Do people with bidets not use toilet paper?
Old question, but it is worth answering as in the US you guys seem not to know much about the subject and have a lot of wrong preconceptions due to lack of information.I cannot speak for every country where bidets are used, but I can say that in my country, we use first toilet paper, just as much as you guys do, and then follow that with a thorough soapy wash and rinse, pretty much like you do when you take a bath… finally you get dry with a smaller towel used for the purpose, usually per person (we use colors at home to know)In fact we do that even if immediately after that we’ll take a bath.Bidets became the norm along with toilets like 140 years ago, so it is unthinkable for a home not to have one. They aren’t expensive as they are not rare.Public restrooms don’t have them, so the mantra “nothing like crapping at your own home” has a special meaning.The end result is a damn clean butt every time :DBTW in relation to other questions… no it isn’t like an enema, you are just washing the anus outer region, not putting a firehose in it… well unless that is what you want to do, don’t let me judge you ;)
Is it legal to install a bidet in a low-income apartment? I have reviewed my lease and do not see any explicit or general terms against toilet sanitation accessories. I also googled and did not find any information.
If you are renting and make any modifications to your apartment without getting the OK of your landlord, you could be out your security deposit, as well as damages. Generally, hanging pictures is OK, but even painting a non-standard color might not be, and/or you might be required to paint it back to the way it was when you leave.Your lease would not have a clause for toilet accessories. No lease has such a clause, because people just don’t install plumbing. If this is not clear: DON’T.Look, you’d have to call a plumber, and that plumber would then have to connect to piles and a water supply that you do not own. It’s even possible in an older building that the process of doing so would damage the building, and I don’t even want to begin to tell you how much of a headache plumbing problems can be.Without knowing where you live or seeing your lease, I can assume you that it’s not OK with your landlord if you install a bidet, and it wouldn’t be OK in a high rent apartment, either.
What are the benefits of using a bidet over toilet paper?
My, and most, bidets have a fan dry feature, but I don’t use it, instead use some paper to dry when done, and doesn’t take much. Look at it this way, what else that you want to clean would you use just dry paper to do it? And somehow it became the stand here to use some dry paper to clean, well you know. Doesn’t make an lot of sense. I have reduced my paper usage by probably 90%, and get a much better clean in the process. It also has a feminine cleaning function, most do. But to answer the question, benefits? Cleaner, much cleaner, use less water, and less irritation for the bum.
What are the bathrooms like at Google? Are there bidets, and do people actually use them?
I've worked at NYC and Mountain View, and I've visited Zürich and San Francisco. I only have experience with men's and unisex bathrooms.All have sinks, all have stalls, all have soap. The men's have urinals. Many have anti-bacterial alcohol solution (Purell). Some have mouthwash and other amenities like hair dryers or eau de toilette. The hair dryers are more common near gym locations or in locker rooms. "Hair dryers?" you may ask. Many people who work at Google take bicycles into work. Locker rooms and hair dryers are part of the infrastructure that makes this possible.Most have paper-saving Dyson hand dryers, but more and more places have those. I saw them at the mall a few weeks ago and at a local movie theater.I have used a toilet in NYC that had a bidet. You may have to look a little harder, since the NYC building consists of an enormous amount of existing space and many of the bathrooms began in common space shared by different tenants. They are likely more common in the renovated areas of NYC.People absolutely use the bidets. If you are a guest of someone who works at Google or if you are on-site interviewing, you may even have the chance to experience the bathroom for yourself. It's not really a highlight of the tours I give to friends and family, but if you have a particular interest, be sure to check one out!
Which Hotels in Central London have bidet in the bathrooms?
Not many do, I know that the suites in the Berkeley Hotel in Knightsbridge have them. 0207 235 6000, Give them a call.
Why don't some people understand the importance of the bidet for us Italians? And why do they say that it's disgusting?
I was horrified by one reply I read here. Let us be clear: a bidet is not an alternative to the daily shower. Not by a country mile.When I lived in Southern China as an expatriate, a contractor had built villas that my company would rent for each of us. They were rather nice, spacious and built with Americans in mind. So, the refrigerators were as large as my Milan apartment; the washing machines were of the American variety, those that will ruin your best shirts; and, in spite of the tropical weather, we all had a dryer. The bathrooms were nicely appointed, with wall to wall mirrors, large sunken bath tubs, separate shower-cabins and beige marble everywhere.One evening, I went to inspect the progress and entered one of the villas. As soon as I entered the master bathroom, I found a colleague and his wife, both Americans, from Colorado, who had had my same idea.I got in just in time to hear the lady hissing to the husband in a supremely embarrassed tone, “Oh, Mike! Mike! Have it removed: it is immoral!”She was talking about the bidet, obviously.The Chinese, aware that in the plethora of American there were also a few Italians, had opted to install the darned thing.As she saw me, the lady blushed and felt obliged to expand on her learned analysis as if she were seeking my support, oblivious to the fact that for any Italian of the XIX century the bidet was a feature of a house on par with the ceiling or the floor.With my best patronizing tone, I suggested that rather than having the bidet uprooted, she should considered covering it with a nice custom made wooden box upon which a lady of her refinement could rest a flower arrangement of a gilded candelabra.She missed the irony and readily agreed: “What a splendid idea, the candelabra, as chic a Liberace!”So let me clarify for those who in the XX century still think the bidet might be a work-instrument for whores.The use of the bidet does allow a person to maintain a high level of personal cleanliness after he or she has used the toilet, washing one’s behind with lukewarm water and soap, rather than having a perfunctory wipe with loo-paper.
Should more Americans have a bidet in their bathroom?
They should and inevtably they will do, because they are not dump.Because t. paper wiping in private bathrooms is already a lost case and people would be searching:1.For better cleaning.2.For dignity. No disgusting ritual, as is the wiping.3.For no fecal dust” spreading. It's Not Just Beards — the Whole World Is Covered in Poop4.For ecology.5.To reduce UTI and HA Infection.6.For economy.7.To help their hemorrhoids.8.To eliminate the anus itching.9.To respect other people’s health.10.To reduce toilet blogging.11.To improve public toilets environment.
Why doesn't everyone use bidets in home bathrooms? It's cleaner and cheaper.
Ah, my favorite topic…not really, but I do have some experience with them.If you’re talking about the porcelain ones, most Americans have never seen one, unless they travel to those parts of the world that have them. Some would look at them and think there’s something missing…where’s the tank, the seat?? If I was traveling and staying at a hotel with one, I’m not sure I would put my behind in one.In the US, there are bathroom codes for how far apart the bidet must be plumbed from the toilet. This can take up a lot of space, plus the extra cost of the bidet, the fixtures, the drain, the water line, and so on. As I said, unless you’re from a country that bidets or common, or you’ve tried one somewhere, most Americans aren’t going to have one.They’re cleaner in that they use water instead of toilet paper to clean your butt, but I never felt the need for using one, unless I have diarrhea…you asked, and I feel like water is more thorough. But, you still have to clean the porcelain.Now we’ll move on to toilet seat bidets. They run from $200 up, but very few are at that low price. They replace your plastic or wood toilet seat and require a water line and an electrical outlet.In the $350 range you can get a bidet seat with remote control, water temperature adjustment, adjustable spraying intensity and sometimes rhythm, if you want your front or rear end sprayed, heated seat which is nice in the winter, and some will have blow dryers with warm air. The seat usually has a sensor on one side so it knows whether you’re sitting on it, so when you stand up it stops.So, to answer your question, without an experience with one, most people wouldn’t know to buy one, and we’re so engrained in having toilet paper and decent sewer systems that it just doesn’t concern people.
Is there something better than toilet paper for the job? And portable... (Bidets are not portable.) Eco yet comfortable...
Bidet is a good but time consuming solution and there are special rules. Always use special soaps or foams, because water does not clean the skin, only washes the dirt to other areas. Water also dries the skin. Never direct the water from back to front, because it will spread dangerous bacterias near vaginalarea, if you are female of course. Negligent behaviour with bidet toilets may aggravate vaginal microflora, either by depriving normal microflora or facilitating opportunistic infection of fecal bacteria and other microorganisms, but when you do have time and right products it is the best way to clean yourself.And yes there are special toilet paper moisturizers like GEL WIPE by healthcare startup SATU laboratory. Cleans like a wipe, flushes like a tissue.
How do non-Western toilet users feel when using Western toilets for the first time?
The first experience I recall having with a western bathroom was in an airport in Amsterdam. I was told that I should not expect a bidet or "shatafa" installed in the toilet because most people use toilet paper only. So I often opted to avoid this situation entirely by holding it in and not using the bathroom. On that particular day that stipped being an option.Upon entering the airport bathroom, I was delighted to find a stall with a sign indicating that a bidet was infact present in the toilet, and so I went in. After finishing up I started looking for instructions on how to use the bidet since it wasn't a conventional bidet you'd find in any run of the mill Egyptian household. Unfortunately, even after following the instructions to the letter, the things mechanism refused to budge. I was left looking at the toilet paper with dread at what I was about to do. There were no other options, I had to wipe my ass with the damn toilet paper.It felt icky... really icky.Having lived in Egypt all my life the thought of interacting with fecal matter was left to the days were I was unfortunate enough to step on a "present" left on the street. Willingly putting my hands - even with a buffer - on traces of feaces on my butt was downright unthinkable.From that point on I figured out a quick way to make a portable bidet with a medium sized water bottle and a pen, and it has worked well during my travels.