To bidet or not to bidet?

[marylander1940]

All throughout my life, I've heard about "dirty" uncut Europeans and "smelly" French. My mother made jokes about how women in other countries didn't shave legs or armpits and how shocked they were of seeing the statue of Liberty with smooth armpits. LOL

 

We spend a lot of money in pursuit of a germ-free clean home, fortunes have been made manufacturing products like Mr. Clean and windex, and so many others to keep us clean and fresh like antiperspirants, deodorants, V, etc.

 

That's why I'm surprised that bidets (separate basins or integrated into a regular toilet to save space), are so uncommon in America except in places like Miami where a lot of foreigners (Mexicans, South Americans and Russians) own wealthy homes a practice that has been extended to luxury condominiums in Manhattan.

 

What could be cleaner than actually washing your private parts after using the bathroom? Toilet paper isn't good enough and some smells might still persist.

[+ azdr0710]

from:

http://bidets.info-site.biz/history.htm

 

 

(boldface added)...

 

Bidets are used by many European and Asian countries and have not yet penetrated the American marketplace. In continental Europe, the usefulness of the bidet is fully understood and is considered to be as important in the bathroom as the toilet and the tub - no well equipped home is without one.

 

However, most Americans have never seen a bidet. Those who have, have generally observed them in upscale hotels, either in the U.S. or in Europe. Rare is the American home that actually has one.

 

To some, this seems a bit strange, considering the American preoccupation with cleanliness. But the majority of Americans start their day in the shower, rather than visit the bath tub once a week. Thus the use of the bidet for personal hygiene has not yet taken on an important role in America..

[+ Charlie]

But it is those "dirty" Europeans and "smelly" French who have those bidets!

 

Twenty years ago, we bought a modern townhouse in Philadelphia that had a bidet in the master bathroom. After a few months, we took it out and used the space for something else, because we couldn't get accustomed to using it. We stored it in the basement, in case the next owner wanted to re-install it; she did not.

[MontrealSucks]

wasnt the original purpose also because the sewer systems couldn't handle the paper used to wipe? (before the invention of our current toilet tissue)

[AdamSmith]

There has long been some crack to the effect that the English bathed only the top half while the French bathed only the bottom half.

[Steven_Draker]

That's why I'm surprised that bidets (separate basins or integrated into a regular toilet to save space), are so uncommon in America except in places like Miami where a lot of foreigners (Mexicans, South Americans and Russians) own wealthy homes a practice that has been extended to luxury condominiums in Manhattan.

 

From Wikipedia: Geographical occurrence

"Bidets are common bathroom fixtures in many southern European countries, especially Italy, where they are found in 97% of households, and Portugal, where bidets are in the majority of flats. Additionally, they are rather widespread, although not standard, in France and Spain, and are occasionally found in Albania, Croatia, Hungary, Slovenia, Czech Republic, Malta and Greece.

 

Bidets can be found in some countries in the Americas, especially in South America, and are a standard feature of homes in Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay. They are common in Arabic countries in the Middle East, such as Iraq, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the UAE, and in the Maghreb, especially Egypt and Morocco. Much of East Asia, particularly Japan, Bangladesh, Thailand, Vietnam, and South Korea use bidets as well.

 

However, in some Muslim countries and in South-East Asia, bidets are less likely to be separate fixtures, as they are in Europe, but often are a small hose with a nozzle, similar to a sink sprayer, called a health faucet. The sprayer-type bidets are sold to Muslims as "shataf," which permit the user to comply with Islamic laws about using the toilet and the cultural preference of using water instead of paper."

 

 

Modern homes and bathrooms in Europe are no longer built with bidets. They're becoming obsolete, but you can still find them in traditional homes and of course in Italian chain hotels and in Grand hotels throughout Europe.

 

On my recent trip to Japan I discovered their super high-tech toilets with heated seat, hydro-jet and drying system all-in-one. I'd rather go for the Japanese model.

 

http://janineschaub.files.wordpress.com/2012/03/japanesetoilet.jpg

[Guest]

Quite frankly the most hygienic thing to do is have a shower after doing the deed.

 

Not always practical. There are certainly places where there are sinks and toilets in the same individual rest room (where I work, airplane heads, some restaurants), so in those cases I just wash my hairy anus free of dingleberries with paper towels, soap, and water. In other places, I usually carry with me some Cottonelles or Wet Ones.

http://foodfamilyfinds.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/cottonelle-flushable-wipes-onetouch.jpg

 

Travel-sized:

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41288Ru7P5L._SY300_.jpg

 

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41Dpv03dVPL._SX300_.jpg

 

Of course, where there are bidets, I'll use them, but there aren't many in America, except in some 4 or 5 star hotels..

[Guest]

The hated dingleberry! I've wanted to get my hair follicles in the anal area lasered off, but I would need someone to anesthetize the area first, because the anus is the area of the body with the most pain sensors!

http://ih1.redbubble.net/image.12000614.9287/fig,heather_grey,mens,ffffff.2.jpg

 

http://www.can-amtalk.com/forums/uploads/post-1245-1205240970.jpg

 

http://sayitinpics.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/dingle-berry.jpeg

[Guest]

A better combination...

http://206forthetwenties.files.wordpress.com/2008/08/mooregoodedick.jpg

 

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_oN3Gp223aHA/TTSw2lfEtBI/AAAAAAAAAAc/y4_Vct5-61w/s1600/coke_head_football.jpg

 

Hated it...

http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m43bsysVkr1qgtcmdo1_500.jpg

 

[Guest]

 

http://www.quickmeme.com/img/83/83530e43ff1d5f1fedd43af05ed4a05fc60c561b6c957d8309edd203162e0327.jpg

 

[AdamSmith]

On t'other hand...

 

Wet wipes may cause rashes

By Frederik Joelving

NEW YORK | Mon Jun 21, 2010 5:22pm EDT

 

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Using wet wipes after going to the bathroom can be a less-than-soothing experience, according to a new report of four people who developed severe allergic reactions after using such products.

 

Doctors have long known that many of the preservatives used in wet wipes can cause rashes, especially on irritated skin. But the authors of the new report, from the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, singled out one chemical -- called methylchloroisothiazolinone or MCI -- as a cause of particular concern.

 

For instance, one of their four patients, a mailman aged 49, had a rash around his anus so painful that he couldn't walk for months. He had been treated by several doctors without success and had to take a two-month leave from his job. It wasn't until he stopped using Kimberly-Clark's Cottonelle moist wipes, some of which contain MCI, that the problem cleared up.

 

Another man, who had psoriasis, automatically assumed the rash between his buttocks was a result of his disease. He suffered for 20 years, and then improved drastically within six weeks of dropping the moist wipes he'd been using.

 

"Patients with (rashes around their anus) often continue to use the moist toilet paper with the belief that the cleansing will help heal the lesions," the researchers write in the Archives of Dermatology. "They may not make the correlation that the moist toilet paper is the culprit."

 

While the report only describes four isolated cases, the authors note that wet wipes are becoming increasingly popular among adults. "We voice our concern about MCI (and the related compound MI) being used as a preservative in cosmetics, industrial products, and moist toilet paper," they write.

 

It is unclear how many people are allergic to MCI, said Dr. Erin Warshaw, an allergy expert at the University of Minnesota, who was not involved in the new study. Among those referred to specialists for suspected allergies, she told Reuters Health by e-mail, about 3 percent react to MCI.

 

In her experience, she added, "wet wipes are a common cause of allergy. The allergens are almost always preservatives."

 

While agreeing that grownups should try to avoid these wipes, Dr. Peter Schalock of Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston said the odds of breaking out were relatively small.

 

"I'm a fan of baby wipes," he said, noting that he had a 19-month-old at home. Still, he said, "for the people it causes problems for it is a major issue."

 

He added that for many products, there was no way around using preservatives. But he checks the label carefully before choosing a specific brand. "We tend to use those with fewer preservatives," he said, noting that Seventh Generation unscented baby wipes were his favorites.

 

Kimberly-Clark was not able to comment on the report.

 

SOURCE: http://archderm.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/full/2010.114 Archives of Dermatology, online June 21, 2010.

[whipped guy]

...but if you train yourself to go regularly in the morning before your morning shower, then you are all fresh and perky all over.

 

It may be a bit low tech... But there is always the following alternative... If you can't train yourself that is...

 

http://www.mr-s-leather.com/images/items/ht203-003.jpg

[+ quoththeraven]

I'm curious about the dryers on these bidets. If they're anything like rest room hand dryers, I would not want them anywhere near my private parts.

 

Bidets are a great idea, but how do you dry off? Toilet paper may not be ideal (I use the softest two-ply I can find), but wet wipes are even worse. I had a dermatologist recommend using paper towels when I needed extra wiping and drying power. She's right; it was soft, more absorbent than toilet paper, and was able to reach where I needed it more easily.