How Do Bidets Work?

What Is a Bidet?

A bidet is a bathroom fixture that uses a powerful stream of water to clean your private areas after using the toilet. A bidet is either attached to a toilet or stands alone. If you've never heard of a bidet, or you have no idea what one looks like, you're not alone. Bidets are most popular in Europe, where they are found in many households and hotels. They are also cropping up increasingly in East Asia and the Middle East. The United States is in the minority in having bidets as a bathroom fixture.

How to Use a Bidet

After you've finished using the toilet, you either remain seated on the toilet if it has a bidet attachment, or you go to the separate bidet fixture. You straddle the bidet---either forward or backward, but if you face the faucet controls you are more likely to get splashed. You then turn on the bidet by twisting the faucet slightly to the left or the right, depending on how the hot and cold faucets are marked. Once you turn on the faucet, a jet of water shoots up from the bottom of the bidet reservoir. This jet of water washes your backside, so make sure the temperature and water pressure will be comfortable before you start washing. When you're done washing, rinse out the bidet for several seconds with the jet stream.

What Bidets Accomplish

Bidets often do a better job of cleaning your private areas than simple toilet paper, although most bidet users use toilet paper, too. You can use soap, if you'd like, with the water, but it's often hygienic enough to simply rinse yourself. When using a bidet, you also don't have to use your hands along with the water stream. Most bidet users still wash their hands thoroughly after using a bidet.