Bidet toilet seats are a new trend and are pretty much commonly seen in the American states and entire Europe. Bidet toilets are a huge convenience for cleaning up yourself after you’re done with your business on the toilet. These bidets are fixed right next to your normal toilet seat and look like a normal sink, fixed on a lower level than the normal ones. To clean or wash up your area after you’ve used the toilet, you simply turn the tap on. The water from the tap is released in the form of a stream and you can adjust the pressure according to your need.
If you’re still wondering “What is a bidet toilet?”, here’s the answer. Bidets are bowls or receptacles which are designed to be sat on and used as a means of rinsing the genital area, the perineum, the inner buttocks, and the anus. A modern variety of these toilets comes with a plumbed-in water supply and an opening for drainage and therefore adheres to local sanitary regulations. Using a bidet for the first time might require a little attention and care, but once you get used to it, it’s no big deal to use it.
Bidets are used after defecation and as a way to promote personal hygiene. You can fill it with water or not and use it either way to wash your feet. In several European countries, bathrooms with toilet bowls are required to have a bidet as part of the law, because of the fact that they are super hygienic and convenient. You’ll be amazed to know that bidets were supposed to be originally located in the bedroom, next to the chamber-pot and the marital bed, but nowadays, with a change in this trend, these are now found next to the toilet bowls in the bathroom.
Table of Contents
What is a Bidet Used for?
There are several purposes you can use a bidet for. The most common one is; washing yourself up after you have used the toilet.
- Bidets simply do the job of a traditional toilet. They flush away the liquid and solid waste in the same way as other toilets do, with some additional features. Yes, one of their jobs is to handle regular waste and flushable products that are flushed down the toilet.
- One major reason that bidets have now become common is the convenience in their use after you’ve used the toilet. You don’t have to use a shower to wash yourself up. You’ll simply sit on the bidet toilet, turn the tap on, and get yourself all cleaned up with its pressured flow of water, angled perfectly for washing your private areas.
- Other than just washing after using the toilet, many people use the bidet for cleaning up their feet as well, or simply washing their hands after using the toilet. That’s because bidets are too much of a sink type.
- Customizing the nozzles on a bidet means you can adapt them to meet your needs. Many bidet toilet seats feature self-cleaning nozzles so that they remain as clean as the seats. There are also some luxury bidet toilet seats that have dryers so that you don’t need to reach down at all. You can skip the toilet paper as well!
- Men and women, children and age, everyone can use a bidet! There is no restriction for its users based on gender or age.
How to Use a Bidet Toilet Seat? Proper Way to Use a Bidet!
The use of a bidet toilet is pretty much similar to that of a normal toilet. The difference occurs when you’ll have to clean up yourself after you’re done. The bidet’s purpose is to help clean off after use of the toilet. Bidets can be used alongside toilet paper or on their own. Bidets are considered hygienic substitutes for toilet paper by some; however, most people still opt to use both.
Here’s all that you need to know about the use of a bidet toilet.
- Adjust water temperature and the pressure
- Position yourself on the seat
- Clean/Wash yourself up
1. Adjust Water Temperature and Pressure
Turn on the warm water first, if your bidet has both a hot and a cold-water control. If the water is too hot, add cold water until you’re comfortable. The water to the bidet can be turned on with only a slight turn of the control, so be very careful when using it. If the jets don’t turn on automatically, you may have to hold down the control.
If you live in a normally hot climate, such as the Middle East, we would say start with cold water. If you turn on the hot water first, the water will not have time to heat, and you may end up burning sensitive areas. Also, you may end up with a surprise shower if you don’t know where the water nozzle is. So, make sure you examine a bidet properly before you use it. Place your hand above the spray nozzle if your bidet has one and then press or pull the diverter lever between or directly behind the taps to reduce any jet of water.
2. Position Yourself on the Seat
The best way to clean the area is to sit or squat over the stream so that the water hits what needs to be cleaned. You can also make use of your hands if you feel like the water from the bidet tap isn’t alone doing the job. If you prefer, you can sit on the seat rather than hovering above it. It is important to note that most bidets don’t have seats. However, you can still sit on the rim of the bidet. Bidets do not always have jets; sometimes they fill the basin with a faucet, much like filling a sink. If this is so, you’ll have to wash manually by hand.
After you finish the job using a bidet with a mechanical handle, you don’t do much more than use the external mechanism to turn the water jet nozzle toward the center of your basin and turn on the water supply valve beside the basin.
3. Clean/Wash Yourself Up!
With a bidet, you can generally let the water’s force do the work. In the case of a basin, you’ll have to get your hands dirty. Either way, you may want to consider scrubbing the area with your wet hands to make the task go more quickly. And we suggest you do that. After that, you can wash your hands!
A bidet and toilet paper may be an excellent combination. You can use the toilet paper or simply a towel at the end to dry up yourself completely.
Tips for Proper Use of a Bidet
- Before you use the bidet, make sure it is in working order. Prepare for the water jets by finding out where they’re coming from.
- If this is your first time using a bidet, clean off with toilet paper before trying the spray.
- Using a bidet doesn’t require you to use soap. Bidets are sometimes used as mini showers after bowel movements, sexual encounters, or to freshen up, but it isn’t required.
- Be sure to move any clothes out of the way before turning on the bidet jets such as underwear and pants.
- There might be a towel hanging near your bidet. You should only use this to dry off your hands, not your rear. If you’re the only individual using the bidet, you may keep a separate towel for drying up your private area after you’ve washed up yourself. But only if you’re sure nobody else is going to use it!
- If you are using a bidet attachment, your best results can be achieved if you always shut off the T-valve after each use. It could leak if you forget to turn it off.
- If you’re a female, it is important for you. To prevent bacteria from getting into your vulva, ensure that the water is directed front-to-back.
What Does a Bidet Feel Like?
A bidet might feel a bit weird if you’re using it for the first time. But when you start using it, it feels just like other traditional toilets. You’ll simply appreciate it for being super convenient, easy to use, and hygienic. Bidets are super comfortable to use and help you clean up your private areas with great ease. And the best thing, you can sit on a bidet either your front facing the tap or back facing the tap. It totally depends on the purpose you want to use a bidet for.
Do bidets spray poop everywhere?
No. They don’t. Bidets use a stream of concentrated water specifically directed toward your posterior and genital region. You don’t get sprayed all over. So, they provide a totally safe, spotless, and highly hygienic wash for your private areas after you’ve used the toilet.
Do bidets spray inside you?
It depends on the pressure of the water stream you’ve set. Even if you’ve set it to clean you up from inside as well, the pressure shouldn’t be too much. Always keep the pressure to normal. Bidets completely clean up your sensitive areas but for maximum cleaning from outside and inside, you may use your hand.
Are You Supposed to Wipe Off Before Using a Bidet?
It totally depends on your personal preference. No doubt, wiping off before using the bidet would help, but it’s absolutely not a necessity. If you think you need to wipe it off, go for it. Otherwise, using the bidet after you’ve used the toilet would completely clean you up as the shower does in the case of a traditional toilet. What we suggest is, to make use of your hand while you’re using the bidet. It is the best way to clean yourself up. You can wash your hands later on.
How do you dry off after using a bidet?
Some modern and luxury styled bidets have a built-in drying function as well. If your toilet doesn’t have one, you can simply use a piece of tissue or a towel to dry off. In most of the toilets, you’ll find a towel hanging nearby. If it’s a public toilet, NEVER use the towel to dry off your private parts. Always use tissue paper. Remember, towels in public toilets are always meant to be used to dry your hands.
If you have a bidet toilet in your personal bathroom at home, we surely suggest you hang a towel nearby to dry off your private areas after you’ve used the toilet. But in that case, too, make sure nobody uses that towel other than YOU.
Pros and Cons
Our Verdict
Bidet toilets are simply amazing! Once you start using them, we bet you’ll love them, and you’ll wonder how you have been surviving without a bidet in your toilet.
While you’re new to using a bidet toilet, make sure you program the customized settings on your bidet toilet seat according to its manual. In most of the bidet toilets, the spray width, the water temperature, and the nozzle angle can often be saved so you always get the right spray without having to adjust it every single time. It’s not hard to figure out. All you need to do is read the manual instructions carefully and set the bidet on the settings that suit you perfectly.
