Coronavirus has brought about many changes to our daily lives, including how we work, socialize, and shop. If your trips to the store have brought new anxieties in the form of shortages, you aren’t alone—especially when it comes to toilet paper. Bare shelves, half-stocked aisles, and skyrocketing prices have become the new normal when it comes to looking for this essential product. Maybe you’ve been rationing your supply and using less—maybe you’ve even been wondering what you’ll do if you run out and can’t find more.
Here is what some have considered as a solution…. a bidet toilet seat. A bidet toilet or bidet toilet seat attachment can drastically cut your toilet paper usage—and can have some great health benefits. This article will break down some common questions about bidets and why adding one to your home could be a great option.
What is a bidet? What is it used for?
A bidet uses a jet of water to help you clean yourself after using the bathroom. While Americans typically dislike describing bodily functions, those facing the toilet paper shortage will want to hear it—they’re particularly useful for cleaning your far nether regions after doing your business. These bathroom fixtures do away with wiping with toilet paper and instead wash away anything that would otherwise be left behind by toilet paper, to leave you squeaky-clean.
Bidets are common throughout Europe, Asia, and South America, where they are traditionally separate from the toilet. These fixtures typically look a bit like a toilet, but have taps for water. While uncommon in American bathrooms today, some unrenovated mid-century bathrooms may have them, since some companies tried to popularize bidet usage around that time.
Modern bidets might not be a separate fixture, due in part to the costs of adding plumbing and the limits of bathroom space. Instead, more and more people are choosing to add a bidet toilet seat, attachment, or hose to their bathroom. These more affordable and easier to install options have the same function, but cost less and can be quick to install.
Why would I use a bidet?
Besides getting your rear as clean as just leaving the shower, which can provide added comfort throughout the day, bidets can have a number of health benefits. By washing away bacteria, rather than spreading it around, bidets can help prevent UTIs, yeast infections, and hemorrhoids.
For those already with hemorrhoids or any conditions that impact their private areas, bidets can be considerably gentler than repeated wiping—the same goes for those who have just given birth. They can also be useful with cleaning away a woman’s monthly cycle.
And for those with limited mobility, a bidet can be the difference between getting clean or not—they can be a welcome help for those with any type of arm or shoulder injury or even back conditions. If you are 6+ months pregnant or recently had a baby we all know how difficult it can be to reach your toes let alone be effectively reaching around and down there. If you’re remodeling a bathroom for accessibility for the elderly, a bidet toilet seat could be a great option to provide personal cleaning assistance.
Bidets can also help you save money and can help reduce environmental waste. By cutting toilet paper usage and the costs associated with it, a bidet can help anyone who’s looking for a cheaper and more affordable way to maintain cleanliness.
Aren’t bidets just for women?
Nope! Bidets are for anyone who wants to get squeaky-clean. This belief probably comes from the fact that servicemen during World War II often first saw bidets in French brothels. While bidets were common throughout French bathrooms, this first impression stuck in the American imagination. It’s good to know that foreigners of any gender may be surprised at the absence of a bidet when encountering an American bathroom for the first time.
What kind of bidet should I install?
If you’re looking for bathroom remodel ideas and don’t mind investing in plumbing work, you could install a traditional bidet in your space. Or, if your older bathroom already has one, but it’s an unflattering shade of peach, salmon, or sea-foam green, refinishing or reglazing might be an option for you. (Psst—if your whole bathroom is an out-of-date color, and you’re wondering “where can I find sink, shower, and bathtub reglazing near me?”, The Tub Pros are here to help!)
For those with smaller budgets and time-investments in mind, there are a variety of options. The first is a bidet hose. It can be attached to your existing water supply, and often looks like a small shower head. A bidet toilet seat replaces the traditional toilet seat. These are typically easier to install (and it also attaches to your water supply in a few simple steps). A bidet attachment can replace or be attached under the existing toilet seat in a few steps.
Both bidet seats and attachments provide easier access to nozzle adjustments and many models come with options for you to select pressure, temperature, drying modes, nozzle sanitization, and more. Looking to pick the best bidet toilet seat of 2020? Look through some high-ranked models to see what options would be most useful for you.
A Word About Bathroom Projects
A bidet seat or attachment can be a quick and affordable solution—much more so than a remodel that involves adding a traditional separate bidet—while still getting you the results you need. While bathroom projects often seem like they have to be expensive and time-consuming, this isn’t always the case!
While some remodels may require you to fully replace a dated, worn, or damaged bathroom fixture, other problems that seem like they will require an expensive solution—like outdated colors, or chips or cracks in your bathroom fixtures—can be repaired with professional reglazing, a process that takes just a few hours and costs a fraction of the price of a remodel.
Finding professional bathtub reglazing & tub refinishing.
Wondering “how can I find tub refinishing near me?” doesn’t have to be an exhausting search—our blog breaks down what to look for in a company. At The Tub Pros, we’re here to help get your bathroom functioning at its best and even add a bidet if you would like, during these uncertain times—give us a call at 901-871-8827 or use our convenient online form and get started today.
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