TOTO Washlet C5 Review: Discontinued, Still Worth It?

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Update, September 2026: the Washlet C5 is discontinued. TOTO has replaced it with the Washlet S5. Authorized bidet retailers now flag the C5 as discontinued or sold out, and remaining closeout stock runs about $624 against a $780 list, up sharply from the $428 it sold for earlier this year. The S5 sells for roughly $682 and adds endless warm water, a nightlight, four user presets, and a round-bowl option. Our advice: buy the C5 only if you find real closeout pricing near or below $500. Otherwise buy the S5. Everything below still describes the C5 accurately, since it is a good seat and plenty of them are still in bathrooms and on shelves.

TOTO has been making bidet seats longer than just about anyone. The Japanese company pioneered the Washlet line in 1980, and four decades later, their engineering still sets the standard for reliability and hygiene. The Washlet C5 was where that engineering met a price point most people could actually justify.

That is the catch now. The C5 is end-of-life, and closeout pricing has pushed it up against seats that beat it on features. It never tried to be everything. It focused on the features that matter most: clean water delivery, a clean bowl, and a clean wand. Here is what we found when we dug into the specs, and where the S5 changes the math.

What You Get

The Washlet C5 (model SW3084) is a full-featured electric bidet seat with warm water rear and front cleansing, a heated seat, a warm air dryer, and a built-in deodorizer. It runs on AC 120V and draws 403W during normal operation.

The wireless remote control has an illuminated touchpad with two programmable user memory presets. You can save your preferred water temperature, seat temperature, spray pressure, and wand position for one-touch operation. The remote mounts to a wall bracket or sits on any flat surface.

At 15.1 x 20.9 x 5.75 inches, the C5 replaces your existing elongated toilet seat. The soft-close lid is a small detail that makes a real difference in daily use, especially if you share a bathroom with someone who drops the lid.

PREMIST and eWATER+: The Features That Set TOTO Apart

Two proprietary technologies separate the Washlet C5 from every other seat in its price range. Neither is flashy, but both solve real problems.

PREMIST

Every time you sit down, a sensor triggers a fine mist that wets the inside of the toilet bowl. This sounds trivial, but it makes a measurable difference. Waste slides off a wet ceramic surface far more easily than a dry one, which means cleaner flushes, less residue, and less scrubbing. You will notice the difference within the first week.

PREMIST uses a tiny amount of water and adds no time to your routine. It activates automatically and requires no input from you.

eWATER+

After each use, the spray wand retracts and rinses itself with electrolyzed water. This is regular tap water that has been given a mild electrical charge, turning it into a sanitizing solution that breaks down bacteria on contact. The wand cleans both inside and out, every single time.

Other bidet seats have "self-cleaning" wands that simply rinse with tap water. eWATER+ goes further by creating an actively antibacterial rinse. No chemicals, no filters, no replacement parts. It just works.

Wash Performance

The C5 offers three spray modes: rear cleansing, rear soft cleansing, and front cleansing. Each mode delivers warm water at flow rates between 0.07 and 0.11 gallons per minute, with water temperature adjustable across five settings from 95 to 104 degrees Fahrenheit.

The wand position is adjustable, and both oscillating and pulsating spray options are available. Oscillating moves the wand back and forth for broader coverage. Pulsating alternates water pressure for a massage-like effect. These are not gimmicks; oscillating in particular makes a noticeable difference in cleaning effectiveness.

Water heating comes from a small heated tank rather than an on-demand heater. That keeps power draw low, 403W against the 1,200W or more that tankless seats pull, but it caps your warm water at roughly 30 to 60 seconds before the spray starts cooling toward room temperature. For a standard wash that is plenty. For longer therapeutic use, or a household where two people go back to back, it is the C5's real limitation, and it is exactly what the tankless Washlet S5 and the hybrid Brondell Swash 1400 fix.

Comfort Features

Heated Seat

Five temperature levels from 82 to 97 degrees Fahrenheit. If you have ever sat on a cold toilet seat in January, you understand why this feature alone justifies the upgrade from a basic attachment. The seat sensor detects when you sit down and activates the bidet functions automatically.

Warm Air Dryer

Five temperature settings from 95 to 140 degrees Fahrenheit with an airflow volume of 8.83 cubic feet per minute. The dryer reduces or eliminates toilet paper use, though it takes 30 to 60 seconds for a full dry. Most users find that a quick pat with a single sheet of toilet paper plus the dryer is the most efficient approach.

Deodorizer

A built-in air deodorizer neutralizes bathroom odors at the source. Unlike air fresheners that mask smells with fragrance, the C5's deodorizer uses a catalytic filter to break down odor molecules. There is no replacement filter to buy, which is a genuine cost advantage over seats that require periodic deodorizer cartridge replacements.

Installation

The Washlet C5 installs on any standard elongated toilet in about 20 to 30 minutes. You will need:

1. A GFCI outlet within about 4 feet of the toilet (the power cord is 3.93 feet long)
2. A standard water supply connection (the included T-valve taps into your existing supply line)
3. Basic tools: an adjustable wrench and a screwdriver

Remove your existing toilet seat, mount the C5's base plate to the bolt holes, slide the seat onto the plate, connect the water supply via the T-valve, and plug in the power cord. No plumber required.

The most common additional expense is the GFCI outlet. If your bathroom does not have one near the toilet, expect to pay $150 to $300 for an electrician to install one. This applies to every electric bidet seat, not just the C5.

Water supply pressure must be between 7.25 PSI (dynamic) and 108.75 PSI (static). Standard residential water pressure falls well within this range.

For a complete walkthrough, see our bidet seat installation guide.

Specs at a Glance

Who Should Buy the TOTO Washlet C5

It is best for:

• Bargain hunters who find genuine closeout stock near or below $500, where the C5 is still one of the best deals in electric seats
• Anyone who prioritizes hygiene, specifically the PREMIST bowl pre-mist and eWATER+ wand sanitization
• People who want low ongoing costs with zero replacement filters and minimal maintenance
• Households of two sharing a bathroom (the two-user memory presets on the wireless remote make switching seamless)
• Households on an older circuit, where the C5's 403W draw is much gentler than a 1,200W tankless seat

You should skip it if:

• You are paying full closeout price of $600 or more (the current Washlet S5 costs about $682 and beats it on nearly every spec)
• You have a round toilet bowl (the C5 only fits elongated; the S5 comes in both)
• You want endless warm water for extended use (the tank gives you 30 to 60 seconds; the S5 or the Brondell Swash 1400 solve this)
• You want warranty support on a current product (the C5 carries one year, and it is end-of-life)
• You want a nightlight (the C5 does not have one; the S5 does)

How It Compares

Against the Washlet S5, its replacement

This is the comparison that matters most now. The S5 is what TOTO sells instead of the C5, and at current prices the gap is about $58.

For $58 more you get endless warm water, twice the user presets, a nightlight, a slimmer seat, a round-bowl option, and a product TOTO still makes. That is not a close call. The one argument for the C5 is power draw: at 403W it is far easier on an old bathroom circuit than the S5's 1,271W peak. Wirecutter named the S5 its best bidet seat in 2025, and we agree it is the TOTO to buy today. Our full Washlet S5 review covers it in depth.

Against the Brondell Swash 1400

The C5's other traditional rival now costs about $75 less.

The Swash 1400 wins on warm water duration, nozzle quality, and size compatibility. The C5 wins on hygiene technology and filter costs. The C5 used to also win decisively on price, by roughly $270, and that was most of its case. With Brondell listing the Swash 1400 at $549.99 and C5 closeout stock near $624, the price argument has not just narrowed, it has flipped.

The third seat shoppers cross-shop against the C5 is the Bio Bidet BB-2000 Bliss, the most common Bio Bidet vs TOTO matchup, and it tells the same story. The BB-2000 now lists around $549, which makes it cheaper than closeout C5 stock while adding unlimited hybrid warm water, a vortex massage spray, and a three-year warranty against the C5's one. For the full breakdown, see our TOTO Washlet C5 vs BioBidet BB-2000 Bliss comparison.

For a full rundown of both options, see our best electric bidet seats guide.

Long-Term Costs

One of the C5's strongest selling points is that it costs almost nothing to maintain.

• Replacement filters: $0. No water filter, no deodorizer cartridge.
• Electricity: Roughly $3 to $5 per month depending on your rates and usage.
• Replacement parts: The wand and other components are available from TOTO if needed, but the seat is built to last years without intervention.

Over two years, a closeout C5 costs about $624 plus roughly $72 to $120 in electricity, so call it $700 to $745 all in. The Brondell Swash 1400 runs about $550 plus $50 in filters plus similar electricity, landing near $670 to $720. The Washlet S5, with no filters either, comes to roughly $755 to $800.

That used to be a $270 saving in the C5's favor. Two years in, the Swash 1400 is now the cheaper seat by roughly $30 even after filters, and the C5 comes with a discontinued product, half the user presets, and a warm water limit. The filter-free argument still holds, it just applies equally to the S5 and no longer buys the C5 a price win.

The Bottom Line

The TOTO Washlet C5 never tried to win on flash. There is no nightlight, no stainless-steel nozzle, and no endless warm water. What it offered instead was something quieter: genuine hygiene innovation, backed by decades of engineering, at a price that undercut everything comparable.

The hardware still delivers. PREMIST keeps your bowl cleaner, eWATER+ keeps your wand sanitary, and zero replacement filters keep ongoing costs at effectively nothing. If you already own a C5, you own a good seat and there is no reason to replace it. TOTO still supports it and still sells parts.

What has changed is the price. At $428 the C5 was the best mid-range electric bidet seat we had found. At $624 closeout, with the current Washlet S5 at $682 and the Bio Bidet BB-2000 Bliss at $549, the value argument that carried this seat is gone. Buy a C5 if you spot one near or below $500. Otherwise buy the S5, which keeps the hygiene tech and fixes the warm water, the presets, and the round-bowl gap.

If you are stepping up from a basic bidet attachment and want something that prioritizes clean over clever, a TOTO is still the right call. It should just be the S5.

Not sure an electric seat is the right move? Read our guide on how to choose a bidet or learn about the different types of bidets to figure out what fits your bathroom and budget.