Wipe down the bidet regularly, at least once a week. Rinse the cleaning cloth immediately after use with hot water to keep it clean. Keeping a cleaning cloth and pack of disposable gloves near the bidet can help encourage all those using the bidet to keep it clean.
Even if your bidet seat has a nozzle wash feature, it's still a good idea to manually clean it once a month.
Bidets can arguably be considered more sanitary than traditional bottom-cleaning methods. Quite simply, a bidet can provide a better hygiene experience compared to toilet paper. It starts with the basic fact that water can top a few squares of dry TP in removing trace amounts of fecal matter after you poop.
However, excessive bidet use potentially causes anal pruritus and anal incontinence (AI). Physicians are advised to instruct patients with anal pruritus to avoid excessive cleaning of the anus and those with AI to discontinue bidet use.
So are bidets clean? Of course! In fact, some studies have reported that using a bidet is cleaner than using toilet paper alone. One study at a nursing home in Maryland found that, after using bidets, many residents felt cleaner and had better hygiene than the control group.
You can however use the bidets built in warm air dryer to fully dry you, eliminating the need to use toilet paper to dab dry. You might need to be a little patient with the air dryer as achieving a fully dry bottom can take around 3 minutes.
Always-Clean Water for Your Bidet
The water that is used in a bidet wash does not come from your toilet bowl. It comes directly from your water supply and is sanitary – just like your drinking water. There is no need to worry whether the water that is washing your backside is safe.
To be legally installed in Australia, certain plumbing and drainage products, including bidet products, must be certified through the WaterMark Certification Scheme, which is administered by the Australian Building Codes Board (ABCB).
If the bidet has high water pressure, it is more likely to clean you without the need for wiping completely. However, if it doesn't fully clean you, ensure that the pressure setting is high enough. Also, you should keenly check your device's spray mode that you are using and the position of its spray wand.
A common one is that the use of bidet will result in a mess and will leave you wet. That is not completely true as you can easily dry up after using it. The modern bidet seats even have drying options. If you press the 'Dry' button, provided there is one, the air dryer will dry the area.
Yes, bidets are sanitary. In fact, using a bidet is more sanitary than using a traditional toilet and toilet paper. Bidets use water to cleanse and wash away any leftover urine or fecal matter – no wiping required.
Once you find a setting that's comfortable for you, let the bidet spray somewhere between 30 seconds and a minute to get the job done. The control panels on an electric bidet might look more robust than your TV remote. Don't be afraid to experiment, but make sure you don't scald your butt with hot water.
Position Yourself at the Bidet
Position yourself to use the bidet by straddling the bowl. It's acceptable to sit on the rim of the bowl, but many users will squat or “hover” over the bidet.
Sitting on the toilet, lower the bidet sprayer into the toilet bowl in front of you between your legs, or down behind your back. Spraying from the front or back is a personal choice; you can decide which is more comfortable.
They make all the sense in the world - the bidet shooting a stream of water at our private bits to wash them after we relieve ourselves. But, like in the US and UK, bidets aren't commonly used here in Australia. We've never developed a culture of using them, instead opting for multi-ply toilet paper instead.
There are few reasons why most Australians do not use a bidet in their bathroom. The first reason is their geographic location. Australia does not get a lot of rainy days so water preservation is a must for everyone and so using a bidet could be seen as wasteful in times of drought.
In Europe, the country that uses the bidet the most is Italy. There is even a law in Italy that says that every home has to have a bidet in it. There are a few other countries where they have become popular. For example, Portugal, Argentina, and Japan also commonly use bidets.
Well, bathrooms in the US aren't really built for bidets. There's no space or additional plumbing setup for bidet fixtures. But the biggest reason it hasn't caught on comes down to habit. Most Americans grew up using toilet paper.
Another study reported that bidet use increased anal resting pressure. As the above shows, providing water flow to the anal region via bidet can be effective in reducing the severity of constipation.
Probably not. Most public restrooms seldom get more than a swipe or two at the toilet seat or a quick antibacterial spray by the janitorial crew. Portable bidets (under or part of the seat) probably would not get sufficiently cleaned, and most people wouldn't want to use them.
Wiping after using a bidet is simple. Gently wipe or blot the wet areas to soak up the excess water. Remember that the area is already clean; one gentle wipe or dab should do the trick. We recommend using toilet paper, as most people already have it in their bathrooms, or a towel.