Key takeaways
- Bidets use a gentle water stream for a more hygienic clean than toilet paper alone.
- Washing can be more comfortable and less irritating, especially for those with sensitive skin or hemorrhoids.
- Bidets are easy to keep clean and often include self-cleaning features.
- Bidets use the same fresh tap water as your sink (never from the toilet tank or bowl).
- Bidets reduce toilet paper use, and models with a warm air dryer can help eliminate it almost entirely.
You keep hearing about bidets—which isn't surprising, because they're more popular than ever. But you can't help but wonder: do they actually get you clean?
Do bidets clean better than toilet paper?
Bidets wash you using a gentle stream
of water, so they’re naturally more effective at getting you clean compared
to toilet paper. Think about it like this: if you don’t expect your hands to
be clean after wiping with paper towels, why would toilet paper is enough
for down below? Water is simply more hygienic for washing, which is why
bidets are so effective.
Bidets are also gentler on the skin than toilet paper, and can help reduce
irritation or alleviate discomfort from medical conditions like hemorrhoids
.
Is it easy to keep a bidet clean?
Just like any bathroom fixture, bidets
benefit from regular cleaning. By keeping up on regular maintenance, you can
reduce any buildup, while ensuring your bidet performs at its best.
Many modern bidets have features like retractable stainless steel nozzles,
nozzle guards, and self-rinsing functions to regularly rinse off any dirt or
buildup. Still, it’s never a bad idea to deep clean your bidet every now and
then.
When it's time for a more thorough cleaning, use a sponge and a mild
cleaning spray to wipe clean. (If you have an electronic
bidet, make sure
you unplug it first.) As with other bathroom surfaces, you may opt to wear
cleaning gloves to avoid contaminating your hands.
How do I know that the water in my bidet is clean?
A bidet doesn’t pull water that you
wash with from the toilet bowl or tank. Instead, it uses the water from your
home's incoming fresh water supply—also known as "tap water." Tap water goes
through a treatment process that makes it safe
enough to drink and clean
with by the time it gets to your home.
So how does this clean tap water get to your bidet? All bidets come with a
T-valve that attaches to the toilet’s fill valve, usually below the tank.
This valve diverts the clean tap water in two separate directions—one
towards the toilet’s fill valve to fill the tank, and the other towards the
bidet through an included bidet hose. This keeps the water that the bidet
uses from mixing with the water in your toilet tank.
Do you still need to wipe after using a bidet?
Once you find
a bidet that works for
you, you can experiment with different water pressures and washing
duration
to see what gets you feeling your cleanest. [MJ7.1]A thorough bidet wash
ensures there's nothing left behind but water—so there's no need to use
toilet paper for additional cleaning.
After you wash with your bidet, you can pat dry with a small amount of
toilet paper. Or you can help the planet even more by using an
eco-friendly,
machine-washable bidet towel. Another way to avoid T.P. completely
is to get
a bidet
toilet seat with a warm air dryer, a feature that delivers a gentle,
soothing air dry cycle after your wash.
Bidets work well—and they’re worth a try.
Just like showering or washing your
hands, bidets use the power of water to clean off your skin simply and
effectively. [MJ10.1]
Once you start looking for a bidet, you’ll find that there are designs for
every lifestyle and budget. Find out which one works best for you—and get
ready to raise the bar on personal hygiene.