2y ago

why isn't the use of the bidet more widespread?

359 comments

Because of "big toilet paper". They even tried to assassinate a spokesperson for japanes toilets.
- Holy shit? Do you have a source for that because damn. It's something I would expect though.
  
  It's was joke. That's the plot of a south park episode.
  
  It's a joke from South Park
- I wish I could find it again but this was years ago now that I saw a news story about the rise of women getting UTI's from bidet usage in Japan specifically.

Today you have the bidets you can install on your toilet, but traditionally they were a thing on its own, that required about as much space as a toilet and all the extra pipework associated with it.
In some European/ Mediterranean countries (I suspect France may have started the trend) this caught on well, and bidets were a must have in most houses that had toilets as part of their main architectural structure. Most people in South America had bidets this way, it's rare to see a house without at least one bidet, and this comes from the culture inherited from colonial times .
Now, things are different in othe parts of the world. England seems to traditionally have the toilet separate from the house and for some reason the bidet trend never caught on. This is in turn reflected both in USA and Australia. I don't know about bidet popularity across all of Europe, but this is definitely a cultural thing and I suspect distance and language may have kept UK without bidets until relatively recently. And as you know, old habits die hard, so... Yeah in Australia I use the shower.
- in Italy, there is literally a law obligating houses to have a bidet. the separated from the toilet kind.
  
  Just another reason to like Italy even more.
  
  the separated from the toilet kind.
  I don't understand how those work at all...seems like that would be a recipe for poop tracks from the toilet.
  
  That would never fly in the US. They complain about water usage so much that they regulate shower heads so that they barely drip water, and toilets so that they don't have enough water to flush solid waste. The bidet would just blow the regulators' heads with all the water usage.
  
  not surprised that Italy (who has a history of fascism and from what I heard currently has a fascist leader) has an authoritarian law requiring that people do things in their own homes (kinda like some HOAs in the US. Although, I have to admit, we must have lucked out with a HOA that's not one of the shitty ones you always hear about)
- brit here.
  can confirm. i sit on the side of the bath and wash my arse with the shower. The only house i have seen in the UK with a bidet was essentially a mansion
  
  Fellow Brit, I just shave my arse crack to prevent Klingons.
  
  Right now I live abroad and we have just the tub, so yeah same remedy. It’s cursed and annoying though, so I hate it so much
  
  Also in the UK, the aftermarket toilet attachments are not in line with building codes because of the possibility of contamination of the water supply, so it's quite complicated if you don't have room for a separate bidet.
  
  Just get the toilet seat bidet. It's probably like 40£
- England seems to traditionally have the toilet separate from the house and for some reason the bidet trend never caught on
  Uh... wut?
  
  The UK has lots of old housing stock, built before the concept of indoor plumbing, so there was nowhere to put a toilet in lots of properties when they started to become a thing, hence you'd put it seperate from the house in an outhouse style set-up. We also lost less of the country to warfare during the two wars so didn't have to rebuild whole cities, so the conversion to move those toilets inside was still going on as we moved to the later half of the 20th century. My old man didn't have an indoor toilet in his childhood home until he was a teenager, he was born in the late 50s.
  You still go to pubs these days that are old enough that the loos are disconnected from the main building as they've been there for so many years.
  
  This what I've been told- I've never been to England, my understanding is that back in the day this was the way especially for suburban and farmland, and that that's why many old Australian houses still have the toilet separate. Obviously this doesn't apply to dense or modern areas.
- Spain checking in here. Bidets are definitely popular in Spain. I suspect that's how they made their way to south America.
- Lol. Out of ALL the European countries to pick as example, you chose the worst.
  France definitely does not like bidets and French will even ask you why even bother having one, assuming they even know what it's for.
  Try again with Italy. Basically every household has one.
  
  Interesting. Well, not losing sleep on that. Good on Italy and Spain though.

No one understands what a bidet really is.
In the old days, they were a separate free-standing device. Not a lot of people have space or money to add one of these types of bidets to their bathrooms
Now they make them as toilet seat attachments that don't require extra space and really aren't that expensive.
But people don't know. Older people will be like, "Oh a bidet? No I don't want another toilet like device in my bathroom"
So that gets rid of all those people.
Next you have the people that know about the new style bidets that's just a fancy toilet seat.
Their biggest deterrent is probably cold water. Spraying cold water on their butt doesn't appeal to most people.
You can get bidets that heat the water, but you have to have power behind your toilet, which not everyone has.
Then you have older people that just can't work them or don't feel like they can. Like my grandfather, I installed one with all the bells and whistles for him. Yet hitting a button and doing all that was too complicated. He was 90+ and could barely use a cell phone for basic functions. But he'd rather wipe his butt like he knew than mess with the "complicated" bidet.
Eventually everyone is going to own a bidet, it really is the way to go.
We just aren't there yet.
- For me it's because I have had to suffer from UTI's before and I don't want to risk some stream of water blowing bacteria into my vagina and then I gotta pee every five seconds and wait for a damn doctor visit because for some fucking reason UTI meds aren't over the counter where I live.
  I can buy the UTI "pain reliever" over the counter but it just temporarily fixes the pain, and the UTI of course continues. Pretty fucking pointless.
  
  Weird, in my current country bidet is in widespread usage and I haven't known anyone getting a UTI from bidet usage.
  
  Well, for starters, you don't pee from your vagina. You could get a yeast infection, yes, but that's a different issue.
  That said, if your bidet is angled so it's hitting your vagina or, especially, your urethra, it's likely not installed correctly or you're sitting way far back on your toilet.*
  There are bidets you can get with the option to angle for washing period blood away, but they tell you in the instructions to wash your butt first so that you don't get bacteria into your vagina, and you also don't need to use that function either. I never found it super useful myself, so I'd recommend the cheaper version without that function these days.
  
  You could just find one with low pressure. You don't need a high power jet.
  Simply soaking your crack with water and wiping is a big help.
  I've never heard of your problem, though, so it's an interesting point. I know some bidets even have intended settings to wash your front as a woman.
- I have a seat one that only does cold water and it hits different in the summer honestly. Sometimes you just need a splash of cold water in your asshole to keep going.
  
  Comes in handy for spicy food night.
- Having used both types, including a water warming seat installed one, I can't say enough good things about the free standing ones. The toilet seat ones though seem like a waste of time, even if they warm the water.
- Cold water, yeah in winter in Canada your cold water is something like 1°C (33°F), not a pleasant thing
  
  Water doesn't have to be 0°C (32°F) to freeze.
  Depending on your elevation, it can change.
  If the water in your pipes is even close to 1°C you have a serious problem.
  You can also hook a bidet to your hot water line
  The first bit of water will be wall temperature water and it will take a bit to fully warm up because you have to clear out the lines (some bidets will drain the first bit of water before squirting you)
  
  If the water in your pipes is that cold, you're likely looking at a burst pipe issue anyway

The utopian city of Atlantis sunk due to bidet overuse.
- They might have sunk the city, but their butts were sparkling clean

I think the answer is just that most don't know about them, having grown up in homes without them. They are quite nice though.
- They may also be perceived as too expensive, if they only know of full toilet replacement kinds and not the seat replacements you can get for less than $100.
  
  Cost me half that and I love it. It's a life changer.
  
  Maybe, but I’d still go with having no idea such things exist. That was me, and the first type I knew about was the seat attachment/replacement
  
  I got a $400 one, and it was the best $400 I've ever spent. It's something I use every day, and damn does it improve my day just a little bit more.
  
  There are dozens of choices that work great for twenty some dollars online here in the US and don't even replace the seat.

There are a large number of Americans that think:
Anything touching them there makes them gay - still not sure how your hand and TP is any different
It will hurt - yeah...... IDK
It's gross, or it doesn't get you clean - uh.....wiping some paper on it does? how?!?!!?
- I know someone who thinks it just sprays shit over everything
  
  I know a lot of people think the same thing. I've even seen people say so on here/reddit, on other bidet posts.
- Some american men refuse to touch their own penis while washing, due to a fear of it making them gay. I’d tell them they need therapy, but they’d tell me that therapy is for the weak.
  
  What a cool country!
- I only have anecdotes, but as an American, it's #1. It was my initial off the cuff thought. Buttholes are verboten here. Full stop.
  
  Right? It's really weird though because a lot of those same people talk about eating ass, a LOT.
- There are valid concerns with regard to bidet use. They do result in aerosolized particulates in greater number than results from wiping, which means you are literally breathing more feces.
  Is it enough to be problematic? Probably not, but that may also depend on how aggressively/frequently you use them.
  See also:
  Ali, Wajid, et al. "Comparing bioaerosol emission after flushing in squat and bidet toilets: Quantitative microbial risk assessment for defecation and hand washing postures." Building and Environment 221 (2022): 109284.
  Abney, S. E., et al. "Toilet hygiene—review and research needs." Journal of Applied Microbiology 131.6 (2021): 2705-2714.
- As an American who's unsure.
  I don't like the thought of water spraying into my ass
  
  It doesn’t spray INTO your ass. I mean, I guess it could, but you’d have to REALLY try to make it happen.
  
  I started using them in my adult life so maybe I can give some insight
  it feels a little uncomfortable the first time. Not because it's necessarily uncomfortable, but more because it's a foreign feeling.
  You get used to it after the 2nd or 3rd time though. Once you use a bidet it's hard to go back to TP
- Its really the first one tho.
  Striaght american men will fight you before they will let water spray on their dirty asses.

I think you me question is missing some key words. “Why isn’t the use of the bidet more widespread in the USA and other western countries?”
I am in Vietnam right now and nearly every bathroom has a bum gun to wash your bits. When I was in Japan nearly every bathroom had bits to wash you built into the toilet seat with digital controls. These are not just in homes and nice places, but also at 7-11, train stations, airports and even hole in the wall places. Wish USA/Canada had this as we all know how much it sucks when out and you have a forever wipe.
- Bum gun >>> bidet
- I find wiping just doesn't do it for me.. I can wipe myself raw and still have itching...
  But a trip to the bidet clears it all up.
- Same as in Thailand, Japan, Cambodia, Malaysia, Singapore, India, Pakistan, Iran, China... Yeah it's most of the world.

Because the tradition of wiping until it’s red is deeply rooted in american toilet culture.
It’s refered to as “better red than dead”
- I have never heard that and it deeply disturbs me because this does seem like it'd be an American thing...
  
  It's a joke. The phrase is "better dead than red" and is an anti-communist phrase.
  
  “better red than dead” is a joke - that’s usually a play on political parties or football teams. But what isn’t a joke, something that I’ve heard from american women, is that they’ve dated some american men who:
  don’t masturbate because touching a penis is gay
  don’t wash their penis with soap and water, just water, letting the water run down the penis, but not touch it, because you’d be holding a man’s dick in your hands.
  if they do masturbate, they might just leave their mess on the floor, even if it’s carpet, for years and never clean it. Stains under a computer desk should be treated with a hazmat suit. This is different from the american men who save their mess in jars.. I have no comment for that.
  don’t touch their penis when they pee. that’s what the zipper in the front is for. I mean, doing this in public would mean other men see you with a man’s cock in your hand. That’s .. uh you know…
  don’t get prostate exams (this one may be more self-explainitory, doesn’t make it right though).
  And then they (guys who say this stuff) wonder why american men have a mental health crisis. Well (addressing the guys who say this stuff), buddy, part of it is you.

I suspect it's a case of "We always did it this way, so it's the superior way".
- This. In my part of the world, Nordics. No one has it, except really old bathrooms that have a separate bowl with o detachable shower head. But I only saw that once in my life. I installed one a year ago and it's a game changer.

toilet paper mafia.

I was overseas and recovering from surgery. I'd never seen a bidet before arriving in Argentina a few days before, so I still wasn't used to them.
In any case, I was sitting on this bidet at 3am or something, on painkillers, and almost falling asleep while I sit there. I'm leaning forward, and turn the bidet, and it turns out this bidet has a jet of water almost powerful to reach the roof. And because of the angle I was sitting at, I get this jet of high pressure water right on my clit. I'm pretty sure the noise I made woke most of the neighbours! It was not a fun experience
That being said, I'd still get one here in Australia if I could :)
- A bidet can find the clit and I can't? WTF
  /s
  
  /s
  You lie
- I found that discovery to be a highly welcome one personally
  
  I mean, maybe in other circumstances, but I was not ready! :)
- You can definitely get one in Australia. They are like $30 on the internet delivered right to your house and attach to your toilet in under 5 min.
  
  Those ones aren't even close to the same. They're not worth the effort in my experience

Americans voted for him though
- Bidet? Biden?

Big TP conspiracy :)

In the US, mostly because of the associations with prostitutes made by American soldiers in Europe during WWII. They were frequently called "whore's baths". Personally, I love mine and hate having to use a toilet without one.
- The worst part of having a bidet is going places where there isn’t one.
  
  Agreed. Once you've acclimated to using one regularly, it feels nasty not to use one.
- In Belgium toilets are in their own room, smaller than a super small storage room, with just the toilet, and they don’t have bidets; I call them ghettoilet
  
  That sounds awful, how do you wash your hands before touching the door? You can't

It's a matter of planning and availability. In my country people don't renovate their houses often and even rarely build them from scratch. Having a bidet requires planning and leaving space for it. Japanese style toilet seats are easier to install in smaller toilets, but they require electricity and/or hot water.
- a toilet that requires electricity is mind-boggling to me, an american
  
  There's a lot of misunderstanding in this thread. Normal bidets that you buy on Amazon just get fitted under the toilet seat and connected to the water line that drives the toilet. There is no electricity wiring or extra .doodads needed
  
  Yeah, because they have many nice features, from warming the seat to drying and washing.
- Washlets don't require hot water or electricity, though, they can pull right from the toilet water supply
- I've had no issues with the cheap $20-40 USD bidets from Amazon, while I'm sure the fanciness of a heated bidet would change my life I don't see the need.
  
  When you say bidet you are referring to a toilet seat with water or separate wash head next to toilet. When I say bidet am referring to what french call bidet, a separate toilet-like utensil next to toilet. Those things require planning and space since they require drainage, water source, etc.

I once read a book where this particular bathroom appliance was very intimately connected with prostitutes throughout history and that association created a big push against having it in every house. It was an interesting read.
In my country in particular, it became mandatory in every newly built house starting around the 50s and later it became mandatory to have one bidet and one bathtub in every house.
This was pushed to enforce a notion of hygiene that was lacking, as the country was very poor at the time. Paradoxically, it was easier to have higher standards of hygiene in the country, where access to water was easier and the field labour demanded a minimal cleanliness to be at the table and socially than in the growing cities, where poor living conditions made very difficult for the poor to access running water.

American here. Thanks to woot regularly selling them, I have a bidet on each toilet in the house. I have a battery operated travel bidet, because now I'm hooked.
It has certainly led to.... "Interesting" responses from house guests. There's always TP in stock, so it's not required. Butt I'm never going back if I can help it.
- There's always TP in stock, so it's not required.
  That's always weird to read. For me bidets are for after, not instead of.
  
  After TP? Why? TP is for drying and a double check.
  
  Come to Asia my friend, Bidet showers, no paper.
  both my grandmothers used to preclean dishes with the same instrument before putting them in the dishwasher. It was attached to the kitchen sink of course. When I first saw one in a toilet in SEA I thought 'what? But grandma how?'. She told me that dishwasher salesmen recommended them, and I always wondered how they made the jump from Butt to Wedgewood.
  
  You need to eat more fibre.
- Whoa.. Tell me more about this battery operated one. I just got back from vacation and I missed my bidet!
  
  Yeah I'd also like a recommendation!
  
  I bought a Toto HW300-W "Portable Travel Washlet" off Amazon (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B008O1G4LQ) back in 2018 and it still runs like a champ. The text is all in Japanese, but easy enough to figure out (or Google Lens it if you really want to know).
  Edit: I should note that I paid about half of the current list price :-O
- I have a travel one for camping. No battery though.

Most adults in the west don't even wash their hands after using the bathroom.
- MOST!?
- I want to believe that most wash their hands after defecating, at the least.
- OK, maybe we should just accelerate this climate crisis and get rid of humans, something has clearly gone wrong.

IDK because they rock. I love mine. I'm even cool with the water being cold.
- I turn the heat off in summer when it's 28c inside. Nothing like a cool blast of water to help lower your core temps a bit.

Not gatekeeping, but if you have never seen one, this is a proper bidet https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/35/Bidet_weiss.jpg/623px-Bidet_weiss.jpg
- I installed on the kamode at the beginning of year and it's been a game changer.
  But for an installed bidet, after business, do you just move over, sit, turn on the tap, then aim? I've seen them in the movies, but it's not like they show the process.
- These are mandatory in Italy from my understanding, but I much prefer the Japanese style
- Yes, I had that in my house

according to south park it's because of toilet paper companies
- Big TP lobbying against us 😭
  
  in Vietnam, if a place wants to appear fancy and luxurious, they will try to appear "foreigner". so they will remove the bidet and put toilet paper in its place.
  nice office you've got here do you mind if I waddle around like a fancy man with shit on my asshole

In America? Because we are barbarians.
I kinda think that’s why we are all so pissed and ornery most of the time….because our tushes are dirty.

I paid for a 250$ bidet toilet seat and i don't even use it. How is it supposed to work? My stool are soft sometimes, and even with the bidet pressure to the max, it doesn't fully clean it. I'm left with dripping wet ass covered with shit. Then i need to use toilet paper that's literally melting from all that water on my ass. As a result i use 3x more toilet paper and my hands gets dirty. Very unpleasant.
Am i using it wrong?
- It does sound like you're using it wrong. I've been using a $70 bidet attachment for 8+ years and it was the best decision I've made for personal hygiene.
  Use toilet
  Use bidet, making sure to adjust your position so the stream hits your o and the area immediately around it. Whatever poo may touch while going.
  Use toilet paper to dry.
  If you're spraying parts of your bum where poop doesn't even reach then you need to adjust the spray. I've used so much less toilet paper this way.
  
  Use toilet paper to dry.
  the fuck is the point if you still have to use it to dry off.
- I believe you are, yes. I once stumbled upon this thread on Reddit , it kinda explains it well ! The *o*o*o Is pretty accurate. I've been using my bidet for around 2 years now and never once have I been in your situation. Now, I feel sad and dirty when I'm far from my bidet.
  
  Now, I feel sad and dirty when I'm far from my bidet.
  So much this. I've held my bowels when I had the opportunity to go just so I could shit at home with my bidet lol.
  I haven't yet committed to a towel so I still waste toilet paper (though less), but it's also nice knowing if I ran out I could just let my ass air dry (speaking from experience).
- You have to make sure you're adjusting yourself so the stream kisses your * and definitely do the 00*0
- You don't need to use so much water, and move yourself around to make sure your aim is right. It's not a jet wash for your poop chute, it just makes wiping more efficient.
  Mine cost like $50 and is probably one of my favourite ever purchases.
  
  god now it sounds like its for people who don't know how to properly wipe...

Fellas, is it gay to have a clean butthole
- I'm just worried I'm going to turn my sack into a punching bag.
  I know it's extremely unlikely. But, I'm roerty sure hot baths have already killed the workers.
  
  From experience, I can tell you that your bag is safe lol
  They are designed so that the angle of the spray comes nowhere near there. You'd have to do some sort of gymnastics moves to be able to whack the piñata with it.

My nephews thinks it's weird/gay.
They're good boys, they're also idiots though.
- Tell them women don't want to smell their dirty ass either.

I have never even seen one (Australian)
- Hand sprayer kits on Ali express for $20. How sandpapering ones anus became the norm I do not know. But I for one am never going back.
- In Australia to have one you are supposed to have an RPZD fitted and annual inspections by a licensed plumber which isn't cheap. But you can go down to bunnings and get a hand spray with a t piece that comes off the stop cock for your toilet. But a plumber won't install it for you.
  It's to do with not having shit go back into the water system. There's also some worry about the hand sprays falling in the bowl and causing bacterial growth. This may all be different in other states though. They exist here but they aren't common.

Believe it or not. Homophobia plays a substantial part in it.
Hell we got men who refuse to wipe at all for fear it makes them gay if anything touches their anus.
- Really? No shit??
  
  *Really? Lots of shit.
  
  Actually there's tons of shit, premium weapons-grade starfish chocolate coating undesirable cakes.
- I gave it another thought, and if they really believe that if anything touching their anus would make them gay, then it should also remain untouched by a turd, and they should stop defecating to prevent themselves from becoming gay. Life will be sacred then - and short…
- This sounds totally made up. Where are you getting this info from?
  
  Yea lol, I'm not buying this either

I really just don't like the idea of it, feels like a very uncomfortable situation for me. But I'm pretty uneducated on the topic.
It'd have to be warm water
Wouldn't it be messer, spraying it all over?
Don't you still have to wipe, ya know cause your wet now.
Too much work to implement when the TP has been successful (No problem to solve)
- Remodeled the house including bathrooms, went for japanese style bidet (i.e. included in the toilet). Would not want to live without it.
  water temperature, as well as pressure, is adjustable. I have on with different presets, so every family member gets to have their own favorite setting
  not messy at all, has a very directed jet of water. Of course you can splash around sitting weirdly on the toilet, but that needs to be very deliberate. Mine has a function that when nobody sits on the toilet, the jet won't start.
  there's options with blow dryers, but even if not, just one dab to dry off instead of wiping and wiping and wiping.
  according to my plumber, it was one more water hose and an electric plug to connect. The device itself of course is much more expensive than a stander toilet. Just using TP now feels so terrible unhygienic. Imagine getting shit on your hand, and you have paper towels, or running water (and paper towels) to clean up. What would you choose? Maybe not really a "problem" solves, but a very, very nice luxury.
  
  Thank you for addressing my concerns, adjustable pressure would be a key thing. After a few other replies as well, I have actually ordered one to give it a try.
  
  I have a bidet add-on for my regular toilet (North American style), and I'm wondering what the cost Delta is for the Japanese style toilet was. My SO and I are planning on adding a bathroom to the house and we're definitely getting a bidet, it's just a matter of what we get, and I've been thinking to get one built into the toilet at least. But I'm not sure if it will explode our budget.
  What was your experience?
- Okay, I see you. I'm part of the bidet users, so I'll weigh in.
  Warm water bidets exist, they're a bit more of a hassle to install, but they exist, and I promise you that it doesn't really matter. I have a basic cold water bidet, and it's not as weird as you would think, and I thought I would want the warm water bidet like you, but after a few uses, I didn't care at all. I'm not here to convince you between warm/cold water, if you want it, that's totally fine.
  It's definitely not messier. Initially sure, it's probably a complete mess, but you're not just doing a quick/short spray. After a few seconds, everything is running clean. The water is clean and so are you.
  Wiping is still a thing. I've heard some fancy bidets have air dryers to finish the job, it's not what I have/use, so I dry myself with TP. Unless you spend a fortune, you will too. I'll say that it takes significantly less tp on average to dry myself off from the bidet than it does to clean myself with TP alone. So my TP use is significantly reduced. Saving money on TP by smartly using a little water, is a good trade IMO.
  I wouldn't say TP is "successful". I would say it's adequate at best. In a pinch it does enough to keep the smell and filth to a minimum. By no means is the bidet perfect, certainly there are improvements that can be made, but it's better. To put this in perspective, when you next tear a sheet of TP and get some of it on your hand, try wiping it off with TP and see if you feel like your hand is clean. I'd put money on the fact that it won't feel clean until you properly wash it. That's what you're doing with your asshole. You wipe it down with paper and then go about your day. It's "clean"... As in, not caked in shit, but it's still not really clean. There's still bacteria and other gross ass shit (pun absolutely intended) on your anus.
  Additional to that, your butthole is a sensitive membrane on your body that you're cleaning with coarse paper all the time. Bidets have been shown to help with various anus related issues like hemorrhoids. Do you want hemorrhoids? If so, keep scraping that sandpaper over your butthole and I'm sure you'll get there some day.
  To the point of it being "too much work": my partner and I picked up a luxe bidet neo (I think it's the 120). Super cheap, no frills model. We didn't want to invest because, like you, we weren't sure if we were going to like it/use it. We do, all the time. We're planning on renovating and adding a new bathroom and the new bathroom is getting a bidet when it goes in. Something very nice. Without question. But the luxe model we have was less than $100, and attached to the existing water hookups. It came with everything we needed (we had to also fix a slow leak on the main inlet to the toilet, so we replaced most of the lines in the process, but if our lines had been good, we would have only needed the extra hardware that came with the bidet, in the box). To that end, it's only a matter of picking one up for less than $100 and taking 15 minutes to install using the directions. No plumber needed, no special tools required (maybe just some wrenches... The bidet comes with some plastic wrenches that are Ikea quality, so having an adjustable/worm-gear wrench is helpful).
  So if you have less than $100 sitting around doing nothing, and you can spare 15 minutes.... You can have a bidet. So I respectively disagree that it's "too much work to implement".
  I'll leave you with this statement: don't knock it until you try it. It's changed our lives for the better.
  
  Okay, thank you for your very detailed response, at times too detailed. But you've convinced me to at least try it. I just ordered the luxe 120 plus on Amazon for $45, we'll see how it goes.
  Again, thank you for this potentially life changing information.
- Imagine poo being on any other part of you body where you except a piece of paper is enough to get rid of it.
- It's not just a blind firehose pointed at your ass. There is accuracy with them, good pressure, so you are cleaning more effectively, and the water is ideally contained in the toilet and to your ass crack for the most part, which you're already wanting to clean anyway.
  As somebody quite hairy, it helps me get cleaner, more quickly, save tp, and leave nothing to question. I often dab off with a little double fold to dry a little. Idgaf about a little dampness, at least my ass isn't grimey.
  Think about how you pressure wash a deck or home exterior, you wouldn't just take a fuckin paper towel and some cleaner and hope your house looks immaculate.
  Cold water up your ass on a winter morning is cheap, quick and a lot closer than coffee places so the lack of a warm water line doesn't bother me any.
- They have warmers, both water and seat.
  No, your butt and legs cover it.
  No, that's what it awesome if you get a good one it cleans all the bits.
  I switched with COVID cause y'all are out of pocket with the TP. Never looked back. I think have bought one pack of TP since.
  
  One pack of TP since!? That's incredible! Thank you for your reply, I have decided to give it a try to see how it goes. Just never really explored the idea before.
- Do you wash your ass in the shower? Does that make it dirtier? How you think washing with water is going to be dirtier than smearing with paper is mind boggling. Do you just wipe your hands with paper towels when you're done wiping or do you wash them in a sink with water?
  
  I was referring to spraying shit everywhere. As stated uneducated on the topic but its a valid concern. 😂
- I've had a bidet for a while now and here has been my experience:
  I have a cold water bidet which used to annoy me a bit but I soon got to the point where I don't even notice or care. At any rate, there are warm water bidets but you will need to run a hot water line off of your sink likely.
  You get water on your ass which to me feels cleaner than an ass which hasn't been washed at all. Using paper in public places now makes me wish bidets were more widely used because TP alone doesn't leave me feeling clean anymore. I suppose you would get water everywhere if you were squatting instead of sitting.
  You can let it air dry but even if you don't, it takes a lot less TP than wiping without it. We go through less than half of the TP that we used to before getting the bidet.
  TP is convenient but not cheap. You can get a quality home bidet for $20-$30 which will save you a good amount of money in the long run since you won't be going through nearly as much TP.
  I used to think bidets were weird until I started using one on a regular basis. Now I can't live without it.
  
  You don't need to run a hot water line, a lot of models just use electricity to warm a small tank of water. This will work better then a hot water line since you would have to wait till you flush the cold water out of the line. Unless you have a recirculation pump for your hot water I guess.
  
  Thank you for your reply. After yours and others replies, I've went ahead and order one to give it a try. I just hadn't really explored the idea before. Thanks for the information!
- As an avid bidet user I feel compelled to answer your points
  it is always warm water (unless you are a masochist, no judgement)
  it points directly to where it needs to go so it stays confined within its domain
  you have to wipe both before and after (before to wipe away most of it, after to dry it)
  it is not a replacement of tp, it is complementary. You need both to achieve full cleaning
  All in all I would not live without it anymore, after trying it and reaching enlightenment. 5/5 stars.
  
  Thank you for your reply. I hadn't really explored the idea of using one before coming across this post. I figured it would be in some way complementary but based on other comments it wasn't really clear. I've decided to give a cheaper one on Amazon a try another person recommended.
- I installed one at home. Cost is an issue especially when you need a gfci outlet installed behind the toilet. But if you're willing to do all that then:
  Water is heated by the unit
  The spray is direct to center. Doesn't deviate unless you don't sit correctly.
  You only have to wipe once if you want to be sure, but the bidet comes with an air dryer.
  Some benefits is if you have hemorrhoids it doesnt irritate them like toilet paper and it does feel way cleaner than tp.
  
  I've decided to order a cheaper one and see how it goes. I happen to have plug close enough so that's a plus. The cleanliness is really what is convincing me towards it. Thank you for your reply.
- warm water bidets exist, but cold water isnt as bad as you think
  no, thats a common misconception
  you can pat dry with a couple squares of TP, or keep a towel handy since you're clean now
  you ever see all the nooks and crannies of a butthole? You're going to hurt yourself before you're actually clean if you're just wiping with dry paper. You're smearing shit around your asshole and then going about your day with a shitty asshole acting like that's not a problem that needs solving

I bought one couple of weeks ago, one of the best things I've ever spent money on, can never go back.

TP companies gotta stay in business yo. It's all about them Dollars. Can you imagine if all the big box stores, convenience stores and hotels stopped using TP !? The whole industry would collapse.
Not that i'm advocating for corp TP companies, just a thought...
- what big TP doesn't want you to know...
- You still use TP if you have a bidet though

I can't get a bidet because my friend is fat and breaks the toilet seats on the regular. He of course replaces them. I've tried bidets at other places and it was nice but i still had to use toilet paper to clean my now wet ass so I'm really confused when people say they don't need toilet paper anymore. I really hope they aren't just wiping their ass on a towel or some shit.
- A. There are people that have poop towels even without using a bidet. Blegh! B. I still use TP to dry after using my bidet but the amount used is waaaaaay less. I have a cheap bidet that just has water but there are fancy versions that include fans to air dry. I imagine that feature might eliminate TP completely.
  
  I spread my ass cheeks when pooping so the amount of toilet paper i use is max 4 squares at most. 2 squares for first wipe and then the 2nd wipe never has anything left but I'm paranoid and still go for the 2nd wipe haha.
- How do you wipe your ass after a shower?
  
  That involved soap a few mins prior so obviously it's a proper clean ass my guy.
  As for the bidet it's only water being shot at your ass with no soap. Water alone won't kill the bacteria unless we're shooting some hot ass 140°F+ water at your booty hole.

once you go bidet you never go back.

I think the question is more 'why do some cultures wash, and others wipe'. I believe the answer is mostly to do with religion, and it's laws on cleanliness.
- Also economy in general. Some places are famous for not affording toilets or plumbing to begin with. A bidet is out of the question.
  
  There are many places where washing is traditional, well before there were bidets. A small jug of water would be used. As I said, I think the more pertinent question is 'wash or wipe?'.
- I mean, you don't do this OR that. You should do both

We've had one in my parents house for the past 30 years and as far as I remember, no one ever used it. Usually it’s used to store dirty laundry before washing. Maybe I should give it a try…
- Do they have the type that's it's own separate bowl requiring you to waddle over to it from the toilet? These always seemed so weird to me versus the type mounted right in the toilet.
  
  It’s separate, next to the toilet. When I was a child, I always thought that this is a special kind of toilet, but I couldn’t figure out for what kind of use (I never used it, though). It was my parents’ summer house and they probably built it in, because it was a trend or requirement at that time.

Perhaps people feel homophobic or something about having water squirted on their ass?
Idk. I love my bidet. Especially when you have those wonderful shits with the consistency of clay that sticks to everything.
A few squirts, and a quick wipe of TP, and all done!
I got one during the "TP Crisis" during 2020ish. Drastically cuts down on the amount of TP required, and does a much better job of cleaning.
- I love mine when I feel like a chocolate soft serve machine.
  
  With the power of a bidet, even the famous taco-bell shits are not an issue!
  Before the bidet, the lovely wet shits would eventually cause massive irritation to the butthole.. With a bidet, just a calming stream of water. No need to abuse the butthole with toilet paper.

I have a theory. Almost every hot country I've been to has bidets. So you have to ask yourself why? Well I'll tell you. After I moved to a hot country (Spain) I realised that if you don't use a bidet and go about your day, the shit in your ass will begin to liquify and you will get very itchy. This is not good. This also doesn't happen in countries with a more temperate climate. That's the reason, I think.
- How does it feel having poop liquify in your butt?

It apparently used to be a thing over here when my grandparents were young. People just liked toilet paper better.
- Yes, a piece of paper is much better to get rid of poo then streaming water.
  
  Sounds like something that someone with zero butt hair would say.
- Why not both…?

Serious question: you use it instead of wiping, not in addition to? I have a hard time imagining the bidet would be more sanitary without the use of mechanical force (wiping) and/or soap. Is it really just a jet of water that is supposed to remove any residue, regardless of consistency?
- You wipe too. Just- much less. Bidet cleans all of the shit away, toilet paper wipes off the excess water.
  
  sounds like I can do the same with an extended showerhead massager which is what I do at my apartment - then I don't have to worry about using TP for it even. And my asshole is actually clean after.
- The water jet is the mechanical force. But unlike wiping, it doesn't smear the shit all over your ass hair and rub it into your skin pores. It just liquifies it so that it gets rinsed away.
- My toto, you don't need to wipe at all. Heated seat, multiple nozzles, heated water, dryer built in. Powerful enough to give you a full clean, it even oscillates to get better coverage.
  My grandparents got one after going to Hawaii, where they are prevalent. Then I got one during the pandemic. Then my family bought two after trying mine. Then my relatives all got at least one. It's Japan's gift to the world, haha. I feel bummed out whenever I have to go somewhere without it, as you can never get as clean with toilet paper.
  The recent articles about all TP being treated with PFAS to make them dissolve faster in water makes me even happier to use a bidet.
- YMMV but personally it makes everything 1-2 wipes to 'verify'/dry. Got one in 2020 to lessen TP usage, which it does really well. I think you're underestimating how strong the stream is (which is variable/controllable) and overestimating how 'stuck on' any residue is. Works kinda like a pressure washer where you can't move/angle the washer (on the affordable ones) so you move the thing being washed for full 'coverage'.
  Regardless, if I got muck on my hands would rather rinse them in water than just wipe them off with a paper towel.
- Have you ever used a pressure washer before?
- I use it in addition to. My culture has shower style bidets and I have no idea how "normal" bidets are supposed to work without getting your hands in there

Because idiots think squirting water on your ass is gay
- But reaching back there and fondling their asshole with a wad of paper is totally not.
  
  They think that touching any ass(even your own) for any reason is gay.

With my bathroom, the answer is simple. I would have to nail the bidet to the wall because of the lack of floor space, which would make it's use rather awkward.
- All normal modern ones are just a simple toilet add on. Take up no space whatsoever.
  
  That's actually what we plan to use when we rework the bathroom. But there is no space for a separate bidet on the floor.
- My bidet cost ~$30 and took about 20 minutes to install to my existing toilet using basic tools. It's great. I highly recommend it to anyone .
  
  I'd recommend taking a look at your plumbing first lol. I love my bidet, but I was not prepared to have to replace the horribly shitty 30 year old corrugated water lines that my toilet was installed with. That fucker was welded to the valve so I had to shut the water off for the whole house to install a new valve as well.
  Still with it though lol
- Is your toilet a urinal then? I imagine that's already awkward to shit in.
  
  Well, the toilet is still a toilet, but there is no space to add a bidet, too.
  But I'm thinking about getting a Japanese-style hightech toilet when we redo the bathroom. Which would have a bidet included.

I used to see bidets in some houses in France like 15+ years ago but they were already a rare sight, a thing of the past. I have no idea why.

There are some informative answers elsewhere, however, I noticed a gap between the comments and my expectations, bidet-wise: here's a link to the relevant SNL Bidet sketch: https://piped.video/watch?v=zQx-ZbSQSBM&t=0. Enjoy

Why So Many Countries Use Bidets But the US Does Not from Weird History does a good job explaining why.

I recently thought of the toilet paper shortages (in the US) at the start of the pan lockdowns. If that didn't convert us, nothing will.

It’s quite widespread in some places. When I lived in the Middle East, every bathroom had one, a separate porcelain unit beside the toilet. Apparently the electronic ones built into the toilet seat are very popular in Japan. And bidets are taking off big in the US now too. Those are just the places I happen to know. How widespread do you need them to be? ;D
- We have them like that in italy and I don't know anyone that uses it. We used it as a second toilet as kids. Pee only.

Why would it be?
- If nothing else... $$$.
  People can get a well-working, basic washlet / bidet to install under their toilet seat for as little as $20 - $30 USD on Amazon. It reduces your TP usage so much that it will pay for itself within a year at most, likely faster.
  I used to go through several rolls a week (I felt like I was personally killing a rainforest, but I can't stand not being clean). After installing my first bidet a few weeks back, I now only use a little to dry, and to double-check that I didn't miss anything. I'd estimate that it reduced my TP usage by probably 80 to 90%.
  That's going to be a not insignificant chunk of change saved over the years.
  
  Don't forget that also not flushing fuckloads of TP also saves your plumbing. I have a buddy who works for the municipal sewer system and he prays more people switch to bidets (and stop flushing wipes and pads). Says they clog the sewage pumps that move the slurry towards the treatment plant.
- Imagine if I took peanut butter and smeared it all on your arm.
  Would you wipe it off with dry toilet paper and call it clean?
  Just imagine if, instead of peanut butter, it was something else...
  Why is it alright to just leave that between your cheeks?
  
  Feces the consistency of peanut butter sounds like a medical condition.

It is. Only not in stinky Western countries. Seriously, you stink. Like full diapers. Use bidets. Use it. Now.

In Finland you can find one in every toilet basically but majority of people don't use them. It's not something installed into the bowl itself thought but just a separate shower head next to it that's attached to the faucet so you get warm water too.

I love mine but I use the bidet before I wipe. Then it doesn't take much paper at all.
- Eh... That's exactly how you're supposed to use it...
- You mean other people don't wipe after they use the bidet and let poop-laced water drip down their butts?
  
  Only a problem if you're one of those maniacs who stands up to wipe

It's almost exclusively a cultural norm. In SE Asia they often have a spray hose next to the toilet. In Korea and Japan they have bidet functionality integrated into the toilet. In the middle east they dump into a hole in the ground.
- That's just false. In every country in the middle east, in any house, you'll find an integrated bidet and probably a hose next to it. Even the most down trodden facilities in my country had bidet.
  I can't say the same for North Americans who apparently just think wiping is enough.
  
  It's weird how much racism I found in the last few days here...
  
  Can confirm. There are hole-in-the-ground toilets in the Middle East as well, like sometimes for public restrooms. But not in homes, for gosh sakes.
- Before bidets, Arabs used a gardening pale. I don't know about other middle eastern cultures.

I don't know if I'm extremely disappointed or extremely impressed that nobody on this thread seems to have commented on the word choice of "widespread" when discussing the use of bidets.
Also, the only legit answer here is that there are fragile, ignorant men who think that a bidet makes you "gay" - these men are idiots with dirty, stinky assholes and stains on their underwear that their poor wives routinely clean for them.

359 comments