Why has the bidet never caught on in America

[madville]

We were discussing ordering toilet paper and paper towels for the office and I mentioned I have a bidet attachment at home and use very little toilet paper (I wasn't suggesting getting them for the office, just a general comment about how wonderful they work).

People reacted like the thought of having water clean you instead of paper was the most disgusting thing they had ever heard of lol.

I know they are commonplace in Japan and some European countries, Americans seem to love their paper though.

[JI7]

1. i don't know if this is true but i have heard because it's not as common

to bathe everyday in some other places as it is in America.

[Democracyinkind]

4. As a general rule, the bidet disappeared from Europe

in buildings that had tindividual showers/tubs for each apartment. So there might be something to it.


The only times I still see bidets is when staying at older hotels in Britain, France, or eastern Europe. Mostly in hotels that don't have individual showers for rooms.

I don't know about the environmental impact of bidets vs. toilet paper though (depends on the paper I guess; amount of water and energy that goes into producing it...)

[southernyankeebelle]

11. I love them. My relatives in Italy have them in their homes. I use them. I use the

bathroom allot. No matter what when I was there I would wash myself in early afternoon and now I find myself taking more then one shower a day. I also use wipes because I don't have a bidet'.

[csziggy]

133. You can get bidet attachments for your toilet

And add the function without having to add another fixture in your bathroom.

[southernyankeebelle]

140. Wow I didn't know that. Thanks for telling me. I'll have to check it out. Do you have

one? How does it work? Do you know? I can't picture it.

[csziggy]

141. There seem to be variations

I don't have one. Looking at Home Depot and Lowe's web sites, there are ones that attach to the toilet under the seat, ones that have a wand that hangs on the side, then some that I can't figure out from the pictures provided.

I wish I had known about these when I had shoulder surgery. It would have made keeping clean easier, though drying would have been a problem. As it was, I ended up stripping down my bottom half, stepping into my shower, and spraying myself off. Drying off with one hand was difficult, but I managed. I did have to make my husband clean the shower every day and I had to use a new towel every day.

Using a bidet setup might have been easier!

[southernyankeebelle]

142. They really are the best. Especially when you are in a hurry and you don't have

alot of time to take a shower. Just strip your panties off and quick wash and dry off. You feel refreshed. I guess I have to check them out.

[csziggy]

143. I should check them out more thoroughly

With all the injuries and surgeries I've had, there have been too many times I was not able to be as clean as I'd like. At my age, those times are going to increase. The add on units are not as expensive as I expected, so the cost is not prohibitive.

[southernyankeebelle]

144. Well as a heavy person sitting on a bedit sorta you can wash yourself very well and

truly feel refreshed. You know now that am older I can't get out of the tub so easily. I am afraid of falling and breaking my hip. In older people that really is bad.

[csziggy]

145. When we built our house we planned for aging

The master bath does not have a bath tub - it has a shower stall with no curb, no door, so there is no danger of tripping. If need be, a wheelchair can go into the space for transfer to the built in bench. There are grab bars along the sides and I have clamps on the grab bars that hold the hand held shower head in positions for standing and for sitting.

Since I had my second knee operation the week after we signed the contract for the new house, I knew it was just a matter of time before I had to knee replacements. Now that the replacements are done, hopefully I won't need all those features for a while, but they were sure handy during recovery!

[southernyankeebelle]

153. We moved into my in-laws old house. It needs so much work done we can't afford to

make the changes. The house is paid for. I guess we're lucky it had a bathroom added. There is hardly any plugs in this house and the electrical wiring needs improvements. But we never get visitors and I don't have to impress anyone. We're comfortable and I guess thats all that matters. I just had a new water heater put in but the water in the shower just isn't flowing right. I don't know if its the pressure or what. I am going to have a plumber come over again to check it out. The hot water is hardly hot and when I take a shower I have to hurry because the hot water runs out. Gosh it is always something.

[csziggy]

163. Having a paid for house is worth a lot of inconvenience!

We lived in a double wide for 30 years. It was OK when we bought it but after all that time, any repairs were just dumping money down a hole. The week before we moved completely into this house, the water heater fell through a hole in the floor caused by a leak we hadn't known was there. At least it didn't rip out the plumping. It was still hooked up and working, even when it was hanging down the hole!

I hope you can get your water pressure fixed!

[southernyankeebelle]

166. I sure hope so. It always something.

[DeschutesRiver]

164. Link to one I got from Amazon ($39.95)

Cold water version, free shipping and if you don't like it, return it!

I honestly thought I was probably going to return the one I bought, because it seemed like kind of a weird idea. But I wanted to try because tp cost so much - saw someone else had bought this model on a different board, and thought what can I lose, since Amazon is great about returns. But I only ended up buying a couple more for my 2 other toilets instead. Dh said it was a breeze to install, and he went from skeptic to wondering why he'd not done it before. You just feel cleaner using it, and that turned out to be more important even than the savings on tp.

I am older, never experienced such a thing before, and it really is a good way to get clean in a place that sometimes presents problems getting clean with just a dry hunk of tp.

These add on units are ridiculously cheap and very easy to install and try out. Here is a link to the one I got (boatload of reviews too so you can get a feel for it):

http://www.amazon.com/LUXE-Bidet-Vi-110-Non-Electric-Mechanical/dp/B005IT4C6G/ref=sr_1_fkmr0_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1362604064&sr=8-1-fkmr0&keywords=Luxe+bidet+V-110

[southernyankeebelle]

167. You are very sweet to give me a link. Yes I will check it out. Am glad you like it.

Truly do feel much better after you use it.

[DeschutesRiver]

168. You are most welcome

If someone hadn't shown that retrofit brand to me on Amazon, it would never have occurred to me to look, and I'd still be thinking I had to buy some $1500 dollar fancy Toto toilet (which was never going to happen!) to achieve the same thing this retrofitted one does. Good luck whichever way you go on this!

[southernyankeebelle]

171. I went and looked at it. I think am going to get it. Thanks again.

[JustAnotherGen]

161. My husband's family

ALL have them over there too!

[southernyankeebelle]

170. I think its standard.

[CTyankee]

36. I go to EUrope every year and I see them everywhere I stay.

I can't recall never seeing them on one of my trips, with the exception of the little barge I was on in the Netherlands...the bathrooms were teeny...

[Democracyinkind]

43. A question of budget, perhaps?

Most of my travelling in Europe is work related and covered as expenses. I can't recall ever seeing one in Germany, haven't seen one in France in a couple of years. Lots in Italy, and some in rural eastern Europe although I haven't been there that much. As I said, most of this is in hotels. But neither can I remember seeing lots of them in private homes.

They must be more common than my limited experience suggested. The only bidet I ever saw in Switzerland was in the italian speaking part.

[Warpy]

53. I think that's it, plus the fact that the bathroom the size of a ballroom

is a very late arrival into the suburban homestead. Most bathrooms in the early postwar period were tiny, just enough room for toilet, sink and small tub. There just wasn't anywhere to squeeze in a bidet. People with huge bathrooms now usually opt for the free standing shower over a bidet.

One place you see them now is in urban Mexico in the better homes and flats. You can't flush used TP in Mexico, the septic systems are small and not built to handle it. The bidet as alternative to a smelly can of waste soaked tissue next to the toilet is quite popular.

I've lived in a place with a bidet here in the US and found it more useful for its intended purpose in summer and if I was wearing a dress. Pulling jeans over a lily with dew on it was just a little uncomfortable in cold weather.

[OwnedByCats]

67. When I lived in Britain

my experience sounds similar to yours. I didn't see a lot of bidets in private homes, a lot of houses are quite small and I for one did not have room in my bathroom for one. Even most of the larger houses I saw did not have a bidet. I normally saw them in the bigger multi century old manor houses that had very large bathrooms, or very fancy hotels.

[HiPointDem]

137. when i lived in paris my 1 room + bath apartment had one. i thought it was great

after i got used to it. i was so green i didn't even know what a bidet was when i went to france.

[Major Nikon]

116. That's been my experience

I've been to Europe several times staying in hotels and with friends. It's rare that I see one.

[Katashi_itto]

122. I find them hard to rinse your mouth with, after you brush your teeth.

[Nine]

2. I think they're pretty disgusting.

I wonder if they've ever been studied scientifically in terms of germ transmission.

I just looked at some pictures of bidets on Wikipedia and the "modern bidet" shown, with the squirter part up top, seems like an improvement over the type of bidet I always picture where the squirting mechanism is down low, close to the drain. I always felt that in those older style bidets, the "clean" water coming up would be contaminated by the dirty water waiting to drain out. But even with the more modern design, it just seem like there's a lot of yucky water splashing and flying about everywhere. I mean people worry about "aerosolization" just from flushing, imagine the amount from a bidet.

Besides are they really so environmental (if that's what you're driving at)? You're basically pressure-washing your backside and that seems like it wastes a lot of water. I personally use flushable wet wipes.

[madville]

5. Many newer ones are built into the seat

Last edited Sun Mar 3, 2013, 09:15 AM - Edit history (1)

And the water comes at an angle. They have some pretty fancy options these days, heated water/seats, air dry blowers, remote controls, etc.

I wouldn't want to use a public one, mine is all to myself lol. It's gotta be just as sanitary if not more so than a tub bath or shower, in those the water touching your areas is either running down your legs or you are sitting in it, eeewwwww j/k

[Nine]

6. that's what I meant by "modern" - where the sprayer is higher up

and, yeah, even with those I have a problem because it just seems like fecal matter and jet-spraying water is a bad combination and too uncontrolled.

[Bake]

30. Think, e.g., explosive diarrhea ...

I think I need a shower now ...



Bake

[RKP5637]

7. One of my friends has one of these. I tried it ... it was an interesting experience with the

remote control in hand. It did just about anything. Me ... I prefer paper ... and the cost of the thing was prohibitive. I think it was a Japanese one.

[BREMPRO]

84. i bought one for $80 on amazon that fits under the seat

Installed it myself in a few hours. works great! clean sanitary and save on tp. Will never go back to paper at home.

[RKP5637]

85. With the cost of TP anymore this can be a real cost saver. n/t

[Jamastiene]

89. I have a question.

Does it dry you off too? I have always wondered how you dry off. I guess I don't completely understand how it works. I know about the washing off part, but how about the drying off part?

[Art_from_Ark]

105. Here's the control panel for a typical Japanese toilet-bidet (called a "washlet" in Japan)

The big button on the far right with the wavy design is for drying with warm air.

http://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/ファイル:Wireless_toilet_control_panel_w._open_lid.jpg

[ashling]

111. You use the air dryer

or


if


that's


not


available










unless you have one of these

[BREMPRO]

115. sit for about 30 seconds, drip dry!

or if in a hurry a small bit of tp will do

[DeschutesRiver]

159. The one I have retrofits onto your regular toilet, and there is no dryer.

No way to say this delicately, so here goes! When I am finished, I use a small piece of toilet paper (if it has been a "messy" experience, you can use a single toilet wipe first). Then I move the control lever and apply a small jet of water to the area, then pat dry with another small piece of tp. That last tp is clean and just used to pat dry, as the area is pretty much completely clean once you've used the sprayer. You adjust the jet when you install this one to pretty much target just that area when turned on. On this retrofitted model, it attaches under the rim, at the top of the bowl, and when you press the lever that is now on the right side of your toilet, the nozzle lowers and sprays and then retracts.

The one I got was a Luxe Bidet, V-110, on Amazon - go read the comments and you can get a better feel for how it works. Even with a messy one, your butt can be baby clean when finished. At least, better than if you just used a dry hunk of paper to smear a mess off (sorry for the graphics, but no other way to say it).

I only know how the retrofits work, as that is what I have. And I will never willingly use a toilet without one since I've experienced this; have had this for over a year now.

[Whisp]

109. may be a silly question, but how do you dry yourself?

don't you have to use paper anyway?

[DeschutesRiver]

148. I bought one on Amazon as well; dh laughed. After using? We bought 2 more for the other toilets.

We are in our late 50s. Neither of us can believe we just thought it adequate to use only dry hunks of toilet paper, and no water.

I will never go without one of these again, if I can help it. Dh installed them with no problem, ours were Luxe Bidets, V-110s. We'd also thought that "cold" water on the nether region parts would be awful - it isn't a problem at all.

It has been over a year now - it does save on toilet paper use. Sure, it doesn't clean your butt with soap and a scrubbing, but I can only look back now on how "clean" or "not clean" things were with just using dry toilet paper to clean up the mess that can sometimes be left behind, and it is far far far cleaner to do it this way. No question. I use a little bit of tp, a toilet wipe and the water. In fact, when we go camping, I now take "portable" bidet in the form of a lavage bottle I found on Amazon with the wipes to use along with the toilet paper. Am trying to figure out how to hook one up in the travel trailer as well. The feeling of being clean after a #2 is far nicer than I'd imagined it would be. Sounds psycho when you say it out loud, but that's how you feel once you start using them.

And as for cleaning the toilet bowl, well, it is never my favorite task and I do it just the same way and with the same frequency and the same products. A toilet bowl, with or without an under the rim bidet, is a dirty place; heck, just flushing can spread stuff (even with the lid closed as it isn't airtight). But nothing is made much worse by using this bidet from what I've seen.

[CTyankee]

56. they aren't to be used that way. They don't replace toilet paper. You use the toilet paper first

then the bidet. But you don't need it if you have wet wipes.

[Nine]

57. But the premise of a bidet is that toilet paper leaves matter behind.

If toilet paper removes all matter, you don't need a bidet. And if toilet paper doesn't remove all matter, then you still have the combination of fecal matter and spraying water.

[CTyankee]

65. Perhaps before the general use of commercial tp that was the case with bidets, I don't know.

But warm water and soap washes your bottom and that's just a bit cleaner than tp alone. Also, if you want to freshen up apres sex, there it is...

[HiPointDem]

138. less water than a toilet flush.

[Rex]

149. Because I can create some real natural disasters with my poo

and I don't think a squirt of water would come even close to doing the job. Nor two squirts. Nor a raging waterfall.

Look, some of us need paper or a shovel or a block sander...water just bounces off.

EDIT - ops, this is meant to be at the bottom of the thread. Didn't mean to reply to poster.

[HappyMe]

151. I assume you have FEMA on speed dial.

[Rex]

152. They have my number blocked.

They told me to call the EPA or OSHA and hung up.

[cali]

3. friends coming over to my house in the late 60s and early 70s

(and later) thought that the bidet in my parent's bathroom was strange. They also thought the big bathtubs in the bathrooms were odd.

[mainer]

8. But don't you still need toilet paper to dry yourself after the squirt?

I don't really see how this saves much in the way of toilet paper.

[madville]

9. Cloth towel

It's no different than patting dry after getting out of the tub or shower.

[southernyankeebelle]

12. Your exactly right. When I used them I took my underwear off and washed myself like a

sit down bath. It was a quick bath and then used a towel. I don't understand why people get bent out of shape. This is really ideal for me because being heavy it just help me stay cleaner inbetween showers.

[CTyankee]

38. I like them for travelling particularly in warmer weather. They are refreshing.

Some people here are misunderstanding how the bidet is used. It is not supposed to take the place of toilet paper, at least not now.

[southernyankeebelle]

51. I don't know how they ever got that impression. I never used it other than to wash myself.

Sometimes when we got back from the beach I'd just go in ad wash my feet off. There is nothing better to wash yourself midday like that to make your VJJ clean after going to the bathroom alot. Especially when it's that time of month (Ladies you know what I mean).

[Lars39]

22. Ok,with no soap involved, fecal matter is definitely getting on the towel.

[madville]

23. Not in any detectable amount

I'm sure there are traces still there at times just as with any other method. I just prefer it since it is more hygenic than plain dry toilet paper. Away from home a wet wipe will do the trick.

[WinkyDink]

35. Oh, right. Not.

[Codeine]

59. Oh, that's just completely revolting.

There's no way on Earth you're going to get all the fecal matter off, so now we've gone from TP to a handtowel caked with shit.

[madville]

66. You do realize the area is clean when I'm talking about

You do realize the area is clean when I'm talking about patting dry with a towel. The pressurized stream of water does an excellent job just like it is designed to.

[Codeine]

69. Sorry, but without soap and proper washing it won't be clean.

A water fountain on the butt is a significant step up from dry wiping with TP, but not so much that I'm going to be drying with a cloth.

[CTyankee]

72. but you do use soap. After tp. It's a mini, partial shower between showers...see?

[riderinthestorm]

102. Wait... is it soap, water AND tp? Other posters say its just water. So confused nt

[CTyankee]

107. well, I wouldn't use just water. I'd use all three. Personal preference.

If you were just refreshing yourself, it would just be the water, IMO. But I have my own standards.

[madville]

73. It's a pressurized jet of water

It's does very well. When's the last time you have used a modern one? They have improved a great deal since the old European style bowl type that was in the house I grew up in.

[riderinthestorm]

103. So in your version just h20 is sufficient. That's cool. But others believe tp alone is okay

or moist towelettes or that the bidet needs supplementing with soap AND tp (which seems redundant since you can get the same thing in a standard American bathroom)....

There seems to be a kind of weird vibe that tp alone is insufficient and that Americans should "get" the advantages of a bidet or we are somehow... unclean?

I think that's the vibe that's rubbing people the wrong way. That the American way is unclean.

[RKP5637]

15. The one I used ... built into the toilet, had a heated fan gizzmo that dried you right off

quickly. No TP or cloth or anything was needed.

[Honeycombe8]

10. I barely have room for ONE toilet in my bath, much less two.

Bidets are usually for wealthy people and 4 star hotels.

As far as t.p., even if you wash off with water, you still need to dry off, yes? So...you still use t.p., or do you use a towel instead? Which has to be laundered....which uses more resources than if you had just used t.p. to begin with, which is recycled.

[madville]

13. Modern ones are built into the toilet seat

I don't do it for the environmental impact (better on my septic tank though).

I use cloth towels most of the time, it's no different than a pat dry after the shower or a bath.

Some have built in air dryers as well, completely hands free.

[CTyankee]

39. you just pat dry with toilet paper which you throw into the toilet.

[Honeycombe8]

123. So it's for sanitary reasons & not for saving t.p., seems like. nt

[CTyankee]

124. maybe at one time when commercial tp wasn't in general use, but today I think it is

more for sanitary use. At least I see it that way. It depends on the user. If I had a bidet in my house I would probably use less tp.

[Honeycombe8]

125. I hate the sound of it. Getting all wet like that? Esp in the winter? Yuk!nt

[CTyankee]

134. seems to me that we don't stop washing our hands in the winter, so...

[Laura PourMeADrink]

14. well I learn something this morning. Always thought they were just for after sex ! nt

[Sheldon Cooper]

16. Is the water heated, or cold?

Can't imagine anything less comfortable than a blast of cold water on your ass. And then you need a towel to dry off afterward, which increases your laundry load. I shower at least once/day, so I think I'll stick with TP and the occasional wet wipe as needed. And now that is far more information about me than anyone needs or wants.

[madville]

17. They can be heated

My current one is just hooked to the cold water line but they are easily hooked to the hot water line under the sink usually for the modern built in toilet seat models.

I prefer the cold water, it's sort of refreshing and a jolt to the system lol. I prefer cool showers most of the time anyway as well.

[Sheldon Cooper]

18. Well, it's good to know you can warm water!

I would probably try them if I had a chance, but I don't think I'd go out of my way to get one installed. Maybe if I won the lottery and was building my dream house, I'd have one put in.

[CTyankee]

40. the ones I have encountered have hot and cold water faucets so you can adjust to the

most comfortable temp you choose.

[Hubert Flottz]

19. Bidet's Ass!

Most of the folks in the "homeland" are still using white and brown corncobs. Cleans and scratches in several easy strokes.

[sammytko]

20. Americans like to walk around with stinky butts?

The water attachment is awesome. They had them in Kuwait. You are so much cleaner with water. Toilet paper alone is gross.

[eShirl]

25. you're even cleaner when you use a little soap with the water

[Kolesar]

26. Does is it spray with carnuba wax for another 75 cents? eom

[eShirl]

44. never used a bidet, wouldn't know. EOM

[hack89]

83. It is the wirebrush option you need to stay away from. nt

[WinkyDink]

33. You're doin' it wrong.

[JCMach1]

21. put in a sprayer and use with regular toilet

One thing the Middle-East has right. I hate tp and the ass funk that comes from not washing down there.

[Lifelong Protester]

121. Ok, now this has become the funniest thread on DU

I have never heard or read the phrase "ass funk" before....

[eShirl]

24. just use a terry washcloth & soap at the sink (when at home)

[Kolesar]

27. "If you ever sat naked on a hotel bedspread, then you are going to want to hear our next segment"

--It's from the first episode of the Colbert Report. The "reading with gravitas" segment

[kimbutgar]

28. I just brought an attachment for my toilet at the mall that is like a bidet

I paid $50 for this piece you attach to the water on your toilet. Took my hubby 5 minutes to install. Except for the cold water it really does a great job. They have a website called proper wash.com. My sister tried it at my home and went home and ordered it. They also have a model that you can have hot and cold water. I am using less tp and feel cleaner downstairs.

[Codeine]

60. You have a toilet at the mall?

I keed.

[jberryhill]

132. It's like the family pew at church.

[DeschutesRiver]

160. Got ours on Amazon, but it was called a "Luxe" bidet, around that same price too iirc.

Same feelings in our household - cleaner there and less tp. I also went with cold water, feeling it was just one more thing that could go wrong to have to install for warm water (plus in our cold climate, it takes quite awhile to run a faucet to get warm water, didn't want to be doing that with a toilet sprayer first!). But I am not minding the cold water since the trade off is feeling cleaner. I still can't believe it makes this much of a difference, but it is a lot nicer to be using one.

Everyone says the whole idea is gross, but since I now feel cleaner, it doesn't say much for just using tp by itself. And once people have used one, yeah, they order them. I am not a kid, so have done it the old way for decades. And now, I don't want to use a toilet that doesn't have one.

I was an idiot for not trying this sooner, but I didn't realize you could retrofit one - thought you had to buy a whole new expensive toilet, which isn't true.

[whistler162]

29. To low.....

most drinkiong fountains are higher!

[riderinthestorm]

31. I always laugh when the bidet threads come up. Your bathrooms must be a LOT bigger than mine!

While sitting its not even a stretch to add water to a squashy, soapy bit of toilet paper for the nether regions - my bathrooms are a pretty standard size too I believe.

Clean and refreshing and doesn't use any more tp than normal. I've used bidets before and prefer a warm squashy bit of tp than the cold shock of a blast of water on my bum.

Water usage, well pressure and septic tanks are definitely considerations in my farming area so I'd guess bidets would not be a priority item in my location.

[madville]

46. Septic systems benefit from less paper

There are many different kinds of bidets available these days, many models now are built into a toilet seat you just add on to a regular toilet, no extra space or major plumbing required, can be hooked up to both cold and/or hot water and the fancier ones even have warm air drying and heated seats.

We aren't talking gallons of water with each use either it takes like maybe a quart per use if that.

[riderinthestorm]

71. I've never heard that. Do you have a link? I've only heard @ too much h2o as

a major contributor to septic tank failure. The only issue I've heard about tp and septics are single ply vs double and brand types that "dissolve" faster than others.

Septic 101 http://www.centerseptic.com/page2.html

Been using a septic for decades so if you have some kind of new info about paper, that would be interesting to me.

[DeschutesRiver]

165. I've never lived without either a septic system or well water since I was born decades ago.

The type and amount of toilet paper can affect how your septic system behaves, that is the nature of septic systems. Which ties into the "dissolving" issue, ie if the tp doesn't dissolve very quickly, and there is a lot of it, plus not enough moisture, then it can become an issue. If it won't dissolve, it could build up in your tank, then it plus the solids can form a permanent gooey sludge that ends up filling your tank enough that performance can be affected. And you might have to pump it clean (we know folks who seem to have to pump frequently, while we pretty much have not needed to do so - just once for a specific problem).

But we've heard all kinds of things from septic peeps. For example, we were told that over here where it is much drier with less rainfall that we'd need to be pumping ours on a regular basis because of the lack of moisture in the soil.

But we've had this one for about 14 years and only needed to clean it once (and that was caused by a contractor doing some plumbing work whose work rags caused a clog that had to be found and we used the opportunity to clean the tank, which didn't really need it). The one at our old wet and always rainy place was at the 23 year mark and hadn't needed to be pumped because it is all ended up dissolved and out in the septic field.

So there is what "they" say, and what I've experienced - two different things entirely. Interesting about the too much water theory - we'd been told too little was an issue. And of course, neither has made a bit of difference.

[WinkyDink]

32. Paper usage vs. water usage. Don't see the environmental plus for the bidet. And one dries....?

[supernova]

79. The environmental plus is that it takes trees to make paper of any sort..

and with a bidet you "wash your worries away" so to speak.

[WinkyDink]

34. Why, with a sink and a tub/shower, would an AMERICAN bathroom ALSO need a bidet?

Foreign bathrooms VERY OFTEN do not have the toilet in the same room with the tub/shower. Maybe that is why they added a bidet to the W.C.

[CTyankee]

41. I've never had that be the case in all my trips to europe. they're just a nice little refreshing

"extra" IMO. It was helpful and nice in warm weather if you have been running around most of the day, as I do when I travel. It makes you feel super clean, too...

[WinkyDink]

99. I know, but the OP asked about America. He also ignores the "footprint" style I found in Italy &

Zurich.

[madville]

50. Many modern ones are actually built into the seat

Of the toilet, doesn't require any extra space, just some minor plumbing, took me about 15 minutes and half of that was looking for a bigger wrench

[WinkyDink]

100. "Many"? What brands would be included?

[madville]

104. They are all over

Kohler, BioBidet, etc are some that come to mind.

[RebelOne]

37. When I was in France, the hotel had one.

I did not like it. I prefer toilet paper.

[Cleita]

42. Regardless of the pros and cons, I think someone with hemorrhoids would find a bidet

very helpful since it's sometimes hard to do a good cleaning job with TP when you have that problem and no time to shower or take a bath.

[cherokeeprogressive]

45. Another "Why can't America be more like..." thread. Well, it HAS been a couple days since the last.

Just install the bidet in your home and stop worrying about how other Americans wipe their asses. You'll be much happier I bet.

[Lex]

47. Well, see, that's how message boards work. People discuss things and

pose questions.

[madville]

49. I'm sorry you are angry about this thread

Maybe if you didn't read "Why can't America be more like..." threads you would be much happier

[CTyankee]

55. I had some people get REALLY mad at me a few years ago when I posted a bidet thread.

Last edited Sun Mar 3, 2013, 06:21 PM - Edit history (2)

I merely thought it was a good idea. You'd be surprised at the vitriol I got! I couldn't believe it. I think they thought I was saying that they were gross for not having one in their house or something. Or maybe some people are just sensitive to bathroom stuff and I can understand that.

[libodem]

48. Pretty sure

The Kock bros get to harvest public lands for free and then turn around and sell us the tp for $00.30 cents per linear unit. We are brainwashed and butt wiped. Idiots. We could get a squirt bottle and a fan and put those shitsters out of business.

[formercia]

52. Americans prefer to have Smoke blown up their Asses

IMHO.

[RKP5637]

126. K&R !!! n/t

[LeftInTX]

54. After childbirth, the hospitals give out squirt bottles.

Home made bidet.

[pipi_k]

61. Those things

are great!

Pretty cheap on Amazon.com, too

[pipi_k]

58. Beats me, because

I really wish I had one.

I use warm water in a peri-anal squirt bottle.

I do not feel clean from using just TP alone.

[formercia]

62. A dab of hand lotion on the TP helps

especially Camping or on long trips when there are no adequate facilities.

[CTyankee]

64. wet wipes are a good solution, ifyou don't mind the extra expense.

[datasuspect]

63. the shower shouldn't be the only place you can wash your ass.

[madville]

68. It amazes me how many people hate the idea

Of cleaning their areas with water anywhere besides the shower, I've heard the terms gross, revolting, unsanitary, etc. Short of taking a shower or bath after every toilet visit it's about the most hygienic option available.

[CTyankee]

70. Maybe this thread has helped clear up misunderstandings about bidets. A lot of Americans never

saw a functioning bidet, so they have had to draw their own conclusions. Also, I think people associate it with something a bit weird or salacious or both...

[lunatica]

74. Probably because wiping with toilet paper doesn't create horrible diseases

[Bake]

75. Are we REALLY!! having a bidet vs. TP thread in GD? Really????

Shouldn't there be a subgroup or forum for Bidet Fans?



Bake

[madville]

77. Thanks for joining in!

[Bake]

78. Yeah, and here I am kicking it back to the top of the page.

Oh well ... having said all that, I don't care how ANYBODY here cleans their lower parts. As long as they do clean them. Thank you very much.



Bake

[CTyankee]

80. OMG, my first real belly laugh of the day! This could go EPIC!!!

Who needs a sequester when we can go ballistic on bidets?

[Bake]

82. Somebody needs to post the SNL skit about the hotel bidets!!

It had Zack Galliafinakis (sp?). I can't post it from here but it's soooooo apropos!

Bake

[CTyankee]

87. that's ok, this is just as funny on its own...

[Saboburns]

88. And another thing, why don't you just write the word appropriate?

Instead of that damn fancy apropos crap. What are you French. Jesus.

(This all a sarcastic joke-I find it apropos, don't you?)

[2naSalit]

90. Indeed, it's a topic I never expected here

and my immediate reflexive, wiseass response to the OP title was, "Because we have so many douchebags?" But I saw it was a different kind of discussion so I hesitated until I saw your response. Thanks for the opening!!

[Lizzie Poppet]

76. Because Congress affords us a nearly unlimited supply of rumpswabs. (nt)

[Rosa Luxemburg]

81. I guess you can soap it up under the bidet

after wiping with paper. A clean washcloth with soap and warm water after wiping with paper is more practical or moists?

[Bosso 63]

86. Ours has a heated seat.

A nice feature in Minnesota.

[TheManInTheMac]

91. Redd Foxx weighs in:

[upi402]

92. It's great! We have one

Actually an Asian toilet sprayer. Works great, just like all through Asia.

It's a sink sprayer which is connected off the toilet supply valve. Cold is fine with us - no need to heat the water.

[Lydia Leftcoast]

93. Toilets with spray attachments are commonplace in Japan, even in budget hotels

Japanese people can be awfully germ phobic.

[Bonobo]

94. Japanese people are very into cleanliness but I don't think it's about germs.

After all, they only introduced alcohol-based hand gels in the last couple of years whereas they have been around for a decade in the US.

Japanese like, more than anything else, the IDEA of cleanliness.

My kitchen has at least 3 types of rags/towels to wipe up with.

At the bottom of the cleanliness totem pole is the humble "zoukin" used for wiping floors.
Above that is the "fukin" used for wiping cleaner things in general...
But there are sub-categories like the "dai-fukin" used for wiping tables or counters,
and the "te-fukin" used for wiping hands.

New hand towels can be used as te-fukin or for drying dishes (general fukin). Then when they get older, they are demoted to dai-fukin for counters, stovetops, etc (but not the floor! -which is already pretty clean since people wear no shoes indoor).
After its service as a table-wiper, the old dai-fukin becomes a zoukin for floors. After it is all beat up as a floor-wiper, it reaches its last stage of life -for cleaning toilets or the outside.

As long as we are educating here, I should add for those interested that Japanese take their shoes off at the door to their homes as well as in schools, clinics, etc. Slippers are made available in public places to change into. Many people know this, but many do not appreciate that there are also different slippers to put on when you go into a bathroom. At a school, you will take off shoes, put on slippers -ten, at the bathroom, you will take off slippers and put on harder sandal-like slippers made for the bathroom. This prevents cross-contamination and is common sense to Japanese.

[Lydia Leftcoast]

96. I saw a movie that took place in the postwar period, when Japan was very poor, and the children

living in a rural village were all barefoot.

However, they had to rinse and wipe their feet before entering either their house or their school.

[Bonobo]

97. Interesting.

My anthro teacher in college would say it was all about 内 and 外 (inside and outside).

The real bible on the subject of cleanliness and taboo is, of course, Purity and Danger.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Purity_and_Danger

[bettyellen]

101. Interesting, a coworker who grew up in China said the house cleaning they do for New Years was the

most meaningful part of their celebrations for his family.. They'd wipe the whole place from top to bottom, corner to corner and sweep out all the old. Renewal. And then party. Cool stuff.

[Jumpin Jack Fletch]

95. It pisses people off, maybe?

[me b zola]

98. Because in the US it could set our pubies on fire

...ok, so maybe just in some areas of fracking. I personally love the idea of a bidet.

[stlsaxman]

106. R. Crumb's "Tommy The Toilet" has Koch Industries back(side)!

Keep the Koch Brothers in the dough!

It's The American Way!

[olddots]

136. R.Crumb

would have done a great bidet cartoon and the bidet would be common place in America

[Stryder]

108. Because,

We're exceptional?

[Tikki]

110. Can't you use both a bidet and T P?

A little of both saves a lot of one or the other...


Tikki

[CTyankee]

112. Of course. This whole discussion gets a bit silly.

I just don't understand why this gets to be any kind of problem. A bidet is just a nice thing to have but personal preference is different for different people.

[bluedigger]

113. A house I rented in New Orleans had one.

I never used that bathroom, but all the women that I showed the house to seemed quite jealous.

[cynannmarie]

114. I have a bidet and now would never want to live without one

I have traveled a lot in Europe and saw them often there. Always wanted a bidet, so when we built our home 5 years ago we designed the bathroom to accommodate one. Wonderful for freshening up between showers. Lessens the need for more frequent showering, thereby saving water. For awhile following hysterectomy surgery, I had a lot of urinary complications and issues, and without the bidet I would have had to take 5 showers a day. It saved my sanity, my skin and our well. My husband doesn't use it, but I can't imagine being without it--there are many things I would give up well before that.

[MadrasT]

117. Any time I ever tried to use one, water ended up all over the room

Now I am scared of them.

[HappyMe]

147. LOL!

I know what you mean. A friend of mine insisted that I try out their new master bath rather than the 1/2 bath downstairs. It was a beautiful bathroom. But me using the bidet was like an episode of 'I Love Lucy'. All that water and only fancy towels....

[Renew Deal]

118. I know someone in Europe that has one that uses it as a magazine holder

But I don't know why thy never took off. They were probably not installed in public spaces, so people never had to learn what they are. They also take up space in the bathroom which can be used for something else.

[pecwae]

119. I've seen that reaction

when I told neighbors I was installing one. I wish you could have seen their faces; shock, disgust, disbelieve.

I love mine. Even though the water isn't heated I go around with a clean feeling.

[cbdo2007]

120. I use flushable baby wipes. Learned it from Howard Stern.

Definitely keeps me cleaner down there with less paper than TP. The combination of wetness along with the paper product seems to do the trick nicely.

[rdharma]

127. 'CAUSE IT'S THE DANGDEST WORST DRINKIN' FOUNTAIN EVER INVENTED!

WHAT WERE THEM FOLKS A-THINKIN"?!!!!

[Travelman]

128. The short answer is space

Until very recently, American bathrooms were made to be pretty much as small as possible to save square footage for kitchens, living rooms, etc.

When I was a kid, a bathroom big enough to hold a double-vanity was considered "lavish." No one even considered a Jacuzzi tub that could seat two; that was considered absurd at the time. Just as a matter of practical access, a bidet requires another ten square feet or so in order to allow room for you to actually stand up around the thing and such. They're catching on in the really expensive households with larger bathrooms, but they're not going to be in the everyday American home any time soon. They're not in the everyday European home, either: bidets have always been at least somewhat of a luxury item.


Personally, I like a bidet as a luxury item in a hotel sometimes when I'm traveling, but I doubt I would use one on a regular basis if I had one in my own bathroom. It is frankly more time-consuming and I have to clean the thing later. I can just flush the la-la tickets when I've done my business.

[madville]

129. The for modern designs are built into a toilet seat

No extra space and no more cleaning than a regular toilet seat. Lots of options these days.

[Travelman]

130. I understand that

The question in the OP, though, was why the bidet had never caught on in North America. I think it's great that there are newer designs that save the space, but the fact is that relatively few people are going to go and buy those relatively expensive items, especially when they aren't used to using a bidet in the first palce.

[HiPointDem]

139. according to this, it depends on where in europe you're talking about.

Bidets are common bathroom fixtures in many southern European countries, especially Italy, where they are found in 95% of households, and Portugal, where bidets are in the majority of flats.[citation needed] Additionally, they are rather widespread, although not standard, in France and Spain, and occasionally are found in Albania, Croatia, Slovenia, Malta and Greece.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bidet

I'd say they're pretty common in 'southern' europe, and less common in northern europe & the uk.

[moose65]

131. LOL

This thread is hilarious... I've laughed out loud several times. You guys are great... go forth and clean your asses!

[BainsBane]

135. I had one in Brazil

Frankly, the idea grossed me out. I kept it covered with a piece of wood and cloth to make it a little table. Maybe it was weird of me, but I never wanted to use it. So I guess I'm liked the people at your office. It's obviously not rational, but rather the lack of acculturation to the bidet.

[Bake]

146. And we're STILL discussing bidets in GD ...

Really???? Fabulous!



Bake

[closeupready]

150. Because popular standards of personal hygiene are not the greatest, IMO.

It's kind of like when people discuss things like foreskins or 'deviant' kinds of sex ... the people who reveal the most about themselves are those who say, "oh, but isn't that gross/stinky/messy?"

If general standards of hygiene in the US were better, people would realize that the answer is, "of course it isn't, most of the time - any more than vaginas or mouths, most of the time."

[ret5hd]

154. Because we are AMERICANS! and our s**t don't STINK!

[Nika]

155. I never had even heard of this convenience until I started learning how to speak French.

They are a great idea. It's better than killing trees for paper to wipe one's derriere.

[darkangel218]

156. Because its not sanitary.

Bidets can spray bacterias everywhere and can cause UTIs and all sorts of other problems. Bidets are indeed nasty.

[Sissyk]

157. Now, this is a first for me!

I've been around here for circumcision, PETA, vegan, bad words, and other interesting topics. But, this is my first EVER bidet thread on DU!

A Milestone!!

oh, and I have actually laughed out loud several times and said "Yuk" and few times, all for the same post!

GO DU!!

[aaaaaa5a]

158. I haven't used dry TP in many years.

I use the wet wipes. I even take them on the road with me. They are by far the best way to stay clean. They are easy to use, flushable and are even anti-bacterial. In this day and age using dry TP alone is not hygenic.

I have never used a bidet but I dont see how it can be easier and more hygenic than wet wipes.

In order of cleanliness. ...

1-wet wipes
2-bidet
3-TP
4-leaves
5-fully ala natural

[IveWornAHundredPants]

162. People are simply waiting for the three seashells.

Any day now the patent will be in. Simple, effective, efficient, elegant. Accept no substitute.

[Solly Mack]

169. I love the bidet!