Popular throughout Asia and Europe, bidets and bidet showers are an environmentally friendly way to clean yourself after using the toilet. Wiping with toilet paper alone can leave you feeling like you’re still dirty, but using water to clean yourself gives you that shower-fresh feeling after every trip to the bathroom.
Bidet showers have become more and more popular over the last few years throughout the United States for a few reasons. Not only do you feel cleaner than when using regular toilet paper, but they cut down on how much toilet paper you’re buying, saving you a decent bit of money in the long run. These handheld sprayers are easy to install, easy to use, and come in handy in several different ways.
What is a Bidet Shower?
A traditional bidet is a separate unit from the toilet that sprays away any residue or debris left after going to the bathroom. Bidets are very popular throughout Asian and European countries, especially Islamic, Muslim, and Christian countries. These locations have religious etiquette that dictates how cleaning should be done following urination and defecation. Rather than a standalone bidet, many of these locations use a bidet shower.
A bidet shower is a hose near the toilet, sometimes attached to the same plumbing as the toilet, with a triggered nozzle on the end that directs a stream of water, used for cleaning the genitals and anal area following going to the bathroom. These sprayers are similar to those commonly found on a home’s kitchen sink.
While these devices are traditionally used throughout the world, they are not very common in North America. However, their popularity throughout the United States has increased for several reasons in recent years. People often enjoy saving money on toilet paper and the cleaner feeling that follows rinsing with water rather than wiping with dry paper. Bidet showers are also versatile and can be used for different reasons.
Perks of Using a Bidet Shower
Most homes don’t have the space to install one of these standard bidets, where the bidet shower comes in. If you want that freshly cleaned feeling of using a bidet but are limited on space, you can install one of these handy devices, and they take up almost no extra room. The best part? They’re usually pretty easy to put in without any specialized plumbing training. Installation is often a quick project that you can tackle in the evening after work or on a weekend afternoon.
The main benefit of using a bidet shower is improving your hygiene. We’ve all been there. After a particularly rowdy bowel movement, you’re left wiping, and wiping, and wiping, not feeling like you’re truly clean at all. If you’ve got the time, you can always hop in the shower and clean yourself off, but most of the time, that’s a hassle, and you don’t have the extra few minutes to do that.
With a bidet shower, you eliminate the need to run through half a roll of toilet paper on one trip to the toilet. Spraying your genitals and anal area rather than using your hands to wipe with toilet paper also keeps your hand’s cleaner. Although, you should still be washing your hands after use.
One of the most common reasons Americans turn to bidet showers is because they want to reduce the amount of waste their family produces. On average, Americans use 50lbs of toilet paper each year, with each roll using 37 gallons of water to be made and another 1.6 each time the toilet is flushed. Using a bidet uses about half a gallon of water for each use. Those who use a bidet shower do use a small amount of toilet paper to dry themselves after spray. Alternatively, a soft cloth can be washed and reused is a popular option.
Many types of toilet paper aren’t as septic or sewer safe as they advertise. People commonly use flushable wipes in place of toilet paper to get that clean feeling, but these wipes are even worse for the plumbing and septic system. Simply using water doesn’t introduce any additional pipe-clogging items to an already sensitive system.
Here’s our list of the 11 Best Handheld Bidet Sprayers.
Bidet Shower Uses
If you’re unsure if a bidet shower is the right choice for your home, it’s important to note that these devices are not limited to just anal and genital cleansing. For those that want to get the most out of the time and money they put into adding a new gadget or appliance to their home, a bidet shower is going to be an excellent investment. With cloth diapers becoming popular again, several families that go with a cloth rather than disposables enjoy being able to spray out their diapers before placing them in their washing machine.
Another major perk of having a bidet shower is that they are super helpful for postpartum care. During the several weeks following childbirth, there is a lot of pain and mess. Being able to spray off with the bidet hose instead of the peri bottle the hospital provides is a game-changer. They also make things easier for anyone dealing with a menstrual cycle, as you can quickly rinse your genitals, leaving you feeling much fresher than simply wiping.
Installing your bidet shower near your bathtub or shower is a wise option, as the sprayer makes it easy to bathe your pets if you’re not lucky enough to have a handheld showerhead. This cuts down on needing to keep refilling a cup to soak down and rinse your pet when they need a good scrub down. You can even use your bidet shower to clean your toilet, tub, and shower, as long as the hose is long enough to reach.
Should You Install a Bidet Shower in Your Home?
Whether you’re looking for a way to feel cleaner after using the bathroom, you want to cut down on your family’s toilet paper use, you want more comfortable postpartum recovery, or for any other reason, there aren’t many downsides to installing a bidet shower in your home. A bidet shower is a great option if you want to feel cleaner every time you use the bathroom.
