INFORMATION
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 salt 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.
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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"
(paper comes 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. Although
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.
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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 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 health 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.
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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 !"
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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.
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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 alternative 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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