8 ms·
Why Don't Americans Use Bidets?
- asidiali 5y agoBrondell Swash SE600. Enough said.
- bcardarella 5y agoI bought a Genie Bidet at the beginning of the pandemic due to the toilet paper shortage. Never shit without one now. Doesn't save toilet paper but the idea of a dry wipe is for the savages.
- mikeodds 5y agoThis. It’s strange to me that US culture places importance in frequently washing hair, hands, etc. However potentially smearing faeces over part of your body and sitting with it festering there for 12 hours or until your next shower is completely acceptable.
- SubiculumCode 5y agoHow do such bidets work in public bathrooms? Most public bathrooms, the only thing I reasonably trust to be clean is the toilet paper. Doesn't the bidet get exposed to there people's excrement, raising the chance of passing that exposure onto the next user of the stall? Genuinely curious.
- ripply 5y agoThe electronic bidets will run the water at low pressure for a few seconds to wash that away, the cheap ones will raise above behind a guard and the water pressure causes it to lower which also causes it to run for a little before use
- sneak 5y agoI don't use toilet paper at all any longer, haven't bought or used a single square the entire pandemic. Then again, the RH here is usually around 25%.
- coldtea 5y agoBecause it's a useless gizmo for microphobiacs?
- 01100011 5y agoAquaus 360 ftw. No more blood(yes, I exercise, eat fiber, and hydrate). Saves a little on TP, although you'll use a bit wiping up the occasional overspray. Liked it so much, I bought another for the guest bathroom at the in-laws house.
- rambojazz 5y agoYou bleed from using TP?
- cbsks 5y agoI have a cheap LUXE Neo bidet at home. It is one of the reasons why I am not looking forward to returning to the office. Wiping your poopy butt with your hand is for suckers.
- OminousWeapons 5y agoI would encourage anyone who has never used a bidet to go out and try one. Most modern bidets are Japanese style (built into the toilet itself or replacing the toilet seat) rather than European style (discrete units which sit next to your toilet) and thus are much easier to install and use outside of a new construction. I had never used a bidet until I visited Japan a few years ago and I was instantly hooked after one use. Washing away excrement using pressurized water as opposed to smearing it around using toilet paper is more efficient, more hygienic, more pleasant, and results in a cleaner outcome. Bidets effectively let you perform a less-invasive enema which you cannot replicate with toilet paper. The one downside to using them is that the nice ones do require electrical power to produce heated water, so you need to employ an extension cord or get an outlet installed next to your toilet to use them. I personally have a Biobidet 6800U which goes on sale for 50% off at Costco pretty regularly.
- ghaff 5y agoI got a replacement seat version when I had my bathroom redone. I figured that, if it breaks down I can simply replace it rather than potentially have to have some specialist come to the house. (And, as it turned out, it did stop working properly post-warranty although as I replaced it I was suspicious the plumber just didn't install it properly. Which given the plumber's work generally would not have been a surprise.) But, yeah, the big cost for most people outside of a remodel situation is the need to have a proper outlet installed.
- Osiris 5y agoI bought a simple $80 one at the start of the pandemic and now that's the only toilet in the house I'll use.
- ginko 5y agoI also got to try those when visiting Japan, but I have to say it didn't seem like a significantly better experience than just cleaning with toilet paper to me. Maybe I'm completely mistaken, but I do think I do a reasonable job cleaning myself with just paper so I didn't feel significantly cleaner. But IMO the worst problem was that you now have a wet bottom, which you again need paper to dry. Combine that with the not-so-great quality of toilet paper in Japan and now you have small pieces of dissolved paper all over you. Maybe I did something wrong, I guess some of the fancier washlets have a dryer, but that didn't really work all that great for me.
- deleted 5y ago[deleted]
- sojournerc 5y agoI'm remodeling a bathroom to become part of our master bedroom in a walk-out basement. I had an extra water source and decided to build a small wall next to the toilet to hold a hand-held bidet sprayer. It's very low-profile, and relatively easy to install (since the wall was open). Having a second porcelain appliance (and drain) for a full-on bidet doesn't make much sense to me, but I am really looking forward to completing the project to have it. I often take a shower in the morning after I do my business for the sole purpose of cleaning my bum. This will save energy, water, and time!
- d--b 5y agoHa! They don’t know about the three shells!
- Mountain_Skies 5y agoI've had a washlet for a decade and absolutely am glad I spent what seemed like a scandalous amount of money at the time. Despite the built in dryer, paper is still required to get truly dry but other than that, it's great. The article is a bit weird. The author starts off with a seemingly disconnected claim about prejudice that she never really is able to support except through rather weak conjecture. The whole thing reads like she needed to meet an identity politic quota and was working backwards to make it happen. This finally ends with a pitch for a particular company's bidet toilet seat attachment. There are countless companies selling these on Amazon and elsewhere so it's a bit strange that this one company's offer is treated as something revolutionary and unique. Does The Atlantic get a cut of sales they send that way?
- lukeschlather 5y ago> The author starts off with a seemingly disconnected claim about prejudice I think you are misreading that. What I take that is that the author is lamenting that people are so prejudiced against Americans that they remove necessary hygiene systems for fear of offending American sensibilities. (Could you imagine hearing that a hotel had been "<ethnicity>-ized" by removing the sinks, on the assumption that people would take offense at the suggestion they should wash their hands?)
- TrackerFF 5y agoNever seen those here in Scandinavia either, actually didn't know they existed until a couple of years ago.
- slver 5y agoI legit heard multiple Americans discuss it dismissively like it's a toilet dildo for homosexuals. Even the fact it's a French word was a proof of that.
- dleslie 5y agoI can attest to this. When I've mentioned owning own I've had a couple of folks snear upon it as though I've affixed a dildo to my toilet seat. The idea that it might be at all pleasurable is grotesque to them - I wonder if they usecheap single ply?
- mixmastamyk 5y agoToto, hai!
- sfeng 5y agoI’ve shifted from the cheap bidet attachments on Amazon to the $300 Toto which includes both heated seat and water. It’s phenomenal, to the point that I added two new electrical outlets to my house to accommodate them. Particularly with the toilet paper ‘shortage’ it’s wild to me that so many people still waste their time and money using paper.
- sgc 5y agoI don't understand the TP thing. You need to dry up with TP anyways. I certainly don't want an integrated seat that gets filthy with splash back when somebody takes a dump. I can understand the wands more, but still they risk getting very dirty from various users with various skill levels. We use wet wipes which is not ideal ecologically, but a bidet risks being far dirtier than a shopping cart handle and we conserve elsewhere.
- gtaylor 5y agoMost seat-mounted units have retractable nozzles that keep them out of the splash zone.
- bootlooped 5y agoI had a Toto washlet installed on a toilet for around 15 months. When I uninstalled it, I was prepared for the worst, but it was fine underneath. You just clean the seat and lid like any other toilet, with paper towels and some kind of spray cleaner, it's fine.
- stevehawk 5y agoi hope you're not flushing the wet wipes and contributing to the fatberg problem or risking your own plumbing.
- sgc 5y agonope
- texaswhizzle 5y ago
- dleslie 5y agoI've had one for half a decade or more; using _just_ toilet paper feels gross and unclean, now. It's saved my family a bundle, too.
- grouphugs 5y agothe chances of me ever having a say in how i use the toilet is probably 0 or less
- dleslie 5y agoThat's a shame; I hope you feel independence in other ways.
- publicola1990 5y agoThere is lot of modern technology/appliances that Americans strangely refuse to adopt, induction cooktops and combination washer-dryer washing machines for example..
- zdragnar 5y agoInduction doesn't work for all pans, and require a 240v line run to your stove top. Combo washer/dryers take significantly longer to do laundry, since you can only have one load going at a time. These are tradeoffs, and there's nothing strange about that. Personally, I have looked at getting both, but the cost and tradeoffs (given how my kitchen is already set up and the amount of laundry we do) just didn't make sense.
- layoutIfNeeded 5y ago>Induction doesn't work for all pans, and require a 240v line run to your stove top And most induction tops draw so much current that you need at least 2 phases, but optimally 3 phases installed.
- OminousWeapons 5y agoHaving used both induction cooktops and gas burners for years, you can pry my gas range knobs from my cold dead hands. Induction cooktops create a set of constrains on use that gas ranges don't have.
- publicola1990 5y agoIf not for anything else, since there is no combustion happening in the induction, it gives better air quality in your kitchen and house, and compared to an electric range there are other definite advantages as well.
- akvadrako 5y agoCombination washer-dryers are not common anywhere because they are terrible. I live in Europe and bought a washer/dryer recently so researched the options. The main problems are (1) the dryer is half the capacity of the washer (2) double the complexity so lots of stuff can break down. However your primary point might be correct - European windows are much better - how they can open sideways and from the top - I've never seen that in the states.
- s5300 5y agoFrom the MidWest - I've personally been using a bidet since 13. Installed my own in the family home. In my personal region, and what I've found to be true of a decent, err, portion of the MidWest - the very act of washing in-between your arsecheeks, especially your actual anus, is seen to be gay/homosexual by many. Keep in mind, to these people I've referenced, to be gay/homosexual is one of the worst things you can be on this planet. Yes, this is completely and utterly irrationally idiotic. However, it is truly true. A few decades from now I presume most of those that perpetuate this ideology will be dead though. Bidets are great, wash your butts you nerds.
- zdragnar 5y agoAlso from the rural Midwest, and have absolutely no idea what you're talking about. There's a fair amount of religious push back against the act of homosexuality, but this sounds fairly Twilight Zone-esque.
- smegcicle 5y agoIt's probably the talking about bidets, and how clean your butthole is, that comes across as homosexual.
- runj__ 5y agoMy TOTO Washlet is such a joy, the automatic lid and the heated seat. I smile at the nightlight.
- chmaynard 5y agoMore importantly, why is The Atlantic publishing a story about why Americans don't use bidets?
- Bancakes 5y agoKind of cheaper to use a watering can and a free hand.
- dqv 5y agoBidets rock. I've had one for years - I didn't have to worry about a toilet paper shortage. The only problem is not many people have them, so going to the bathroom elsewhere isn't as comfortable. I think Muslims have bidets as part of standard hygiene, but I could be wrong. If it is true, I need more Muslim friends :)
- cenkozan 5y agoIt's true in Turkey. Never seen a toilet without integrated bidet there. Since I moved from there, it became a common reoccurence that colleagues returning from toilet smelling poo. Yikes...
- asidiali 5y agoCan confirm, as part of the wudu or pre-prayer washing ritual, you are required to rinse your privates with water if you have not done so or used the restroom since your last prayer. Often times this is done with a bidet. Watering pots are also common :D
- wolfium3 5y agoI would personally never get rid of toilet paper. Feeling _completely dry_ afterwards is very important to me.
- mastrsushi 5y agoOr the rest of North America, Northern Europe, etc. People just love to pick on Americans.
- throwaway879 5y agoFlushable Wipes. I used bidets growing up (discrete unit as well as seat integrated) and 99% of the time it worked but the 1% of the time when someone's poop got stuck to the fountain head/tube was enough to turn me off. However, wiping your anus with dry toilet paper, especially if you're a grown adult with a hairy anus, is bound to leave your own poop smear on your own anus, so these days i use flushable wipes. Works too if you're using a porta potti - just carry flushable wipes with you.
- ben_ 5y agoNo such thing as "flushable" wipes, it's an advertising gimmick
- keepper 5y agoTwo things... - Flushable wipes should be avoided ( FATBERGS!!! ) ( although they are great ) - Spray bidets can get you to overcome your fear of seeing the random poop stain in a toilet.. :)
- Salgat 5y agoJust an fyi, flushable wipes aren't actually that friendly to sewage systems. https://www.theguardian.com/sustainable-business/2015/may/26/disposable-wipes-sewer-toilet-cities-flushable https://www.theguardian.com/sustainable-business/2015/may/26...
- texaswhizzle 5y agoUsing a toilet without a bidet is the equivalent to stepping barefoot into dog crap, the crap gets all in between your toes, and then you use dry paper towels to clean off. Disgusting.
- alkonaut 5y agoWhich countries use them? I know Japan but I thought almost no one else did. Hotel rooms in zero countries I have visited have had separate bidets or Japanese style toilets.
- akvadrako 5y agoMany countries have them – too many to list. I think the first place I saw them was in Thailand. https://www.reddit.com/r/MapPorn/comments/cgyz5q/countries_that_use_bidets/ https://www.reddit.com/r/MapPorn/comments/cgyz5q/countries_t...
- alkonaut 5y agoNot the countries I expected in Europe. I have traveled a lot in Spain/France/Italy and seen very few in hotels or private homes/AirBnBs. Let’s change the question: In which countries would it be seen as odd to not have one, rather than them being “not uncommon” as I’d assume this map is? Is that only in Asia these days?
- moronim 5y agoThat’s strange, because Italy has a law in place for which is mandatory to install a bidet in at least one bathroom in the house. “Health Ministry Decree 07/05/1975 Art. 7: For each accommodation, at least one bathroom must be equipped with the following sanitary facilities: toilet, bidet, bathtub or shower, sink.“ (https://www.indicenormativa.it/sites/default/files/Decreto%20Ministero%20della%20Sanita%2005-07-1975.pdf https://www.indicenormativa.it/sites/default/files/Decreto%2...)
- alkonaut 5y agoWeird. Maybe hotels are exempted from that?
- rdednl 5y agoI am from Italy and I've never seen a house or a hotel there not having one. We have been used to use it since we are young and when speaking to other Italians abroad, the talk about "how can these people live without a bidet?" comes out a lot.
- chmod600 5y agoAre bidets meant to be used with paper or without? It seems unlikely to do a good job with just a spray. Also, for males, doesn't genetalia and hair get in the way more, depending on the type of bidet?
- amanzi 5y agoI also have so many questions... I've lived in the UK, South Africa, and New Zealand and have never had an opportunity to try one before.
- n0on3 5y agoSo many comments mention bidet vs toilet paper or bidet as a solution to toilet paper shortage. This is so weird to me (and I guess to others raised in countries where the idea of not having a bidet is not even considered) because in the way we are taught the two aren't mutually exclusive, and I ain't talking about using toilet paper to dry yourself. Sure, one can manage with just one of them if needed but still... ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
- satisfice 5y agoWhy don’t humans poop on the lawn? (Dog Weekly, English edition)
- pupppet 5y agoWe have a few of the Luxe 120's. I've evangelized these to my family who also picked them up. A bidet is such a life upgrade.
- senectus1 5y agoabout 2 years ago I did a work trip through Argentina and Ecuador. The only place I've ever seen a bidet was in Argentinian Hotels and I suspect they didn't work. They were a separate unit next to the toilet, I didn't (and still don't) understand how I was meant to use them but when I "turned them on" the spray that came out was feeble... would not have reached my arse, nowhere near it. I'm still curious about them, but my experience of them has left me nonplussed about the concept.
- taylodl 5y agoI’ve discovered if you adhere to a diet recommended by your doctor then you’re not going to have many issues with clean up. Yet another way you can lessen your impact on the world’s natural resources.
- jayski 5y agowhat other part of your body would you be willing to get feces on, and just wipe it off with some paper? you would want water and probably soap. why is your butthole different?
- jayski 5y agoalso if youre looking to optimize your numbertwoing, get a squatty potty. game-changer!
- lumberingjack 5y agoI do and when I go somewhere else I feel like a caveman using TP