If you’re looking to upgrade your bathroom, a bidet is a great choice! Read on to learn more about the much-loved toilet attachment and how to find a good one online right now.
Here are some facts about bidets:
- Bidets are a common fixture in European bathrooms, and they’re gaining popularity in the United States, especially for those with limited mobility.
- Americans use more than 34 million rolls of toilet paper a day, so buying a bidet can lower your spending on toilet paper.
- Using a bidet is less harsh on your body vs. using toilet paper and can result in fewer rashes, hemorrhoids or UTIs.
- Some bidets need to be plugged into an electrical outlet, so ensure you have one near your toilet.
- Additional bidet features, such as heated toilet seats and light-up toilet bowls, can transform bidets into luxury items.
What Is a Bidet and How do Bidets Work?
A traditional bidet is a toilet-like bowl with running water used for cleaning your body after going to the bathroom. A targeted stream of water will hit any messy spots, leaving you squeaky-clean. Bidets are a common fixture in European countries, but the bidet and bidet attachments for toilets are gaining global popularity.
Traditional bidets are a separate fixture from your normal toilet, and again, their sole purpose is for washing your body. With traditional bidets, there is a spigot at the back of the bowl that creates a gentle stream of water that you can then squat over to clean yourself. Some of them also have a feature in which you can fill the bowl with water and use your hands to scoop the water and wash.
There are also add-on bidets that you can attach to your existing toilet. These are easier to install because they don’t have their own fixture, and their water source is the same as the toilet. To use a bidet attachment, you sit on the toilet like normal and press a button to start a gentle stream of water. You let the water rinse things off, using your hand to help if desired. With both styles of bidet, it’s up to you if you want to use toilet paper as part of the process—either prior to washing or after to dry yourself off.
What Are the Differences Between a Bidet Seat, Bidet Attachment and a Bidet Hose?
Bidet seats replace your toilet seat and include the bidet device. They’re typically more expensive than attachments or hoses because the installation is more-extensive. They also can be more complicated because they tend to come with remotes—yes, bidet remotes are a thing, and they can power a lot of functionality. More on that below.
Bidet hoses attach to your existing water supply, and require you to manually hold the spray under yourself. Some bidet hoses hook onto your toilet, and you will use a lever to turn the handheld hose on.
Bidet attachments stick to their name by attaching to your toilet seat (underneath). They are easy to install, tend to be more affordable and are fairly simple in functionality.
Best Bidets You Can Order Online Right Now
Toto Washlet C5 Electronic Bidet
This Toto bidet offers a refreshing clean with adjustable warm water and pressure settings, including a dual-action spray with an oscillating option. It features a SoftClose heated seat, air deodorizer, adjustable warm air dryer, and innovative self-cleaning functions for added hygiene and comfort. With personalized settings controlled by a convenient remote and a reputation for quality and reliability, it provides a luxurious and customizable bathroom experience. You should buy it for its enhanced cleanliness, comfort, and the convenience of customizable settings, backed by trusted performance and easy installation.
Price: $405.39 at Amazon
Brondell Swash Electric Heated Bidet Toilet Seat
The SE400 Electric Bidet offers advanced hygiene with one-touch auto mode and customizable wash settings, seamlessly blending with any bathroom décor. Its intuitive side-arm panel allows for adjustable water pressure, temperature, and various spray options, while a heated seat enhances comfort. Features like an LED light, quiet close lid, self-cleaning cycle, and eco mode make it a convenient, hygienic, and sustainable alternative to traditional toilet paper, and it is easy to install on elongated toilets.
Price: $279 at Amazon
Toto C200 Electronic Bidet Toilet
For an excellent toilet-seat-bidet combo, the well-reviewed Toto Washlet C200 (on sale 40% off for $566) provides a ton of cool features. You get front and rear warm-water washing with five adjustable temperature and pressure controls; there’s an oscillating or pulsing stream option. You’ll also get a heated seat and a wireless remote. Bonus: The Toto comes with an air deodorizer to remove odors while you’re sitting on the seat and performs a “premist” of bowl before each use to prevent waste from sticking.
Price: $400 at Amazon
Bio Bidet Ultimate BB-600 Toilet Seat
For a fully integrated toilet and bidet experience, the Bio Bidet BB-600 (on sale for $363.27 from $448) is the perfect choice. This bidet has 4.9 stars on Amazon for many reasons. With front and rear warm-water cleansing, anti-bacterial material and a massage feature with a wide clean function, the BB-600 offers unparalleled cleaning. You can adjust the water temperature, water pressure and the position of the gentle aerated stream. The BB-600 has a heated seat, and cleansing is followed by a hands-free air dry, which is adjustable to three settings. It’s also kid-friendly (has kid’s wash feature), eco-friendly (has an Energy Save Mode feature) and relatively affordable.
Price: $238.80 at Amazon
Brondell S1000-RW Swash Electric Bidet Toilet Seat
The Brondell S1000-EW Swash 1000 Advanced Bidet Elongated Toilet Seat (on sale for $449.99 from $544.99) is from the American-based, Mark Cuban-backed company Brondell. Their products have received the Good Housekeeping VIP Award, KBIS Best of Kitchen Silver Award and were named to Wired Tools Top 100 Cool Gadgets. One of our editors has this bidet and is super happy with it. It’s easy to install and boasts luxury features—from endless warm water washes to a warm air dryer. The Swash 1000 also has features like nozzle sterilization with nanotechnology and a unique spray width adjustability.
Price: $349.99 at Amazon
LUXE NEO 120 Self-Cleaning Nozzle Rear Wash
If you’re not looking for a ton of bells and whistles, the Luxe Bidet Neo 120 ($39.99) has 4.6 stars on Amazon and is simplicity at its finest. The valve-based, non-electronic bidet attachment is sleek, simple and doesn’t take up noticeable space on your pre-existing toilet.
Price: $38.99 at Amazon
Why are Bidets One of the Best Types of Toilets?
There are several benefits to using a toilet with a bidet feature attached. For one, bidets dramatically reduce the need for toilet paper and thus are more eco-friendly. Your areas gets rinsed off with water, minimizing the need to wipe. Also important to note, the water consumption needed to create toilet paper is exponentially more than what a normal person would use with a bidet.
Bidets are also gentler on your body because there isn’t the friction that comes with wiping. Plus, many bidet fans find they leave you much cleaner, particularly if you choose to use a mild soap when washing.
Use of bidets is also more-inclusive when it comes to the elderly or disabled, as some people are unable to reach to wipe.
What Features Should I look for in the Best Bidets?
When it comes to add-on bidets, in particular, you can buy either a valve-based system that simply creates a stream of water, or you can buy an electronic bidet attachment that uses waterproof electrical switches. The electronic bidet attachment has a range of possible features, including a heating element that can blow warm air at the region after washing.
Some electronic bidet attachments also allow you to heat the toilet seat, have built-in night lights and deodorizing features. You can buy them with remote-control features, too, which is helpful if it has water pressure and directional controls for the spray.
Are Bidets Harder or More Difficult to Use vs. Normal Toilets?
There is a bit of a learning curve, but you’ll get used to it! Using your new bidet might feel awkward at first, particularly if you purchase a traditional standalone bidet. When it comes to these, you actually face the water source to wash. You can face away from it, but it’s easier to position yourself and control the water when facing it. With a traditional bidet, you straddle it and kind of squat down toward the water source. Use your hands to wash things away, and if you choose, you can use mild soap to help clean the region.
Then, either use toilet paper or a designated bidet towel to dry things off afterward. If you have a bidet attachment or a bidet-toilet combo, it might have a heat feature that will blow warm air at your undercarriage to help it dry.
Do I Need to Plug my Bidet Into an Outlet?
One of the hurdles with bidets might be having a convenient electrical outlet near your toilet. But yes, some bidet toilet seats (those with extra features and remote controls) need to be plugged into an electrical outlet. The power cords on most of these bidet seats are about 4 feet long, and many people find their outlet is much farther away than that.
The easiest solution is an extension cord. Get a three-prong extension cord that can handle at least 1500W. We know, we know. Extension cords aren’t the prettiest, but you can put the excess cord behind the toilet tank. Or you can route it through a vanity cabinet, along the baseboards or underneath your sink.
Do Bidets Require More Maintenance Compared to Normal Toilets?
If you buy a traditional bidet, obviously you have another item in your bathroom that needs to be washed, sanitized and maintained. Because of how wide the bowl is in conventional bidets, it’s important to clean them regularly.
Add-on bidets are gaining in popularity because they have the stream of water feature without the basin. This makes them more accessible, affordable and easier to use because you sit down just as you would with a normal toilet. Just as it’s important to clean your toilet frequently, you should also clean your add-on bidet.
The nozzle should be cleaned regularly, and a lot of electronic ones these days actually have a nozzle extension button, so you can access the entire nozzle for cleaning. You should do this at least once a month. If you feel as if you need to use more than just water and a soft cloth to clean, simply use a mixture of one part vinegar and three parts water to clean the bidet gently. However, never use any harsh chemicals because it can damage the plastic.
Because the add-on bidet is attached by a connector to your water supply, you should keep an eye on the water line in case it springs a leak.
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