With poop at one end and water at the other, people use bidets to clean themselves in a way that mimics how they naturally would if they were walking barefoot on a park or yard. The same can be said of using napkins on your desk to clean up some of the piles you’ve made.
In western Europe, South America, the Middle East and Asia, bidets are a cleaner and more environmentally friendly option to just using toilet paper. But there is one place where bidets have not been welcomed, which made us wonder: Why haven’t they caught on in the U.S.?
The word ‘bidet’ actually means “pony” or “small horse” in French, which reflects the similarity between using a bidet and straddling a pony. The first known bidet appeared in France in the 1700s. However, cleansing with water had been around long before that. While western bidets gained wide use in the 18th century, Asian law or hygiene practices are believed to have used lotus and turtle made water cleaning tools for centuries before.
Many people were using buckets to scoop water and wash themselves off before indoor plumbing became more common in the 19th century for the upper class. Common features of the French single throne toilet can be found in many Western European countries and other places, but not America.
Bidets were taking the world by storm in Japan, but America has been slow to catch on. Though bidets are a great alternative to common restroom toilet paper in terms of health, the bathroom American bathrooms are not really meant for bidet usage. One reason the bidet hasn’t caught on in the United States is because most Americans have grown up using toilet paper. Many might not even know that this option exists.
While not considered a widespread practice, using a bidet can be environmentally friendly as well as saving you time and water. Bidets use just one-eighth of a gallon of water to generate and can save you 37 gallons per roll of toilet paper. The average American spends about $40/year on toilet paper, which amounts to about 34 million rolls a day. For this, you could have invested in a bidet seat or other similar products that allows for toilet paper-less cleaning with much less waste going into the landfills. You will be saving some of the 389 trees needed to make one person’s lifetime supply of toilet paper.
More specifically, you might be wondering about wet wipes now that don’t do the same thing. Yes, they wipe off your skin really well but their constant use can make your skin feel irritated and give you rashes. And the result is that it can cause issues because of its potential to leave behind residue and harm the ocean. Not only that, wet wipes can cause damage to sewer systems by overflowing into nearby streams or rivers.
If you feel uncomfortable using toilet water for hygiene, then don’t worry. Tap water is just as suitable for cleaning your bum with. Due to the bidet’s easy access and the ease by which bacteria can spread, it can help keep your butt from getting a nasty rash and may prevent people from contracting a variety of illnesses.
Have you ever considered using a bidet? A bidet attachment from bidetattachmentstore.com is a good place to start.
