I bought one couple of weeks ago, one of the best things I’ve ever spent money on, can never go back.
why isn't the use of the bidet more widespread?
Submitted 1 year ago by nitefox@lemmy.world to [deleted]
Comments
i_am_hungry@meganice.online 1 year ago
BilboBargains@lemmy.world 1 year ago
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.
better_than_nothin@lemmy.world 1 year ago
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.
scarabic@lemmy.world 1 year ago
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.
mightyfoolish@lemmy.world 1 year ago
It’s weird how much racism I found in the last few days here…
BilboBargains@lemmy.world 1 year ago
Syrian, Turkish and Jordanian toilets were no picnic but I’ve never seen worse facilities than the ones in Egypt. I remember having food poisoning after dining in Sinai and the next day a boat took us to Jordan. However much I needed to use the toilet on that ship it wasn’t enough, I couldn’t face it. Maybe it was the rough sea conditions that caused there to be shit up the walls and on every surface.
mightyfoolish@lemmy.world 1 year ago
Before bidets, Arabs used a gardening pale. I don’t know about other middle eastern cultures.
d4bn3y@lemmy.world 1 year ago
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…
regalia@literature.cafe 1 year ago
what big TP doesn’t want you to know…
LittleLordLimerick@lemm.ee 1 year ago
You still use TP if you have a bidet though
ParsnipWitch@feddit.de 1 year ago
Sadly, many are UTI machines because the water flows back to front.
migo@lemmy.world 1 year ago
You do know that there are 2 ways to sit on a bidet, right?
ParsnipWitch@feddit.de 1 year ago
Have you tried that? You can’t bend over because there is the wall in your face. You have to spread your legs really wide otherwise you can’t get close enough because of the wall. Then there’s nothing to grab onto in front. I was up to that kind of acrobatics when I was 30, but it’s getting kinda tiering.
stappern@lemmy.one 1 year ago
wtf? you can literally choose how to sit on it XD
ParsnipWitch@feddit.de 1 year ago
Depending on the type that’s not really practical. I know only those with a fixed tap. Like a washing basin.
nitefox@lemmy.world 1 year ago
What’s a uti machine?
Stern@lemmy.world 1 year ago
Urinary Tract Infection
CmdrShepard@lemmy.one 1 year ago
They’re saying it can spray poop into your hoohah.
betamark@lemmy.world 1 year ago
I sense that it may be due to a combination of outdated holdover ethics inherited from puritans and shit, as well as a new culture of anti-education which dolls out disdain for nerds who learn to interpret data and studies, etc. At least in the Dvided States.
n8vos@lemmy.world 1 year ago
I love mine but I use the bidet before I wipe. Then it doesn’t take much paper at all.
Kecessa@sh.itjust.works 1 year ago
Eh… That’s exactly how you’re supposed to use it…
concrete_baby@sh.itjust.works 1 year ago
You mean other people don’t wipe after they use the bidet and let poop-laced water drip down their butts?
metallic_substance@lemmy.world 1 year ago
Only a problem if you’re one of those maniacs who stands up to wipe
TheObserver@lemmy.dbzer0.com 1 year ago
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.
hexabs@lemmy.world 1 year ago
How do you wipe your ass after a shower?
TheObserver@lemmy.dbzer0.com 1 year ago
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.
ihatemyusername@lemmy.world 1 year ago
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.
TheObserver@lemmy.dbzer0.com 1 year ago
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.
quantum_mechanic@sh.itjust.works 1 year ago
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.
nitefox@lemmy.world 1 year ago
How does it feel having poop liquify in your butt?
set_secret@lemmy.world 1 year ago
once you go bidet you never go back.
TheProtagonist@lemmy.world 1 year ago
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…
CmdrShepard@lemmy.one 1 year ago
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.
TheProtagonist@lemmy.world 1 year ago
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.
stappern@lemmy.one 1 year ago
i can smell your asses from here
TheProtagonist@lemmy.world 1 year ago
This is what multiple Miggs would say… - well, not anymore!
Treczoks@lemm.ee 1 year ago
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.
CephaloPOTUS@lemmy.world 1 year ago
All normal modern ones are just a simple toilet add on. Take up no space whatsoever.
Treczoks@lemm.ee 1 year ago
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.
EssentialCoffee@midwest.social 1 year ago
Is your toilet a urinal then? I imagine that’s already awkward to shit in.
Treczoks@lemm.ee 1 year ago
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.
Salix@sh.itjust.works 1 year ago
Why So Many Countries Use Bidets But the US Does Not from Weird History does a good job explaining why.
JustZ@lemmy.world 1 year ago
TLDR?
dragonflyteaparty@lemmy.world 1 year ago
Bad connotations
- Prostitutes
- Thought it was a contraceptive
- Luxury - you’re a snob
- Thought you were promiscuous
Helps menstruation - omg, ew!
Used to be a wash basin in the bedroom
Cheradenine@sh.itjust.works 1 year ago
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.
nitefox@lemmy.world 1 year ago
I mean, you don’t do this OR that. You should do both
Mothra@mander.xyz 1 year ago
Also economy in general. Some places are famous for not affording toilets or plumbing to begin with. A bidet is out of the question.
Cheradenine@sh.itjust.works 1 year ago
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?’.
mathemachristian@lemm.ee 1 year ago
Because its a hassle for landlords to install one
Donebrach@lemmy.world 1 year ago
I don’t know but the greatest thing for me from the pandemic was adopting the use of them. I cannot understand why people wouldn’t want to use them (apart from some misplaced unease with something twiddling d. butthole)
Shimitar@feddit.it 1 year ago
Let’s be clear: bidet comes AFTER toilet paper. Not “instead of”. That’s the modern intended use. So get your stuff together and buy one now! How can you love without?
retrieval4558@mander.xyz 1 year ago
Definitely not after. Bidet first to power wash the area, then paper to dry and check that there’s no residual. That was there is less paper used and less irritation in general.
wahming@monyet.cc 1 year ago
!confidentlyincorrect@lemmy.world
JoshuaACasey@lemmynsfw.com 1 year ago
wait…shouldn’t the toilet paper come AFTER the bidet so that the dry toilet paper can dry you off?
Shimitar@feddit.it 1 year ago
Well you can bidet before tp indeed… But nah, first clean with a bit of tp, then wash. Then dry (or don’t, I love that little feeling fresh down under, provided you don’t powerwash typhoon style ofc)
Donebrach@lemmy.world 1 year ago
you are a fool and don’t deserve to have a bidet.
Fafner@yiffit.net 1 year ago
Because butt stuff is gay. /s
Really, men rather have a dirty asshole than be perceived as anything less than masculine.
wahming@monyet.cc 1 year ago
Where do you think Klingons evolved from?
Snapz@lemmy.world 1 year ago
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.
solidstate@feddit.de 1 year ago
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?
PixelOfLife@lemm.ee 1 year ago
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.
turmacar@lemmy.world 1 year ago
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.
solidstate@feddit.de 1 year ago
Thanks for the explanation and I hate muck ony hands so that analogy also helps.
Wahots@pawb.social 1 year ago
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.
stappern@lemmy.one 1 year ago
that sounds disgusting that bidet is full of shit.
stappern@lemmy.one 1 year ago
im italian/french born and raised with bidet. the bidet is after your regular business. you still use TP because you dont want chunks of shit in your bidet. thats basically a sink, just lower. you clean your hands in it you dont drop shit in it.
ladicius@lemmy.world 1 year ago
If you have a small bath you can use the bath tub or the shower or even the sink (with a wash cloth). No need to further cram the room - if there’s any free space at all.
Nighed@sffa.community 1 year ago
I think most are integrated into toilets now.
Nariom@lemmy.world 1 year ago
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.
pinkwerdo@lemmy.world 1 year ago
I don’t want water blasting up my asshole
glassware@lemmy.world 1 year ago
Because they just aren’t very good.
Bidet people think bidets are incredible and come up with all these psychoanalytic reasons why people won’t use them, but that’s the reason.
I had one growing up and used it occasionally but always disliked it. They’re inconvenient and don’t make you noticeably cleaner than toilet paper.
IMHO they’re for germphobes and people who do really sloppy shits.
scarabic@lemmy.world 1 year ago
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
fsxylo@sh.itjust.works 1 year ago
Why do people think it’s weird to not want a jet of water blown up your ass?
some_guy@lemmy.sdf.org 1 year ago
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.
Thorny_Thicket@sopuli.xyz 1 year ago
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.
cloudy1999@sh.itjust.works 1 year ago
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: piped.video/watch?v=zQx-ZbSQSBM&t=0. Enjoy
ElderTree333@lemmy.world 1 year ago
I’ve used both a Toto washlet and a cheap bidet toilet attachment. While I loved the Toto for all of it’s cool features, the water pressure (which is powered by an electric pump) just wasn’t there and didn’t do a great job cleaning. The cheap attachment on my home toilet is powered solely by water pressure and that thing leaves me sparkling clean!
kowcop@aussie.zone 1 year ago
I have never even seen one (Australian)
CR1VEN5@lemmy.world 1 year ago
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.
MCHEVA4EVA@lemmy.world 1 year ago
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.