# 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:** 5
**Author:** ![hogarth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hogarth/32/1773_2.png) [@hogarth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hogarth)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2020, 1:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-bidets-really-better-than-toilet-paper/852658/81 "2020-06-25T13:32:00Z")
> [@Saint\_Cad](#): > > As I heard once, I forget from whom, if you step in dog crap you use a hose not TP. Why would your butt be any different? Wait – if you stepped in dog crap, your first instinct wouldn’t be to scrape some of it off? Life is a rich tapestry. ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2020, 12:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-bidets-really-better-than-toilet-paper/852658/82 "2020-06-26T00:32:15Z")
> [@Saint\_Cad](#): > > As I heard once, I forget from whom, if you step in dog crap you use a hose not TP. Why would your butt be any different? Uh…I’ve actually tried using a hose to get dog crap off a shoe. It does not work, so you end up using a stick to get it all out of the groves in the sole. Probably also not an approach you want to take… ---
**Author:** ![eschereal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eschereal/32/18939_2.png) [@eschereal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschereal)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2020, 1:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-bidets-really-better-than-toilet-paper/852658/83 "2020-06-26T01:30:08Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > I tried to blow my nose with a bidet once. Didn’t work out all that well. Obviously you need the netipot attachment. ---
**Author:** ![Hermitian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hermitian/32/470_2.png) [@Hermitian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hermitian)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2021, 4:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-bidets-really-better-than-toilet-paper/852658/84 "2021-06-01T16:12:56Z")
Resurrecting this thread because it was one of the ones that convinced me to give it a go and try a bidet. I have been using it off and on for a few months. TLDR version: Can be very useful on occasion, but I don’t get the intense love for them. Longer version: Installed it and tried it out. Thoughts: 1. Yikes the water pressure! So I had to go out and buy another valve to reduce the water pressure. Even then I have to turn it very low. Just enough so that the bidet will actually squirt. 2. Yikes the temperature! That water is COLD! I don’t have an outlet so there is no heating the water. I know from using the sink there that the hot water takes forever to get there, so hot water is out. 3. I don’t really notice that much of a difference (bum-wise or TP-wise). The rest of this could be TMI, so spoiler blur: I guess I tend to have pretty dry stools because I usually don’t use a lot of TP. A few wipes and things are pretty clean. I frequently use as much TP just getting myself dry from the bidet. My bottom feels about the same afterward, just colder. 4. However, I will admit that every once in a while things are more…messy. Having a bidet is great for that. 5: They are not that expensive, that is nice. Overall: 6.5/10 Stars ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2021, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-bidets-really-better-than-toilet-paper/852658/85 "2021-06-01T18:26:47Z")
I’ve had mine for several months now and I am so happy I made the switch. It was expensive because I had to have an outlet installed. I don’t think that I would have been nearly as happy without the hot water. ---
**Author:** ![Aspenglow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aspenglow/32/76_2.png) [@Aspenglow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aspenglow)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2021, 9:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-bidets-really-better-than-toilet-paper/852658/86 "2021-06-01T21:05:46Z")
You and me both. Like you, I had to have an outlet installed, but that was no big deal compared to the cost of the bidet seat. I replaced the toilet at the same time, so the whole shebang was costly. I admit it: I spent a lot on a Rolls Royce bidet seat. Ok, a Lexus. Not quite the Rolls Royce. I genuinely didn’t want a toilet seat that lights up like the Second Coming and raises automatically when someone, including my dog, came within 3 feet of it. The Lexus doesn’t do these things. Warm water on demand, for as long as I want it, from the first squirt to the last. Heated seat with multiple settings. Different settings for water pressure and wand “reach.” Two “preferred person” custom settings. Self-cleaning to a point. Odor control that really works. You can actually delude yourself that your crap don’t stink! I’ve had mine for a year and a half and I’ll never go back. When this one gives out, I will unhesitatingly order a new one – rush to purchaser, please! ---
**Author:** ![Do\_Not\_Taunt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/do_not_taunt/32/2968_2.png) [@Do\_Not\_Taunt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Do_Not_Taunt)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2021, 9:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-bidets-really-better-than-toilet-paper/852658/87 "2021-06-01T21:30:42Z")
> [@hajario](#): > > I don’t think that I would have been nearly as happy without the hot water. Does it prepare and keep a little reservoir of warm water, or is it all on-demand? ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2021, 9:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-bidets-really-better-than-toilet-paper/852658/88 "2021-06-01T21:34:14Z")
It keeps a small reservoir of hot water. There is an energy saver setting so that you can turn that off. It senses when you sit on it and typically the water will heat up enough in the time that it takes to do your business. ---
**Author:** ![Kropotkin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kropotkin/32/18045_2.png) [@Kropotkin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kropotkin)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2021, 12:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-bidets-really-better-than-toilet-paper/852658/89 "2021-06-02T00:23:13Z")
I turned mine up to high once. Once. ---
**Author:** ![jtur88](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e9c0ed/32.png) [@jtur88](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jtur88)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2021, 6:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-bidets-really-better-than-toilet-paper/852658/90 "2021-06-02T06:48:46Z")
Afterwards, I skootch over to sit on the edge of the tub, and hand wash from the running bath tap, using soap as necessary, and drying. Please explain the downside if that, which can be overcome by pushing some of the poo around a little bit with a manufactured industrial paper product and then flushing that into an ecologically destructive disposal facility. ---
**Author:** ![psychobunny](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/54ee81/32.png) [@psychobunny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/psychobunny)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2021, 7:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-bidets-really-better-than-toilet-paper/852658/91 "2021-06-02T07:34:11Z")
Ok, since this has been resurrected, I guess I will ask my question. I definitely see the advantage of a bidet built into your existing toilet or added on. Just finish doing your business and spray to clean. What I don’t get is the separate bidets that you see either next to or across from the toilet. How do you use them? Do you waddle over with your pants around your ankles and reposition yourself? Do you have to basically undress from the waist down then transfer over half naked? It such seems such a hassle. ---
**Author:** ![Melbourne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b5e925/32.png) [@Melbourne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Melbourne)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2021, 8:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-bidets-really-better-than-toilet-paper/852658/92 "2021-06-02T08:32:13Z")
> [@psychobunny](#): > > Do you waddle over with your pants around your ankles and reposition yourself? When I visited both France and Malaysia, I found public squat toilets. I’m guessing that back in the day the French, like my Malaysian relatives, learned to step out of their pants before using the toilet. See other threads on the danger of using a squat toilet with your pants around your ankles… ---
**Author:** ![ShadowFacts](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shadowfacts/32/2934_2.png) [@ShadowFacts](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ShadowFacts)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2021, 1:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-bidets-really-better-than-toilet-paper/852658/93 "2021-06-02T13:24:42Z")
> [@Aspenglow](#): > > I’ve had mine for a year and a half and I’ll never go back. When this one gives out, I will unhesitatingly order a new one – rush to purchaser, please! My experience is nearly identical to Aspenglow’s. The only question is: why did I wait so long to get one? ---
**Author:** ![Pleonast](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pleonast/32/1183_2.png) [@Pleonast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pleonast)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2021, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-bidets-really-better-than-toilet-paper/852658/94 "2021-06-02T15:57:23Z")
> [@TroutMan](#): > > > [@hogarth](#): > > > > Experiment #2: > > > > > Rub some peanut butter into a shag carpet. Try removing the peanut butter in one area with a paper towel, and in the other area with a stream of water. Compare results. > > Unless your poop is strangely hydrophobic, I’m not sure that’s a valid comparison. You’re probably joking, but my poop is strangely hydrophobic. I have in-laws in Korea and have tried bidets there. And when we remodeled our master bathroom, we had a power outlet installed next to the toilet. So we could easily add a bidet. The padded, heated seat is nice. But apparently my poop is extra sticky, because water without soap just isn’t effective at cleaning. As in, after using the bidet, when drying with some toilet paper, it does not come away clean. Maybe this is only a problem for me, but it is a problem for me. ---
**Author:** ![Roderick\_Femm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/roderick_femm/32/14875_2.png) [@Roderick\_Femm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Roderick_Femm)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2021, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-bidets-really-better-than-toilet-paper/852658/95 "2021-06-02T16:53:58Z")
I assume you’re talking about water pressure? Because that leads me to speculate that available water pressure varies widely, or something. When I visited my SIL in Japan, she had hers set to 11, and I loved it. When we had ours installed, I was disappointed with the available water pressure here. I suspect US versions may have lower water pressure settings built in, or else there is an internal setting that the installer selected without asking, that provides lower pressure. Or it is in some way dependent on our house water pressure, which isn’t the highest. Our bidet has a water force setting on the remote, and I have it set on the highest level. It’s not enough sometimes. ---
**Author:** ![DigitalC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ebca7d/32.png) [@DigitalC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DigitalC)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2021, 5:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-bidets-really-better-than-toilet-paper/852658/96 "2021-06-02T17:03:08Z")
Grew up in a country that uses bidets, it’s been 30 years and i still cannot imagine how people can think they are clean with just dry paper. Even wet wipes are not close to enough. You are not anywhere close to clean. ---
**Author:** ![hogarth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hogarth/32/1773_2.png) [@hogarth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hogarth)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2021, 5:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-bidets-really-better-than-toilet-paper/852658/97 "2021-06-02T17:03:31Z")
> [@Pleonast](#): > > Maybe this is only a problem for me, but it is a problem for me. The “peanut butter in a shag carpet” line is a joke from the TV show **The League**. But I have the same conundrum. Either my poo is not sticky, in which case why would I need a bidet? (Certainly “apply Hershey’s chocolate syrup evenly on your face” is not a good description of my typical situation after using the john.) Or (on rare occasions) my poo is sticky, in which case a stream of water doesn’t do much. ---
**Author:** ![Mama\_Zappa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/71e660/32.png) [@Mama\_Zappa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mama_Zappa)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2021, 10:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-bidets-really-better-than-toilet-paper/852658/98 "2021-06-02T22:06:21Z")
> [@psychobunny](#): > > Ok, since this has been resurrected, I guess I will ask my question. I definitely see the advantage of a bidet built into your existing toilet or added on. Just finish doing your business and spray to clean. What I don’t get is the separate bidets that you see either next to or across from the toilet. I have always wondered about that myself. Seems like that’s the worst of both worlds - two fixtures to clean, and extra opportunity for messes. A bidet attachment, or a combo bidet / toilet, is the only thing that makes sense to me. Hell, a regular toilet with a bidet attachment is really the only option - hella lot cheaper to replace if the bidet part malfunctions, than a multi-thousand-dollar Toto or whatever. Having had our first one for nearly a year now, we’ve become a 3-bidet house. My husband bought a second mid-level one for the master bath (unheated) then a couple months later I found a slightly fancier one on sale at Amazon - so the one from the master bath got moved to the kid’s bathroom. If you have any kind of digestive issues, you NEED one of these. I do have daily issues, and it really helps. I’ve travelled a few weekends recently and miss it each time. Unlike what some have reported, it does NOT replace toilet paper. At the very least, a couple of squares to pat things dry; often a little final cleaning is required as well. But it makes a huge difference in the TP usage. My husband is convinced it reduces our water usage as well - not sure about that, but it does make multiple flushes much rarer. ---
**Author:** ![Kron](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kron/32/12444_2.png) [@Kron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kron)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2021, 10:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-bidets-really-better-than-toilet-paper/852658/99 "2021-06-02T22:29:40Z")
Alright; any recommendations (brands, styles, etc.)? ---
**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:** [June 2, 2021, 10:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-bidets-really-better-than-toilet-paper/852658/100 "2021-06-02T22:37:58Z")
The Toto Washlet seems to be the most popular from some of the other threads. There are a few models with a range of options, so see what’s important to you. I have the C200. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-bidets-really-better-than-toilet-paper/852658.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-bidets-really-better-than-toilet-paper/852658.md?page=6)