm sure you'd get used to it.  And hey, if you can cut down your water usage by a couple of gallons a day, a little inconvenience is well worth it, right?

 

The $130 price is a bit steep though, especially considering it's just a molded piece of plastic, a simple faucet, and a couple of hoses.