Better Than Toilet Paper: The Bidet

People throughout the world use a device called a bidet to cleanse themselves instead of toilet tissue. But for those individuals who have not tried out the bidet, the idea can seem a little bizarre. Especially for guys.

Describing a Bidet

As defined above, a bidet is simply a hygienic device that allows you to use water instead of toilet tissue after you have gone to the bathroom. You may still have to use toilet tissue to dry yourself off with, but there is less “mess” to deal with. The bidet works by shooting a stream of water upwards onto your buttocks, which then washes you off after you have gone to the restroom. Bidets come in many shapes and sizes, but they are normally fairly small devices. Some have self cleaning nozzles, and a few have to be cleaned manually. Bidets are usually easy to install, and they go underneath the toilet seat. You will have to do some minor maintenance on your toilet in order for the bidet to operate properly.

In some cases, you can purchase a brand new toilet that has a bidet already built into it. These will also offer many other amenities such as blow dryers inside the toilet to dry you off after you are done cleansing yourself with water. Or a heated toilet seat. As for the water itself, it can be cold or warm. The cheaper bidets will use colder water normally.

While it is possible to use warm water with your bidet, keep in mind that the setup to that is a bit more complicated usually. You’ll have to attach a hose to your bidet from your sink’s warm water supply. In some cases, you may not have easy access to the sink. Also, some people report that it takes a while for the water to become warm when they’re using the bidet. So warm water bidets may not work that well for you. Especially the cheaper models.

Installation

To install a bidet, you’ll usually just need a wrench and to follow some simple instructions. Some bidets are more complicated than others, but this is normally how it’s done for the inexpensive models. First shut off the water to the toilet, and then flush the toilet so there is no water in the tank. After this, disconnect the flexible toilet connecter from the valve to the water tank and then replace your old water valve with the newer bidet adapter valve. Then connect the new flexible toilet connector that came with your bidet to the bidet valve and the water tank.

You now need to remove your toilet lid, and place the bidet underneath it. Put the toilet lid back over the bidet, and then secure everything with the screws that were holding your toilet lid in place previously. Finally, attach the thin transparent tube like hose from your bidet to the new valve that you installed. Be sure to secure it in place. You don’t want any leaks. All that’s left is for you to turn the water back on, and enjoy your new bidet. Just so you know, you may have to alter some of the above mentioned steps depending on the amount of space you have around your toilet. And as always, follow the instructions that came with your bidet. They might differ slightly than the above instructions.

Pricing

When it comes to pricing your bidet, you will find that the cost varies depending on the type of bidet you purchase. Bidets can range in price from fifteen all the way up to the thousands of dollars. Typically, the bidets that cost hundreds or thousands of dollars will do a lot more than a cheaper one. Some people feel that self cleaning bidets are extremely important, and these will typically cost around seventy to eighty dollars. But as mentioned above, a normal basic bidet that is not self-cleaning will only cost around fifteen bucks.

Bidets offer the ability to cleanse oneself without relying as much on traditional toilet paper. While it may seem a bit feminine to use a bidet, rest assured it is a very useful and cleaner way to go to the bathroom. Try it, you might just be surprised.