Thanks to the Covid pandemic and the resulting toilet paper shortages, most people have now not only heard of bidets, they have also considered investing in one. However, a lot of misinformation is still circulating regarding bidets and how they work. So, let’s clear up the most common bidet misconceptions.
First of all, bidets are not stand-alone units in your bathroom that require separate plumbing. That used to be true. So this rumor is based in fact. But those facts are outdated. Modern bidets are actually high-tech toilet seats that you can use in place of your current toilet seat. So you install them right on top of your existing toilet. You simply unscrew the bolts that hold in your current toilet seat, then follow the instructions to install your bidet seat. Different seats require slightly different installation methods, but almost all seats can be installed by yourself, no plumber required, in about 20 minutes. Modern bidet seats need to be plugged in so that they have the power to offer their amazing perks. As long as you have an outlet within a few feet of your toilet, you’ve got everything you need for your bidet to work.
Secondly, using a bidet is not uncomfortable. When you sit down on a bidet seat, it feels just like sitting on a regular toilet seat, unless you bought a bidet with the “heated seat” function. In that case, it will feel a million times better than a regular toilet seat. It’s easy to become addicted to the luxurious seat warmer feature! Regardless, sitting down to do your business will be “business as usual.” Some people worry that the water stream that sprays out of the nozzle to clean you after you go might be too strong and create discomfort. This is no more true than the idea that the water in your shower hurts your skin when you bathe. Just like when you shower, you can control the water pressure of your bidet. Many bidets offer multiple water pressure choices, so you can choose on a scale from a gentle, wide spray, to a strong, narrow spray. Even on the strongest wash setting, your bidet will never hurt your backside. It will merely clean you faster and more efficiently. That said, if you’re nervous about the water pressure, we recommend starting on a low water pressure setting until you become accustomed to bidet washes.
Third, people have been heard to wonder if a bidet will truly get them clean. Yes! Yes! Yes! This misconception is the one that has us most puzzled. Clinging to the notion that toilet paper wiping will get you cleaner than a bidet is like clinging to the notion that the world is flat. (Apologies to Flat Earthers and Toilet Paper lovers, but you’re mistaken!) Think about a few things: if you were changing a toddler’s diaper and some of the waste accidentally got on your hands, would you wipe it with a dry tissue? Or clean it in the sink? If you spilled orange juice on your arm, would you wipe it with a dry paper towel? Or rinse it? If you step in dog poop, do you use a dry napkin, or your hose to clean your shoe? You get the point. Over and over, you would choose water to clean yourself. But when it comes to your backside, you think dry paper does the trick. That line of reasoning doesn’t hold. Washing your sensitive areas with a bidet is not only the cleaner option, it is the more sanitary option. Further, the number one health risk involved with wiping is getting waste on your fingers and hands. Obviously, this fact is why we all wash our hands after using the restroom, but even still, there are times we don’t wash well enough, and the bacteria on our hands and fingers is then transferred onto household objects, doorknobs and more. Don’t believe us: just Google how many molecules of excrement can be found on cash! So it's nice that using a bidet can be a hands-free experience. Finally, on the point of cleanliness, keep in mind that the bidet nozzles aren’t just spraying willy-nilly. You position the nozzle precisely where you want it – so for example, if you want a front wash, you choose that. Likewise with a rear wash. You can pinpoint exactly where you want the water stream to wash you.
Hopefully reading this article has helped you better understand the truth about bidets. If you have further questions, please tool around our website, or give us a call. We’re here to help. We are passionate about the benefits bidets offer and we want you to be as well!
If you’ve ever driven in a car and used a seat warmer, you know how addictive that feature can be. It’s why all modern cars now offer it. There’s just something so cozy about driving on a cold winter day with the seat heater radiating warmth into your body. Similarly, if you’ve ever used a bidet with a toilet seat heater, you will relate to how addictive that feature is. And if you haven’t had the pleasure of using that feature, read on!
Winter has always presented additional challenges to human beings’ survival. Humans have come a long way from the days of darting outside in subzero temperatures, releasing a long johns flap, and quickly trying to do their business in a frigidly cold outhouse. Today, most people have toilets. But a subset of those people have moved on to the next phase in toilet evolution: bidets. Bidets are better for your health and more luxurious by a longshot. In short, bidets make toilets seem like the outhouses of yore.
Bidets are better for your health because washing is better than wiping. Just think about it: if you accidentally got excrement on any other part of your body, you would never just wipe it with dry paper. At the bare minimum, you would rinse the area with water, and more likely, you would use soap. While harsh soap is not recommended for your sensitive areas, rinsing with water is. Plus when you use a bidet, your fingers and hands are not likely to come in contact with your waste because bidets make the cleaning process hands-free. Further, rinsing with a bidet has been shown to be a better way to eliminate bacteria that can lead to UTI’s and bacterial prostatitis in men. So, compared to toilets, bidets are a step up in the health department.
Even better than the health benefits are the luxurious amenities bidets offer. Just like car seat warmers, you will quickly become accustomed to how cozy it feels to, for example, wake up in the night and sit down on a heated toilet seat. Think for a moment about why we’ve all come to loathe waking up in the night to use the restroom, especially in winter. First of all, in most homes, bathrooms tend to be less well heated than other rooms. Secondly, when you combine the poor heating with the lower thermostat settings most people program for the night hours, you can easily see why waking up to use the bathroom at night has become such an irritant. Who wants to get out of your warm bed, walk into a chilly bathroom, then sit down on a shockingly cold seat? No wonder it takes five minutes to relax and do your business! Not only are you fully awake, now you’re angry about it! Now imagine a totally different experience with your heated bidet seat. No more cold plastic on your bottom. Instead, the warm seat will serve like a heated seat in a car – emanating warmth up into your body, helping you to relax and quickly do your business, then get back into bed – all without fully waking up. What a luxury!
Plus, many bidets offer features like slow closing lids and seats, so you will never accidentally bang the toilet seat shut, waking everyone in a three-mile radius. Other luxurious features include the warm air dryer. After your wash, you press a button, and warm air gently blows on your sensitive areas until you are dry. This is a great feature because if you’ve ever used a toilet in the dark of night, you are probably familiar with grabbing at the toilet paper, trying in vain to find where the roll starts, twirling the roll around many, many times, until you finally give up and turn a light on. Yeah, that’s a scene that won’t need to happen with a bidet’s warm air dryer because no toilet paper is needed!
Another great amenity the bidet offers it the nightlight feature. We like to call this feature the “relationship saver.” Let’s say you wake up at night and you have to go. You have a few options that all end poorly in waking your partner and disturbing his or her sleep. First, you blindly feel your way in the dark, inevitably bumping into something and yelping in pain. Two, flipping on a light. Three, grabbing your phone to use the flashlight feature and accidentally hitting a button that makes noise. Keep that up for a few nights and your partner will be furious with you. Or, simply be guided by the soft glow of your bidet’s nightlight and avoid all problems with your partner. The choice is clear.
Bidets offer other features we didn’t cover here, but hopefully you’ve read enough to peak your interest and get you researching which bidet is right for you. Check out our list of best bidet toilet seats and join the modern century and upgrade to a bidet today!
