Bidet - Modern and European Italian

While traveling through Europe and the Middle East, a Northern American wandering into a bathroom may find oneself puzzled to see a toilet-like object without a seat or a tank. These are usually sitting next to a toilet and makes one wonder, “what is this?”.

Some westerners may think that this is a basin where you fall on your knees and wash your face. Some may even confuse this with a urinal or a drinking fountain for dogs. Others, such as Paul Hogan in “Crocodile Dundee”, may wonder why some dummy would put a 2^nd toilet in a bathroom by mistake and come to realize that this is something to wash your backside, not a 2^nd toilet.

Most people in North American may not have seen a bidet or may not figure out what it is used for, but it’s popularity is spreading from Europe and to the rest of the world.

“Bidet” is originally a French word (now acceptable in English) since it derived in France in the late 17^th century. It was not known who exactly was the inventor, but it was either Gaspart Bargardoux or Gregorius Adriano Bide.

The bidet is a ceramic fixture that is used to wash the buttocks, genitalia, anus, or even the feet. These basins were originally placed in the bedroom but eventually moved to the bathroom.

There are generally two types of bidets. One is horizontal spray and the other is vertical spray. A horizontal spray bidet just has a regular sink faucet head on a top to spray water into the basin.

This comes with a pop-up drain and allows the basin to be filled with water to do the washing, just like a bathtub. The vertical spray bidet has a faucet nozzle in the basin of the bidet for the water to spray upwards to do the washing. The pressure could be adjusted according to accommodate a more thorough cleansing.

Bidets have made advancements in the years. In the 1980s, Japan developed a combination toilet-bidet that is electronically powered. Advancements through the years include seat warmers, hot air for drying, and adjustable hot water nozzle spray.

Space is something rare in a very populated country like Japan so combining a toilet with bidet was the key innovation. This seems to be a best choice for many homes where the bathroom space is not expandable or economically reasonable to even expand. These bidets have made way to North America.

Instead of buying an electronic Japanese bidet with all the bells and whistles, one can opt out and buy a more economical bidet attachment. Most of these run for about $20 and up and are only a plastic board that attaches under the toilet seat.

It is positioned by the screws of the seat and comes with a hose and adapter that taps into the water line going into the toilet. It is very basic and gets the job done with little time and money invested. One can expect the installation to take only 15 minutes.