# Are bidets really better than toilet paper? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [April 27, 2020, 8:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-bidets-really-better-than-toilet-paper/852658 "2020-04-27T08:34:45Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![araminty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b5e925/32.png) [@araminty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/araminty)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2020, 4:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-bidets-really-better-than-toilet-paper/852658/41 "2020-04-30T04:00:24Z")
> [@elfkin477](#): > > I don’t want one. Due to their mechanics, they feel like a potential avenue to get infections (if female), and [this paper](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21058441) suggests that it is actually the case. This. A bidet is a great example of the phenomenon of something designed for men, that women can sort of use but it will probably not work as well and will likely give you a UTI. ---
**Author:** ![Nars\_Glinley](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nars_glinley/32/8177_2.png) [@Nars\_Glinley](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nars_Glinley)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2020, 4:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-bidets-really-better-than-toilet-paper/852658/42 "2020-04-30T04:26:04Z")
> [@araminty](#): > > This. A bidet is a great example of the phenomenon of something designed for men, that women can sort of use but it will probably not work as well and will likely give you a UTI. They’re not all created equally. Mine has two nozzles, one for the front and one for the rear. ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2020, 11:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-bidets-really-better-than-toilet-paper/852658/43 "2020-04-30T11:15:22Z")
> [@Lucas\_Jackson](#): > > Most every medium to large city has a kitchen and bath store. Stores that retail decorative plumbing supplies. They almost always have one in their restrooms for people to try (then buy!). Just google “(your town) kitchen and bath”. Thanks for the tip! I’ll give that a try, once it’s OK to be going places semi-normally. (I’m not sure if they’re ‘essential businesses’ but even if they are, I’m minimizing my excursions these days. :)) > [@Aspenglow](#): > > [Here’s](https://blog.bidetsplus.com/blog/nyc-hotel-offers-bidet-seats-in-every-room/) a blog post from BidetsPlus from 2013 that lists hotels across the country that have them installed, including New York, Las Vegas and Los Angeles. I’ll be you can find somewhere to try one. 🙂 Are you sure that’s the right link? There’s no such list there that I can see. At any rate, visiting a kitchen and bath store is likely to be a much cheaper way to try one out than renting a big-city hotel room for a night. ---
**Author:** ![Cartooniverse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cartooniverse/32/3084_2.png) [@Cartooniverse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cartooniverse)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2020, 5:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-bidets-really-better-than-toilet-paper/852658/44 "2020-04-30T17:28:47Z")
> [@RTFirefly](#): > > At any rate, visiting a kitchen and bath store is likely to be a much cheaper way to try one out than renting a big-city hotel room for a night. The money you’ll save will be eaten up by bail outlay. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Raza](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/raza/32/213_2.png) [@Raza](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Raza)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2020, 7:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-bidets-really-better-than-toilet-paper/852658/45 "2020-04-30T19:17:03Z")
About 6 years ago we bought two **Luxe Bidet Neo 180** and have been using them ever since. They are “basic” models, in the sense that there is no heated\* water or air dryer (so no extra water connection or electricity needed), but they’ve worked fine for us. At the time we bought they were perhaps $45ish, but now $73. Still, not terribly expensive if you’re hovering on whether to get one or not and want to take a dip without spending a crap-ton of money. - even on cold winter mornings, I don’t find the “from the tap” temperature off-putting. I suspect the anus just isn’t that temperature-sensitive. ---
**Author:** ![commasense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/commasense/32/3017_2.png) [@commasense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/commasense)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2020, 3:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-bidets-really-better-than-toilet-paper/852658/46 "2020-05-05T15:17:11Z")
As I posted [here](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=22259579&postcount=17), I installed a simple, [non-electric bidet toilet seat](https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0815BNKLV/) a few weeks ago. I’m quite happy with it, and recommend them. I had never used one before, but it didn’t cost and arm and a leg, so I was willing to take a chance on trying it out butt unsprayed. (I paid $160, although, annoyingly, comparable ones had been selling for around $100 before the COVID outbreak). It was easy to install, and although I made a stupid mistake in the process, the telephone support I got from the manufacturer, Brondell, was outstanding. I highly recommend them. Unfortunately, our master bath does not have an electrical outlet anywhere near the toilet, so a more advanced model with heat and other bells and whistles wasn’t an option. Otherwise, now that I’ve used it for a while, I’d tempted to buy a fancy one and move this one to one of our other bathrooms. (I may still look into what it would take to get an outlet installed near the toilet.) As I mention in the other thread, I am a bit concerned about how unheated water will feel when the weather turns cold, but winters here in Georgia are relatively mild. (And **Raza** ’s post above is reassuring.) And if it’s intolerable, I guess I can just go back to using TP for a few weeks or months. With any luck, the current shortages will have ended by then. I can now report that the bidet has reduced our household toilet paper consumption from about 0.5 rolls per day to 0.36 RPD, a 28% drop. That’s just my (65-year-old male) usage. I find that to dry myself after using it, I use one wad of TP about half the size I would normally use two of without the bidet. Also, (TMI): I have occasional slight rectal leakage, and the bidet is convenient for cleaning that up.My wife doesn’t use the bidet after urinating, because the amount of TP needed is the same either way. And she doesn’t use it after defecating because NOYDB\*. In short, my experience with this basic bidet toilet seat is highly positive, and I recommend them. I’d probably be even [more enthusiastic](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=21724704&postcount=1) if I could have installed one of the fancy ones. - None of your damn business. ---
**Author:** ![Fiveyearlurker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/da6949/32.png) [@Fiveyearlurker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fiveyearlurker)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2020, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-bidets-really-better-than-toilet-paper/852658/47 "2020-05-05T18:33:41Z")
I’ve purchased things before and regretted them. I don’t regret buying my bidet. I will never go back. ---
**Author:** ![Nars\_Glinley](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nars_glinley/32/8177_2.png) [@Nars\_Glinley](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nars_Glinley)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2020, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-bidets-really-better-than-toilet-paper/852658/48 "2020-05-05T19:47:54Z")
> [@commasense](#): > > Unfortunately, our master bath does not have an electrical outlet anywhere near the toilet, so a more advanced model with heat and other bells and whistles wasn’t an option. Otherwise, now that I’ve used it for a while, I’d tempted to buy a fancy one and move this one to one of our other bathrooms. (I may still look into what it would take to get an outlet installed near the toilet.) By any chance is there an circuit on the other side of the wall that could be tapped into? ---
**Author:** ![commasense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/commasense/32/3017_2.png) [@commasense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/commasense)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2020, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-bidets-really-better-than-toilet-paper/852658/49 "2020-05-05T21:01:27Z")
> [@Nars\_Glinley](#): > > By any chance is there an circuit on the other side of the wall that could be tapped into? That’s exactly what I’ve been wondering about and was alluding to in the quoted sentence. Unfortunately, now that I think about it, on the other side is the guest bath and toilet, so that section of wall probably has no wiring in it. ☹ ---
**Author:** ![GaryM](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/garym/32/241_2.png) [@GaryM](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GaryM)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2020, 11:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-bidets-really-better-than-toilet-paper/852658/50 "2020-05-05T23:16:35Z")
If you have an unfinished basement, or crawl space, there shouldn’t be much of an issue. An electrician will locate the desired install spot and drill up through the wall’s plate to run the wire. Install an old work box and a GFCI receptacle. Then run the wire to the breaker box or tap an existing circuit. ---
**Author:** ![commasense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/commasense/32/3017_2.png) [@commasense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/commasense)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2020, 5:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-bidets-really-better-than-toilet-paper/852658/51 "2020-05-06T17:22:08Z")
The master bath is on the second floor, but it should be accessible from the attic, now that you mention it. Not quite as tricky as I first thought. But for now, it’s also not a top priority. Thanks for suggesting it. ---
**Author:** ![TroutMan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/troutman/32/6721_2.png) [@TroutMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TroutMan)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2020, 5:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-bidets-really-better-than-toilet-paper/852658/52 "2020-05-06T17:46:53Z")
> [@commasense](#): > > But for now, it’s also not a top priority. But is it a _bottom_ priority? ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2020, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-bidets-really-better-than-toilet-paper/852658/53 "2020-05-06T18:47:11Z")
Sorry if this is TMI, but I’m not even using TP any more. My fancy-schmancy bidet seat sprays a pretty vigorous stream of water at your nether parts (front, back, or both) for TWO MINUTES. After that amount of time, there’s not a speck of organic matter left, liquid or solid. Just water droplets like after you shower. So I use a dry washcloth as a towel and blot the droplets away. I use a new one every day. YMMV. ---
**Author:** ![YamatoTwinkie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/cc9497/32.png) [@YamatoTwinkie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/YamatoTwinkie)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2020, 8:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-bidets-really-better-than-toilet-paper/852658/54 "2020-05-06T20:08:17Z")
> [@snowthx](#): > > The OP is asking if a bidet is better than TP. It very well may be in some ways and not others, and there have been some statements about the TP-saving qualities of a bidet, which I find to be dubious (two squares to dry-off your bidet-ed tender bits?, c-mon!). Most of us here have survived into adulthood without getting our hands soiled each time we wipe and not seeing a huge upside here - TP being relatively easy and inexpensive compared to a bidet install and use. Unless you have experience with this thing, or one is already installed where you live, it’s unlikely you are going to run out and purchase/install one of them. Each to his own and all that, but please don’t pity and look down on us uncivilized paper wipers because we are asking questions about this curious and unfamiliar device. I bought and installed one right as COVID-19 was ramping up. Again, you may be under the impression that you _need_ a fancy $600 one with all the bells and whistles, but mine was $30 (I figured if I didn’t like it, no big loss). No heater or dryer functionalities, just cold water from a tee off of the line from the toilet shutoff valve. Yes, 2 squares of TP folded over is all you need, about 95% of the time. Note that a ~30 second wash does a considerably more _thorough_ job than TP alone. I was a little skeptical at first too- prior to installing it I had imagined there would be delicate trickle of water like a drinking fountain. I was disabused from this notion when immediately after hooking it up I just turned it to “low” to see what would happen, and promptly blasted my bathroom wall with a high pressure water jet. In the month since I installed it, I have not turned mine higher than “low”, nor do I plan on it. Maybe I just have high water pressure, or the $30 model I bought is missing some sort of necessary safety feature, but I can’t imagine what sort of madman would need to go past “low”. ---
**Author:** ![aruvqan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aruvqan/32/2891_2.png) [@aruvqan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aruvqan)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2020, 8:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-bidets-really-better-than-toilet-paper/852658/55 "2020-05-07T08:31:52Z")
> [@ThelmaLou](#): > > Sorry if this is TMI, but I’m not even using TP any more. My fancy-schmancy bidet seat sprays a pretty vigorous stream of water at your nether parts (front, back, or both) for TWO MINUTES. After that amount of time, there’s not a speck of organic matter left, liquid or solid. Just water droplets like after you shower. So I use a dry washcloth as a towel and blot the droplets away. I use a new one every day. YMMV. For a while in the 70s or so there was a fashion/fad \ to have rather nice [folded paper hand towels](https://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/store/product/creative-converting-2-ply-100-count-paper-guest-towels/3258644?categoryId=13443) in the guest bathroom [powder room, whatever the little room with a toilet and sink that visitors use if one has more than one bathroom] I know we still have a few sort of lurking in the back of the linen closet. While doing the chemo/radiation shuffle, instead of wasting money on baby butt wipes [that _sting_ on the raw patches] I was using simple paper towel wet with cool water to clean up if I didn’t need a sitz bath, and we have a set of 20 rather nice microfiber hand towels that I was using to gently pat dry after sitzing clean. Very soft and nicely washable. I have to admit, even though my butt is not suffering the pain of radiation and chemo, I still find sitz baths very comforting - warm and relaxing. They also seem to help relaxing back spasms as well. ---
**Author:** ![commasense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/commasense/32/3017_2.png) [@commasense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/commasense)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2020, 6:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-bidets-really-better-than-toilet-paper/852658/56 "2020-05-12T18:11:26Z")
> [@TroutMan](#): > > But is it a _bottom_ priority? I just want you to know that I’m still working on a snappy comeback to this post. I should have one any day now. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Nars\_Glinley](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nars_glinley/32/8177_2.png) [@Nars\_Glinley](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nars_Glinley)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2020, 7:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-bidets-really-better-than-toilet-paper/852658/57 "2020-05-12T19:25:14Z")
> [@commasense](#): > > I just want you to know that I’m still working on a snappy comeback to this post. I should have one any day now. 😃 Are you running a little behind? ---
**Author:** ![commasense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/commasense/32/3017_2.png) [@commasense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/commasense)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2020, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-bidets-really-better-than-toilet-paper/852658/58 "2020-05-12T20:48:46Z")
> [@Nars\_Glinley](#): > > Are you running a little behind? Damn you! ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Crap](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr.crap/32/3131_2.png) [@Dr.Crap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Crap)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2020, 9:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-bidets-really-better-than-toilet-paper/852658/59 "2020-05-14T09:44:29Z")
Before using a bidet, I didn’t know I was sexually attracted to toilets. ---
**Author:** ![Nars\_Glinley](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nars_glinley/32/8177_2.png) [@Nars\_Glinley](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nars_Glinley)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2020, 2:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-bidets-really-better-than-toilet-paper/852658/60 "2020-05-14T14:37:11Z")
> [@Dr.Crap](#): > > Before using a bidet, I didn’t know I was sexually attracted to toilets. Username checks out. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-bidets-really-better-than-toilet-paper/852658.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-bidets-really-better-than-toilet-paper/852658.md?page=4)