Introduction to Bidets

If you’ve ever wandered into a bathroom and wondered, “Why does this bathroom have two toilets? And why does that second toilet not have a lid?”, you were probably somewhere other than the United States, and you were probably looking at a bidet. A bidet is not a urinal, nor is it a foot-washing mechanism; rather, a bidet is a sanitary appliance that cleans you after you go to the bathroom.

 

Most people associate bidets with Europe, and bidets are, in fact, far more common in Europe than they are in the United States. The bidet first appeared in France in the early eighteenth century, and it still appears in hotels and private homes throughout Europe. In addition, however, bidets are common in Japan, in certain parts of South America, and elsewhere. 

 

Basically, a bidet looks like a toilet without the lid and without the rear water tank. After using the bathroom, you sit on the bidet (i.e. straddle it) and use the handles to turn on the water stream that in turn cleans your bottom and genitals, and the skin around both.

 

Bidet manufacturers loudly trumpet the benefits of their products over toilet paper. One bidet manufacturer even uses the slogan, “Start your day without the morning paper!” The gentle water stream may be kinder than toilet paper, but it is an uphill battle to change the habits of Americans. Contrary to their stereotype, bidets are neither unsanitary nor indicative of questionable morals, but most Americans still wince at the idea of spending more time in the bathroom, especially time straddling an appliance that shoots water on you.

 

In reality, bidets contribute to good hygiene; after all, you wash your hands after going to the bathroom, so why not wash the body part that is actually doing the work? In addition, people with hemorrhoids may find a bidet very soothing, and anyone who has physical trouble cleaning himself (or a hospital or care agency that cleans residents) also might appreciate a bidet.