I would encourage anyone who has never used a bidet to go out and try one. Most modern bidets are Japanese style (built into the toilet itself or replacing the toilet seat) rather than European style (discrete units which sit next to your toilet) and thus are much easier to install and use outside of a new construction.
I had never used a bidet until I visited Japan a few years ago and I was instantly hooked after one use. Washing away excrement using pressurized water as opposed to smearing it around using toilet paper is more efficient, more hygienic, more pleasant, and results in a cleaner outcome. Bidets effectively let you perform a less-invasive enema which you cannot replicate with toilet paper. The one downside to using them is that the nice ones do require electrical power to produce heated water, so you need to employ an extension cord or get an outlet installed next to your toilet to use them.
I personally have a Biobidet 6800U which goes on sale for 50% off at Costco pretty regularly.
I also got to try those when visiting Japan, but I have to say it didn't seem like a significantly better experience than just cleaning with toilet paper to me. Maybe I'm completely mistaken, but I do think I do a reasonable job cleaning myself with just paper so I didn't feel significantly cleaner.
But IMO the worst problem was that you now have a wet bottom, which you again need paper to dry. Combine that with the not-so-great quality of toilet paper in Japan and now you have small pieces of dissolved paper all over you.
Maybe I did something wrong, I guess some of the fancier washlets have a dryer, but that didn't really work all that great for me.
I got a replacement seat version when I had my bathroom redone. I figured that, if it breaks down I can simply replace it rather than potentially have to have some specialist come to the house. (And, as it turned out, it did stop working properly post-warranty although as I replaced it I was suspicious the plumber just didn't install it properly. Which given the plumber's work generally would not have been a surprise.)
But, yeah, the big cost for most people outside of a remodel situation is the need to have a proper outlet installed.
I've had a washlet for a decade and absolutely am glad I spent what seemed like a scandalous amount of money at the time. Despite the built in dryer, paper is still required to get truly dry but other than that, it's great.
The article is a bit weird. The author starts off with a seemingly disconnected claim about prejudice that she never really is able to support except through rather weak conjecture. The whole thing reads like she needed to meet an identity politic quota and was working backwards to make it happen.
This finally ends with a pitch for a particular company's bidet toilet seat attachment. There are countless companies selling these on Amazon and elsewhere so it's a bit strange that this one company's offer is treated as something revolutionary and unique. Does The Atlantic get a cut of sales they send that way?
> The author starts off with a seemingly disconnected claim about prejudice
I think you are misreading that. What I take that is that the author is lamenting that people are so prejudiced against Americans that they remove necessary hygiene systems for fear of offending American sensibilities. (Could you imagine hearing that a hotel had been "<ethnicity>-ized" by removing the sinks, on the assumption that people would take offense at the suggestion they should wash their hands?)
I bought a Genie Bidet at the beginning of the pandemic due to the toilet paper shortage. Never shit without one now. Doesn't save toilet paper but the idea of a dry wipe is for the savages.
This. It’s strange to me that US culture places importance in frequently washing hair, hands, etc.
However potentially smearing faeces over part of your body and sitting with it festering there for 12 hours or until your next shower is completely acceptable.
I’ve shifted from the cheap bidet attachments on Amazon to the $300 Toto which includes both heated seat and water. It’s phenomenal, to the point that I added two new electrical outlets to my house to accommodate them.
Particularly with the toilet paper ‘shortage’ it’s wild to me that so many people still waste their time and money using paper.
I don't understand the TP thing. You need to dry up with TP anyways.
I certainly don't want an integrated seat that gets filthy with splash back when somebody takes a dump. I can understand the wands more, but still they risk getting very dirty from various users with various skill levels. We use wet wipes which is not ideal ecologically, but a bidet risks being far dirtier than a shopping cart handle and we conserve elsewhere.
I'm remodeling a bathroom to become part of our master bedroom in a walk-out basement. I had an extra water source and decided to build a small wall next to the toilet to hold a hand-held bidet sprayer. It's very low-profile, and relatively easy to install (since the wall was open).
Having a second porcelain appliance (and drain) for a full-on bidet doesn't make much sense to me, but I am really looking forward to completing the project to have it.
I often take a shower in the morning after I do my business for the sole purpose of cleaning my bum. This will save energy, water, and time!
Bidets rock. I've had one for years - I didn't have to worry about a toilet paper shortage. The only problem is not many people have them, so going to the bathroom elsewhere isn't as comfortable.
I think Muslims have bidets as part of standard hygiene, but I could be wrong. If it is true, I need more Muslim friends :)
It's true in Turkey. Never seen a toilet without integrated bidet there. Since I moved from there, it became a common reoccurence that colleagues returning from toilet smelling poo. Yikes...
Can confirm, as part of the wudu or pre-prayer washing ritual, you are required to rinse your privates with water if you have not done so or used the restroom since your last prayer. Often times this is done with a bidet. Watering pots are also common :D
I can attest to this. When I've mentioned owning own I've had a couple of folks snear upon it as though I've affixed a dildo to my toilet seat. The idea that it might be at all pleasurable is grotesque to them - I wonder if they usecheap single ply?
Aquaus 360 ftw. No more blood(yes, I exercise, eat fiber, and hydrate). Saves a little on TP, although you'll use a bit wiping up the occasional overspray. Liked it so much, I bought another for the guest bathroom at the in-laws house.
So many comments mention bidet vs toilet paper or bidet as a solution to toilet paper shortage. This is so weird to me (and I guess to others raised in countries where the idea of not having a bidet is not even considered) because in the way we are taught the two aren't mutually exclusive, and I ain't talking about using toilet paper to dry yourself. Sure, one can manage with just one of them if needed but still... ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
I used bidets growing up (discrete unit as well as seat integrated) and 99% of the time it worked but the 1% of the time when someone's poop got stuck to the fountain head/tube was enough to turn me off. However, wiping your anus with dry toilet paper, especially if you're a grown adult with a hairy anus, is bound to leave your own poop smear on your own anus, so these days i use flushable wipes. Works too if you're using a porta potti - just carry flushable wipes with you.
I have a cheap LUXE Neo bidet at home. It is one of the reasons why I am not looking forward to returning to the office. Wiping your poopy butt with your hand is for suckers.
I’ve discovered if you adhere to a diet recommended by your doctor then you’re not going to have many issues with clean up. Yet another way you can lessen your impact on the world’s natural resources.
about 2 years ago I did a work trip through Argentina and Ecuador.
The only place I've ever seen a bidet was in Argentinian Hotels and I suspect they didn't work.
They were a separate unit next to the toilet, I didn't (and still don't) understand how I was meant to use them but when I "turned them on" the spray that came out was feeble... would not have reached my arse, nowhere near it.
I'm still curious about them, but my experience of them has left me nonplussed about the concept.
[+] [-] OminousWeapons|4 years ago|reply
I had never used a bidet until I visited Japan a few years ago and I was instantly hooked after one use. Washing away excrement using pressurized water as opposed to smearing it around using toilet paper is more efficient, more hygienic, more pleasant, and results in a cleaner outcome. Bidets effectively let you perform a less-invasive enema which you cannot replicate with toilet paper. The one downside to using them is that the nice ones do require electrical power to produce heated water, so you need to employ an extension cord or get an outlet installed next to your toilet to use them.
I personally have a Biobidet 6800U which goes on sale for 50% off at Costco pretty regularly.
[+] [-] ginko|4 years ago|reply
But IMO the worst problem was that you now have a wet bottom, which you again need paper to dry. Combine that with the not-so-great quality of toilet paper in Japan and now you have small pieces of dissolved paper all over you.
Maybe I did something wrong, I guess some of the fancier washlets have a dryer, but that didn't really work all that great for me.
[+] [-] Osiris|4 years ago|reply
[+] [-] ghaff|4 years ago|reply
But, yeah, the big cost for most people outside of a remodel situation is the need to have a proper outlet installed.
[+] [-] Mountain_Skies|4 years ago|reply
The article is a bit weird. The author starts off with a seemingly disconnected claim about prejudice that she never really is able to support except through rather weak conjecture. The whole thing reads like she needed to meet an identity politic quota and was working backwards to make it happen.
This finally ends with a pitch for a particular company's bidet toilet seat attachment. There are countless companies selling these on Amazon and elsewhere so it's a bit strange that this one company's offer is treated as something revolutionary and unique. Does The Atlantic get a cut of sales they send that way?
[+] [-] lukeschlather|4 years ago|reply
I think you are misreading that. What I take that is that the author is lamenting that people are so prejudiced against Americans that they remove necessary hygiene systems for fear of offending American sensibilities. (Could you imagine hearing that a hotel had been "<ethnicity>-ized" by removing the sinks, on the assumption that people would take offense at the suggestion they should wash their hands?)
[+] [-] bcardarella|4 years ago|reply
[+] [-] mikeodds|4 years ago|reply
However potentially smearing faeces over part of your body and sitting with it festering there for 12 hours or until your next shower is completely acceptable.
[+] [-] sneak|4 years ago|reply
Then again, the RH here is usually around 25%.
[+] [-] sfeng|4 years ago|reply
Particularly with the toilet paper ‘shortage’ it’s wild to me that so many people still waste their time and money using paper.
[+] [-] sgc|4 years ago|reply
I certainly don't want an integrated seat that gets filthy with splash back when somebody takes a dump. I can understand the wands more, but still they risk getting very dirty from various users with various skill levels. We use wet wipes which is not ideal ecologically, but a bidet risks being far dirtier than a shopping cart handle and we conserve elsewhere.
[+] [-] sojournerc|4 years ago|reply
Having a second porcelain appliance (and drain) for a full-on bidet doesn't make much sense to me, but I am really looking forward to completing the project to have it.
I often take a shower in the morning after I do my business for the sole purpose of cleaning my bum. This will save energy, water, and time!
[+] [-] dqv|4 years ago|reply
I think Muslims have bidets as part of standard hygiene, but I could be wrong. If it is true, I need more Muslim friends :)
[+] [-] cenkozan|4 years ago|reply
[+] [-] asidiali|4 years ago|reply
[+] [-] slver|4 years ago|reply
Even the fact it's a French word was a proof of that.
[+] [-] dleslie|4 years ago|reply
[+] [-] mixmastamyk|4 years ago|reply
[+] [-] 01100011|4 years ago|reply
[+] [-] rambojazz|4 years ago|reply
[+] [-] chmod600|4 years ago|reply
Also, for males, doesn't genetalia and hair get in the way more, depending on the type of bidet?
[+] [-] amanzi|4 years ago|reply
[+] [-] n0on3|4 years ago|reply
[+] [-] d--b|4 years ago|reply
[+] [-] throwaway879|4 years ago|reply
I used bidets growing up (discrete unit as well as seat integrated) and 99% of the time it worked but the 1% of the time when someone's poop got stuck to the fountain head/tube was enough to turn me off. However, wiping your anus with dry toilet paper, especially if you're a grown adult with a hairy anus, is bound to leave your own poop smear on your own anus, so these days i use flushable wipes. Works too if you're using a porta potti - just carry flushable wipes with you.
[+] [-] Salgat|4 years ago|reply
https://www.theguardian.com/sustainable-business/2015/may/26...
[+] [-] ben_|4 years ago|reply
[+] [-] keepper|4 years ago|reply
- Flushable wipes should be avoided ( FATBERGS!!! ) ( although they are great )
- Spray bidets can get you to overcome your fear of seeing the random poop stain in a toilet.. :)
[+] [-] cbsks|4 years ago|reply
[+] [-] Bancakes|4 years ago|reply
[+] [-] smegcicle|4 years ago|reply
[+] [-] dleslie|4 years ago|reply
It's saved my family a bundle, too.
[+] [-] unknown|4 years ago|reply
[deleted]
[+] [-] taylodl|4 years ago|reply
[+] [-] senectus1|4 years ago|reply
I'm still curious about them, but my experience of them has left me nonplussed about the concept.
[+] [-] satisfice|4 years ago|reply
[+] [-] pupppet|4 years ago|reply