 | This articleneeds additional citations forverification. Please helpimprove this article byadding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Find sources: "Bidet" – news ·newspapers ·books ·scholar ·JSTOR(March 2023) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
Abidet (UK:/ˈbiːdeɪ/,US:/bɪˈdeɪ/ ⓘ) is a bowl or receptacle designed to be sat upon in order to wash a person'sgenitalia,perineum, innerbuttocks, andanus. The modern variety has a plumbed-in water supply and a drainage opening, and is thus aplumbing fixture subject to localhygiene regulations. The bidet is designed to promote personal hygiene and is used afterdefecation, and before and aftersexual intercourse. It can also be used to washfeet, with or without filling it up with water. Some people even use bidets to bathebabies orpets. In several European countries, a bidet is now required by law to be present in every bathroom containing atoilet bowl. It was originally located in the bedroom, near the chamber-pot and the marital bed, but in modern times is located near the toilet bowl in the bathroom. Fixtures that combine atoilet seat with a washing facility include theelectronic bidet.
Opinions as to the necessity of the bidet vary widely over different nationalities and cultures. In cultures that use it habitually, such as parts of Western, Central and Southeastern Europe (especiallyItaly,Portugal,Spain,France andTurkey),[1]Eastern Asia and some Latin American countries such asArgentina,Uruguay orParaguay, it is considered an indispensable tool in maintaining good personal hygiene. It is commonly used in North African countries, such asEgypt. It is rarely used insub-Saharan Africa,Northwestern Europe,Australia, andNorth America.
Bidet is aFrenchloanword meaning 'pony' due to thestraddling position adopted in its usage.
Bidets are primarily used to wash and clean the genitalia, perineum, inner buttocks, and anus. Some bidets have a vertical jet intended to give easy access for washing and rinsing the perineum and anal area. The traditional separate bidet is like a wash-basin which is used with running warm water with the help of specific soaps, and may then be used for many other purposes such as washing feet.[2][3]
| This sectionneeds additional citations forverification. Please helpimprove this article byadding citations to reliable sources in this section. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.(February 2025) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
Abidet shower (also known as "bidet spray", "bidet sprayer", or "health faucet") is a hand-held triggered nozzle, similar to that on a kitchen sink sprayer, that delivers a spray of water to assist inanal cleansing and cleaning the genitals after defecation and urination. In contrast to a bidet that is integrated with the toilet, a bidet shower has to be held by the hands, and cleaning does not take place automatically. Bidet showers are common in countries where water is considered essential for anal cleansing.
Drawbacks include the possibility of wetting a user's clothing if used carelessly. In addition, a user must be reasonably mobile and flexible to use a hand-held bidet shower.
A bidet is a plumbing fixture that is installed as a separate unit in the bathroom besides toilet, shower and sink, which users have to straddle. Some bidets resemble a large hand basin, with taps and a stopper so they can be filled up; other designs have anozzle that squirts a jet of water to aid in cleansing.
There are bidets that are an integrated part of the toilet. Having a nozzle (fixed or movable) that is designed to spray water at the anus, and often also (separately) the genitals. Some have separate nozzles, for anus and genitals. The nozzle is typically at the back of the toilet rim.
Attachments have also been, to provide this functionality to a toilet without integrated bidet, that either attaches to the rim, or replacing the seat, without needing to replace the whole toilet, or finding a toilet that has an integrated bidet.
These bidets (also called "Japanese toilets", "combined toilets", or in the case of add-on versions "bidet attachments" or "add-on bidets") are controlled either mechanically, by turning a valve, or electronically. Electronic bidets are controlled with waterproof electrical switches rather than a manual valve. There are models that have aheating element which blows warm air to dry the user after washing, that offer heated seats, wirelessremote controls, illumination through built innight lights, or built indeodorizers andactivated carbon filters to remove odours. Further refinements include adjustable water pressure, temperature compensation, and directional spray control.
An add-on bidet typically connects to the existing water supply of a toilet via the addition of athreaded tee pipe adapter, and requires nosoldering or otherplumbing work.[4] Electronic add-on bidets also require aGFCI protected grounded electrical outlet.
Personal hygiene is improved and maintained more accurately and easily with the use of both toilet paper and a bidet as compared to the use of toilet paper alone. In some add-on bidets with vertical jets, little water is used and toilet paper may not be necessary.[5][6] Addressinghemorrhoids and genital health issues might also be facilitated by the use of bidet fixtures.[7]
Because of the large surface of the basin, after-use and routine disinfection of stand-alone bidets require thoroughness, or microbial contamination from one user to the next could take place. Bidet attachments are sometimes included onhospital toilets because of their utility in maintaining hygiene. Hospitals must consider the use of bidet properly and consider the clinical background of patients to prevent cross-infection.[8] Warm-water bidets may harbor dangerous microbes if not properly disinfected.[9]
From an environmental standpoint, bidets can reduce the need for toilet paper.[4][10] Considering that an average person uses only 0.5 litre (1/8 US gallon) of water for cleansing by using a bidet, much less water is used than for manufacturing toilet paper. An article inScientific American concluded that using a bidet is "much less stressful on the environment than using paper".[10]Scientific American has also reported that if the US switched to using bidets, 15 million trees could be saved every year.[11]
In the US, UK, and some other countries,wet wipes are heavily marketed as an upgrade from dry toilet paper. However, this product has been criticized for its adverse environmental impact, due to the non-biodegradable plastic fibers composing most versions. Although the wipes are promoted as "flushable", they absorb waste fats and agglomerate into massive "fatbergs" which can clog sewer systems and must be cleared at great expense.[12] Bidets are being marketed as cleaning better than toilet paper or wet wipes, with fewer negative environmental effects.[12]
The bidet is common inCatholic countries and required by law in some.[13][14] It is also found in some traditionallyEastern Orthodox andProtestant countries such asGreece andFinland respectively, wherebidet showers are common.[15]
InIslam, there are manystrict rules concerning excretion; in particular, anal washing with water is required.[16][better source needed] Consequently, in Middle Eastern regions where Islam is the predominant religion, water for anal washing is provided in most toilets, usually in the form of a hand-held "bidet shower" orshattaf.
Bidets are becoming increasingly popular with the elderly and disabled. Combined toilet/bidet installations make self-care toileting possible for many people, affording greater independence. There are often special units with higher toilet seats allowing easierwheelchair transfer, and with some form of electronic remote control that benefits an individual with limited mobility or otherwise requiring assistance.
Bidets are common bathroom fixtures in theArab world and inCatholic countries,[13] such as Italy (the installation of a bidet in a bathroom has been mandatory since 1975),[17] Spain (but in recent times new or renewed houses tend to have bathrooms without bidets, except the luxurious ones),[18] Portugal (installation is mandatory since 1975),[19] and France (present in 95% of households in the 1970s, but dropped to 42% in 1993).[20] They are also found in Southeastern European countries such asAlbania,Bosnia and Herzegovina,Romania,Greece andTurkey. They are very popular in some South American countries, particularlyArgentina,Paraguay andUruguay. Electronic bidet-integrated toilets, often with functions such as toilet seat warming, are commonly found inJapan, and are becoming more popular in other Asian countries.
In Northern Europe, bidets are rare, although in Finland,bidet showers are common.[15] Bidet showers are most commonly found in Southeast Asia, South Asia, and the Middle East.
In 1980, the first "paperless toilet" was launched in Japan by manufacturerToto,[21] a combination of toilet and bidet which also dries the user after washing. These combination toilet-bidets (washlet) with seat warmers, or attachable bidets are particularly popular in Japan and South Korea, and are found in approximately 76% of Japanese households as of 2015[update].[4] They are commonly found in hotels and some public facilities. These bidet-toilets, along with toilet seat and bidet units (to convert an existing toilet) are sold in many countries, including the United States.
Bidet seat conversions are much easier and lower cost to install than traditional bidets, and have disrupted the market for the older fixtures.[4]
After a slow start in the 1990s, electronic bidets are starting to become more available in the United States.[4] American distributors were directly influenced by their Japanese predecessors, as the founders of Brondell (established in 2003) have indicated.[22] The popularity of add-on bidet units is steadily increasing in theUnited States,Canada and theUnited Kingdom, in part because of their ability to treat hemorrhoids orurogenital infections.[23] In addition, shortages oftoilet paper due to thecoronavirus pandemic have led to an increased interest in bidets.[24]
Bidet is aFrench word for 'pony', and inOld French,bider meant 'to trot'. Thisetymology comes from the notion that one "rides" orstraddles a bidet much like a pony is ridden.[12] The wordbidet was used in 15th-century France to refer to the pet ponies that French royalty kept.[25]
The bidet appears to have been an invention of French[26] furniture makers in the late 17th century, although no exact date orinventor is known.[12][27][28] The earliest written reference to the bidet is in 1710 in France[29] and latter in 1726 in Italy.[30] Although there are records ofMaria Carolina of Austria,Queen of Naples andSicily, requesting a bidet for her personal bathroom in the Royal Palace of Caserta in the second half of the 18th century, the bidet did not become widespread in Italy until after theSecond World War.[14] The bidet is possibly associated with thechamber pot and thebourdaloue, the latter being a small, hand-held chamber pot.
Historical antecedents and early functions of the bidet are believed to include devices used forcontraception.[31] Bidets are considered ineffective by today's standards of contraception, and their use for that function was quickly abandoned and forgotten following the advent of modern contraceptives such asthe pill.[32]
By 1900, due toplumbing improvements, the bidet (andchamber pot) moved from the bedroom to the bathroom and became more convenient to fill and drain.
In 1928, in the United States,John Harvey Kellogg applied for a patent on an "anal douche".[33] While inSchiltach,Baden-Württemberg, Germany,Hans Grohe released the first affordable hand shower.[34]
In 1965, the American Bidet Company featured an adjustable spray nozzle and warm water option, seeking to make the bidet a household item.[4][12] The fixture was expensive, and required floor space to install; it was eventually discontinued without a replacement model.
The early 1980s saw the introduction of the electronic bidet from Japan, with names such as Clean Sense, Galaxy, Infinity, Novita, and of non-electric attachments such as Gobidet. These devices have attachments that connect to existing toilet water supplies, and can be used in bathrooms lacking the space for a separate bidet and toilet.[12] Many models have additional features, such as instant-heating warm water, night lights, or a heated seat.
Douching is commonly practiced in Catholic countries. The bidet ... is still commonly found in France and other Catholic countries.
