WHAT IS A BIDET
There have always been two basic means of
cleansing after a bowel movement; "Washing" and "Wiping".
Over the centuries, washing has always been the preferred method.
However, water has not always been conveniently available for
the purpose and wiping has, out of necessity, been the back-up
procedure for maintaining personal hygiene.
Read more about bathroom tissue as well as
earlier, more primitive, methods of wiping one's rear end in
the "The History
of Toilet Paper".
Bidet, pronounced Bee-Day, is a French word
which originally meant small horse or pony.
The name probably evolved from the method of using a bidet which
is to straddle it much like one would ride a pony.
Originally, bidets were essentially small portable lavatory
basins that, like the chamber pot, were usually kept in the
bedroom. Bidets were used for washing
the anus, rectum, vulva, vagina, perianal area, and genitals
once or twice a day, a custom referred to by the French as their
"toilettes ".
Modern Bidets cost anywhere from around $500
to $1,000 or more, and take up precious bathroom space.
To install one in an existing home is usually out of the question
since it requires as much space as the toilet itself.
As the rest of the World tries to catch up with the European,
Asian and Middle Eastern countries in personal hygiene habits,
the Toilet Bidet, or Washlet, is becoming increasingly popular
as a simple attachment to the existing toilet, requiring no
additional bathroom space and costing a fraction of the price
of a full bidet.
Read more about bidets and other means of washing one's private
parts in the "The History
of The Bidet"
HISTORY OF THE BIDET
There have always been two basic means of
cleansing after a bowel movement; "Washing" and "Wiping".
The use of water for ablution after bowel movements probably
dates back to before ancient Rome. However, the
earliest recorded use of a device to apply water for personal
hygiene was in "Roman Times" 2,000 years ago when a sponge on
the end of a stick was to be found in many toilet facilities
along with a brine bucket filled with s water. The
use of water to clean the anal region has long been a cultural
and religious custom in the Muslim world and the Indian subcontinent
where a cup of water would be kept next to the toilet so that
the anus could be cleaned using the left hand. When
modern plumbing systems later came about, this method was largely
replaced by hand held spray bidets - the Shattaf, Muslim Shower
or Indian Shower.
The history of Bidets, as we know them today,
is referenced in French literature as early as 1710, bidets
being originally small portable lavatory basins that, like the
chamber pot, were usually kept in the bedroom. In the
early 1900s plumbing facilities had improved and bidets were
moved into the bathroom as a permanent fixture connected to
the water and drainage system. The Bidet was installed
adjacent to the toilet or water closet (commode) and it became
the custom to use a bidet for cleansing one private parts regularly
after passing urine, feces, stools and other fecal residue,
rather than just once or twice a day as was the custom with
the portable bidet. It also became popular to clean
and prepare one's body before sexual intercourse for male/female
and gay partners alike. Sex, especially gay sex,
became a more pleasant experience knowing that you and your
partner were clean. Un bidet or mon bidet, as the French
would say, was a way of life. One day, we believe,
some form of bidet will be in every home around the World and
"Wiping" will be a part of history.
HISTORY OF TOILET PAPER
We cannot say for sure when our ancestors
first began to take care regarding their personal hygiene.
At first, it was probably a simple rinsing off in a small stream
or creek. It likely wasn't too long before special attention
was being given to those parts of the body soiled during defecation.
However, water would not always have been conveniently available
so it was almost surely a case of just grabbing the nearest
broad leaf.
Voila, this was the first use of toilet
"paper" (doesn't paper come
from vegetation anyway 
).
Even though "Washing" has always been the
first choice, "Wiping" was often a necessity, being the only
convenient option. The Viking Age (700AD - 1000AD)
saw the use of discarded sheep's wool being used for wiping
one's buttocks and, even though Romans were using primitive
bidet devices as early as 500BC, we know that by the late "Middle
Ages" (1000AD - 1500AD) wiping was prevalent. hough
there are references to the use of paper in China as early as
589, in 1391 we have the first documented use of paper produced
solely for this purpose. By royal decree, the Bureau
of Imperial Supplies in China began producing 2' x 3' sheets
of toilet paper for use by the Imperial Court. Non-the-less,
other parts of the world lagged behind and in Colonial America
in the 1700s corn cobs were regularly being used for cleaning
one's bottom.
The first printed forerunners of the newspaper
appeared in Germany in the late 1400's. The
first true newspaper in English was the London Gazette
initially published in 1666. At the end of the US Civil
War in 1783 there were forty-three newspapers in print in America
and at some point in time the "read and wipe" era took hold
around the world. Newspaper was routinely used in
the Western World, even until quite recently in some parts of
the World. In 1880, the first use of toilet paper
(sheets) in England is recorded and in the 1920s Northern Paper
Mills in the USA began production of toilet paper in "roll"
format.
Whilst the use of a bidet of some form was
common place around the world for washing after going to the
bathroom, some "civilized" countries - the U.S.A. and U.K. in
particular - found little room for the bidet in the bathroom
and the use of paper continued, even though "Washing" is clearly
more sanitary than "Wiping". Today, we are seeing a change,
except that there is simply no room to install a full bidet
in existing bathrooms and the cost of doing so is quite high.
The change comes in the form of the Toilet Bidet or Toilet Washlet,
a device that can be installed at reasonable cost in almost
any bathroom.
BIDET OR TOILET PAPER
What would you do if you were to get “doggy-do-do” on your
hand . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ?
Right, you would wash it off.
You wouldn’t use a piece of tissue to spread it thinly over
your hand, would you ? That wouldn’t clean it off
would it ? No, it would merely spread it more thinly
over your hand, rubbing it into the creases, crevices and the
pores of your skin. OK, so if you would wash it
off your hand, why wouldn’t you treat the more private and personal
parts of your body the same way ?
For centuries, European, Middle Eastern and
Asian countries have been using the bidet to ensure personal
hygiene, avoiding bacterial infection, soothing hemorrhoids,
providing regular personal feminine hygiene, even easing uncomfortable
irregularities such as diarrhea and constipation. In up
to 90%, or more, of the homes in many of these countries the
bidet is a standard bathroom fixture, never an optional extra,
never to be questioned. In these homes the bidet is A
WAY OF LIFE.
You can now enjoy the same benefits and refreshing,
comforting spray with a Toilet Bidet that essentially converts
your water closet into a combination toilet/bidet. You don’t
need the extra bathroom space that a bidet requires and it won’t
cost you more than the cost of a second toilet, as the full
bidet would do.
It’s easy to install, usually you don’t need
a plumber, and it’s easy to use. It can be fitted to most
toilet bowls, under the existing seat, within minutes.
So why do we use toilet paper ?
Good question It's expensive - A Boston newspaper
tells us that a typical family of 4 in the USA will spend as
much as $150 a year on toilet paper, enough to buy five Toilet
Bidets. Read this article in
"The High Cost of Toilet Paper".
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WHY USE A BIDET
It has been said that wiping is not cleaning.
This is very true. The use of bathroom tissue or
toilet paper after going to the Loo or the John, as they say
in England, does not clean the same way that washing does.
The truth of it is, wiping does little more than spread the
fecal remains more thinly over the private body parts adjacent
to the anus or rectum, in fact rubbing the bacteria laden remains
into the crevices, creases and pores of the skin.
The Bidet is used for effectively cleansing one private
parts regularly after the everyday bathroom routines of urinating
and bowel movements. The use of paper for
this purpose has in fact been banned in some cultures and religions.
One newspaper article about the use of toilet paper also states
that a typical family of four in the U.S.A. can spend as much
as $150 a year on toilet tissue. Read this article
in
"The High Cost
of Toilet Paper".
Bidets are also effective for women during
menstruation. Cleanliness during the monthly
period can be important and feminine hygiene is a definite benefit
of the Bidet. The Bidet offers many personal hygiene
benefits; avoiding bacterial infection; soothing hemorrhoids;
even easing uncomfortable irregularities such as diarrhea and
constipation. The Bidet is also popular for cleansing
and preparing one's body before sex by male/female and gay partners
alike, particularly when oral sex and other kinds of intimate
foreplay are anticipated. Both regular and gay sex
can both be a more pleasant experience knowing that you and
your partner are clean.
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WHO USES BIDETS
Who uses Bidets ? Where can Bidets be found around
the World ?
Bidets are commonly associated with France.
However, bidets and similar devices have been in use in many
other parts of the World for many decades as well as in France.
Bidets are often found in bathroom facilities throughout Europe
and Asia as well many parts of Latin America. In
countries like Spain, Portugal, Italy, Greece, Turkey, Argentina,
Brazil, Panama and Uruguay, el bidet is common.
In nations such as India, Pakistan, Thailand,
Korea and many countries in the Middle East a similar device
is traditional. This is the hand held bidet spray,
a flexible hose connected to the water supply with a spray nozzle
on the end, somewhat similar to a kitchen sink sprayer or portable
bath shower.
In Japan, the Complete Toilet Bidet Seat
is becoming very popular. This device, like the
simple Toilet Washlet Adapter, can be attached to almost any
conventional toilet bowl. It is a toilet seat that
combines two or more nozzles with numerous other features such
as a medication reservoir, a warm air dryer, heated seat, wireless
remote control . . . the list goes on and on.
The cost can run $5,000 or more. Toto, one of the
largest companies of its kind, produces a number of such models.
You can read more about hand-held sprays and toilet bidet
seats in FAQ - "Types of Bidet"
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WHAT ARE THE DIFFERENT KINDS OF BIDETS
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WHAT IS A TOILET BIDET
The use of bathroom or toilet tissue has
been traditionally used for centuries around the World.
The hand held spray is also a tradition in many countries.
However, neither toilet paper nor hand-held spray bidets are
as convenient and clean as a Toilet Bidet is.
The Toilet Bidet or Bidet Adapter is simply
a device that, in essence, converts a toilet, water closet or
commode into a combination Toilet/Bidet. The Toilet
Bidet is a relatively inexpensive toilet accessory that can
be as simple as a handheld shower spray or a device that is
either mounted under the toilet seat or actually replaces the
toilet seat. Japan has become a leader in the design
of bidet attachments and the washlet bidet covers a wide range
of products from simple washlet toilet adapters to complex toilet
bidet devices, bidet seats, toilet attachments, bidet combos
and complete heh and hygiene maintenance and monitoring devices
with electronic remote controls that control the function of
the bidet components such as temperature controlled hot, cold
and warm water sprays, stationary, pulsating and oscillating
nozzles, heated toilet seats, toilet seats with hydraulic cushioned
lids (softclose seats), soap and medicinal chambers for
introducing additives to the water for feminine hygiene, bacteria
and deoderizer control purposes as well as treatments for hemorrhoids,
diarrhea and constipation concerns. Many of these
top of the line washlet bidets also have hot air dryers built
to deliver warm air for drying after use.
WHAT IS A HAND HELD BIDET
What is a hand held Bidet ?
The handheld bidet, or washlet wand, is a slender spray unit
with an integral built in "on-off" lever.
It is connected to a water supply by a plastic or stainless
flexible hose similar to a portable bath shower hose and is
usually kept in a bracket or clip mounted on the wall or on
a cabinet adjacent to the toilet. The
hand-held bidet, sometimes called a Shattaf or Muslim Shower
in Middle Eastern countries, is also simply called a hand held
spray or Indian Shower in many other countries.
In many parts of the World it is a religious requirement also.
The Shattaf, Muslim and Indian Showers satisfy their logical
use as well as the teachings of Islam that require Istinja,
the washing of private parts with clean water after passing
out urine and stool. The use of paper has been,
to a large degree, forbidden.
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TOILET OR HAND-HELD BIDETS
Should you buy a Toilet Bidet or a Hand Held
Bidet ? The choice may be simply personal
or tradition. The hand-held bathroom/toilet spray is a
traditional fixture in many Middle Eastern and Asian countries.
In many parts of the World it is a religious requirement also.
The Shattaf, Muslim and Indian Showers satisfy their logical
use as well as the teachings of Islam that require Istinja,
the washing of private parts with clean water after passing
out urine and stool. The use of paper has been,
to a large degree, forbidden.
Tradition is not easily changed.
However, the use of hand-held sprays may not be as convenient
and clean as a Bidet Adapter is. No longer is it
necessary to manipulate your posture whilst seated to suitably
position the hand-held spray. Nor is splashing and
spillage of excess water over the bathroom floor to be considered
acceptable. Thus the need to wash down and clean
the bathroom floor on a daily basis is no longer required.
The use of paper is also rapidly becoming an expensive and inefficient
way of trying to maintain personal cleanliness.
The Toilet Bidet Adapter easily cleans both
rectal and vaginal areas with a minimum of movement on the user's
part. Suitable bathroom tissue can still be used,
particularly by a female, to gently dry moist parts after using
the bidet, if desired. The Toilet Bidet water discharge
is adjustable from a gentle spray to a stronger jet using the
conveniently located control handle and can therefore be used
not just to clean but to encourage the passing of stools also
as an enema would do. It has been found to relieve
diarrhea, constipation, hemorrhoids and bacterial infection
as well as pleasantly facilitate feminine hygiene and personal
cleanliness for men and women.
As one of our customers has put it: "you won't believe it
until you try it !"
WHAT IS A WASHLET
What are Washlets ? Washlet is
a term probably coined by Toto of Japan and used to describe
many of their Toilet Bidet products. It is rapidly
becoming a generic name for the Toilet Bidet just as "Hoover"
did for vacuum cleaners and "Kleenex" has for tissue, to mention
just a couple. Their products include, among others,
the Toto Zoe Washlet and the Toto Jasmine Washlet.
If it's a Washlet that you're looking for,
please consider a Toilet Bidet from BIDETS4SALE.COM.
Our customers will tell you: you won't be disappointed.
WHAT IS A MUSLIM SHOWER
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WHAT IS AN INDIAN SHOWER
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WHAT IS A SHATTAF
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WHO MAKES BIDETS
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WHO MAKES TOILET BIDETS
Who manufactures and sells Toilet Bidets
? We at BIDETS4SALE.COM,
our North American distributor, Bidet Ole, Inc., and our other
distributors around the World want you to look at all the ernative
manufacturers and suppliers of bidet toilets and washlet toilets
available to you before you buy from us.
There are many excellent products out there
and you should definitely look at products from Bidet.com, BidetUSA,
Bemis, Gobidet, Bio-Bidet, LePetitBidet, Sanicare, Coco, Sandman,
Bidanit, Cleanbutt, American Standard, Crane, Kohler, to name
but a few, before you consider buying one of our products
Quality products are also produced by companies
such as Bidet-O-Let, Cleanrite, Spaloo, Hyjet, BioBidet, Biffy-Bidet,
MrBidet, MrsBidet, Magicjohn, Juscuzz, Hyundae, Daewon, AmericanBidet
and WhiteBidet.
Perhaps the best known manufacturer of toilet
bidets is Toto, in Japan - TotoUSA in North America.
They produce the Toto Washlet, Toto Chloe Washlet, Toto Jasmin
Washlet, Toto Zoe Washlet, Toto Jasmine Washlet, as well as
many other innovative products.
The Toilet Bidet or Bidet Adapter is simply
a device that, in essence, converts a toilet into a combination
Toilet/Bidet. The Toilet Bidet is a relatively inexpensive
toilet accessory that can be as simple as a handheld shower
spray or a device that is either mounted under the toilet seat
or actually replaces the toilet seat. The
Toilet or Washlet Bidet covers a wide range of products from
simple washlet toilet adapters to complex toilet bidet seats
with such features as temperature controlled hot, cold and warm
water sprays, stationary, pulsating and oscillating nozzles,
heated seats, toilet seats with hydraulic cushioned lids (softclose
seats), soap and medicinal chambers for introducing additives
to the water for feminine hygiene, bacteria and deoderizer control.
Perhaps the best known company producing Toilet Bidets is Toto
in Japan - TotoUSA in North America. They produce
the Toto Washlet, Toto Chloe Washlet, Toto Jasmin Washlet, as
well as many other innovative products
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THE HIGH COST OF TOILET
PAPER
According to the Boston Patriot Ledger, a
typical family of four in the U.S.A. can spend as much as $150
a year on toilet tissue. Click on this link to read
the newspaper article from the Boston Patriot Ledger
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of Page.
OTHER USES FOR TOILET PAPER
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