The Benefits of Using a Bidet

Bidet toilets are not a new invention and are in fact quite popular internationally. American homeowners have come to appreciate the many in-home benefits of a bidet or bidet washlet seat in recent years as technology has improved and the seats have become more affordable. Today, bidets and bidet accessories are in high demand as households learn about the many benefits of a bidet toilet’s updated design.

We put together this useful breakdown with everything you need to know about the five most important benefits of using a bidet at home.

What Is a Bidet?

A bidet is similar in shape and design to a toilet, but they are very different bathroom fixtures. 

• A toilet is equipped to receive and dispose of waste, with a high flushing capacity and large pipe connections to prevent clogs. 
• A bidet is designed to provide gentle cleansing, utilizing and disposing of only streams of water; it’s rather like taking a shower after using the toilet, while seated, so the rest of the body stays clean and dry.

Bidets are available as stand-alone plumbing fixtures, that look much like a toilet and are often located next to the toilet. Some toilets are now designed to come with the bidet features already built in. The newer bidet style is a bidet seat, or washlet, that is installed on the toilet so the cleansing bidet water can be flushed at the same time as the rest of the toilet water. 

Traditional bidets connect to the water supply much the same way as the toilet, but newer designs include extra features, including dryers, heated seats, and heated water,  that require access to an additional electrical supply, usually a standard power outlet. Other seat washlets may only require batteries to supply power for the bidet features.

Bidet washlet seats can be added to any standard toilet, whether a standard bowl or an elongated bowl, and add extra height. The bidet seat replaces the standard toilet seat and makes for an easy upgrade to any bathroom.

Are Bidets Sanitary?

Among the many bidet pros and cons, one of the more pressing concerns is whether or not the bidet is a healthy and sanitary alternative to traditional toilet paper. One of the benefits of a bidet is their overall cleanliness, from the heated parts to the hands-free operation of using a bidet. Using a bidet is actually more sanitary than wiping.

Today’s bidets are designed with safety and comfort in mind, so no parts of the bidet operation should come into contact with any contaminants. The retractable spray head feature of many models goes through a thorough self-cleaning and sanitation function before and after each use. 

Some bidets even provide a heated drying feature to reduce moisture on the skin and prevent drips, without requiring the help of additional drying wipes. This keeps the user’s hands away from potential contamination at every stage of the process.

The Five Benefits of a Bidet

When it comes to using a bidet, there are many more benefits to the practice than there are excuses not to make the switch. From general health and personal hygiene, to simple home costs and cleanliness, bidets offer an easy upgrade to the daily bathroom routine. Here’s a look at just a few key benefits of a bidet.

The Comfy Bidet

When you make a mess in the kitchen or the garage, with grime or liquid all over your hands, reaching for a paper towel will help remove the bulky remnants and leave the oily, moist mess on your skin until you wash it away with water. Reach for toilet paper next time and see how well it cleans up your hands and you will find it is more effective to wash than it is to wipe.

A bidet moves straight to washing with water to provide an instant feel of comfortable clean. Most bidets have a selection of features that the user can customize to their preferred toilet cleansing experience. Whether it is the number of sprays, the temperature of the water, or the gentle, heated air dryers, the bidet is about creating the comfort of cleanliness at home. 

They are easy to use, adjustable, and convenient. It may seem like a luxury, but it is the luxury of health and hygiene. Using a bidet makes it easy to be comfortable without the mess.

The Eco-Friendly Bidet

One of the first bidet pros and cons is the measure of a bidet’s ecological footprint. At first glance, a bidet would seem to add to the household impact on the environment because it uses water. However, the amount of water used per visit to the loo is negligible compared to the amount of water used and wasted by the addition of toilet paper.

Toilet paper is a single-use paper product. It can only be used once, despite the fact that it costs quite a bit of money per roll for those little squares. Using a bidet requires little to no toilet paper at all. 

Here’s a quick peek at some numbers on toilet paper:

• Toilet paper (or TP) manufacturing requires the cutting and processing of thousands of trees every day worldwide.
• Toilet paper can waste up to 37 gallons of water just to manufacture a single roll of toilet paper.
• To create the pristine, soft look of ultra-white, double-ply, the toilet paper will have to be bleached, which can result in as much as 235,000 tons of chlorine polluting the local waterways.

It’s worth noting that human waste will break up and decompose in the power of a flush of water, but toilet paper will retain its shape and thickness as it moves through the pipes. Without a bidet, more water is required to flush a toilet burdened with a clump of TP, and the extra material can cause the toilet to backup and clog.

In contrast, consider that the light stream of water used by the bidet is only a fraction of the amount of water used just to wash your hands in the sink. Without the toilet paper, a household’s ecological footprint gets a lot smaller, very quickly.

The Economical Bidet

Considering how often toilet paper is used, a family of four can use up as much as two rolls per week or more. At a minimum of eight rolls a month, over the course of a year, that quickly adds up to over $1,000 per year spent on toilet paper. The toilet paper manufacturing industry brings in over $30 billion yearly, worldwide, and it’s all on single-use paper products that clog up the local sewers and septic systems.

Switching to using a bidet means saving hundreds of dollars every year on toilet paper, even if you still bring in a few rolls every so often for bidet-shy houseguests or other cleanup emergencies. Cutting back on single-use paper products like toilet paper could help save up for a family vacation or a room remodel at home, and even a low-cost bidet is an all-in-one answer to getting started on saving green.

The Healthy Bidet

The obvious boost in cleanliness is provided just by removing the need for wiping with quite so much toilet paper, and cleaner hands can lead to a healthier household. Keep in mind that the CDC recommends washing your hands for at least 20 seconds at a time for optimum health, and whether a household chooses to bidet or not, handwashing is still advised.

Making the switch to using a bidet offers other built-in health benefits as well, for every member of the family. The bidet features have been shown to help relax the body, even ease the symptoms of constipation, whether from a heated seat or from the wash of the directed sprays. 

For those with arthritis or other mobility issues, a bidet can help restore independence to the bathroom routine. With a push of a button, the bidet washlet can cleanse the most sensitive areas without direct assistance or movement around the seat.

A bidet installation has been shown to improve chronic health problems, such as yeast infections, hemorrhoids, UTI’s, Crohn's disease, and IBS. The bidet cleanse can offer relief of symptoms and prevent further, regular irritation caused by wipes and paper. 

At some point, there are various health concerns that everyone will struggle through “down there” and the gentle and hygienic spray of a home bidet is a reliable way to help prevent irritation and ease the symptoms.

The Modern Bidet

Today’s bidet seats or washlets provide an array of extra features to make sure the toilet routine doesn’t follow you around like a square of stuck TP.

Look for these customized features on a bidet:

• Adjustable Temperature - Warm water is often more relaxing than chilled, but preferences may change, so a bidet with an adjustable water temperature setting allows you to set the temp every time you sit down.
• Air Dry Fans - Heated air from fans below the seat gently dry the skin after cleansing.
• Deodorizing Spray - A scented spritzer built into the toilet seat can help cover up smells often left behind in the bathroom after use.
• Heated Seat - A heated seat helps relax all of the muscles, from the legs, backside, and more, alleviating some of the stress and strains of the common bathroom task.
• Heated Water - It’s not a requirement of every bidet model, but the option of warm water spray can make the cleaning more relaxing.
• Nightlight - A soft glow from below the seat edge helps make the way to the toilet easier and safer in low light.
• Remote Operation - A remote control allows the bidet settings to be easily accessed by being stored on a nearby wall or other surface within easy reach without adjusting on the seat.
• Water Pressure - A steady stream of water may be more acceptable than a soft spray, so the ability to adjust the flow of the water pressure adds to the comfort.

With the right bidet for the household, every user can customize the settings and use only those features they need or find most comfortable.