Bidet

A bidet is a low-mounted plumbing fixture or type of sink intended for washing the external genitalia and the anus.

Bidet is pronounced US IPA [bɨˈdeɪ] SAMPA [b1:"deI], UK IPA [ˈbideɪ] SAMPA ["bi:deI]

Usage

Bidets are principally used to wash and clean the external genitalia and the anus, as well as the skin near these areas. They may also be used to clean any other part of the body; they are convenient for cleaning the feet for example. Most people who have never used a bidet think of it as a variation on the toilet, but it would be more accurate to compare it to the washbasin or bathtub. Anyone who has mobility problems and finds it difficult to get into a bathtub, or is afraid of slipping in the shower, may find a bidet an excellent solution for maintaining personal hygiene.

There are two common mistakes made when confronting a bidet for the first time. The first is sitting on the bidet so the controls are behind you. When using the bidet pictured above for example, you should face the tap (faucet) and the wall. The second is to confuse a bidet with a urinal or toilet. You should use the toilet before you use the bidet, think of it as a bathtub rather than a toilet.

Bidets are made in several different designs. They may have one tap (faucet) which pours (usually warm) water into a china basin. The basin can be plugged and filled if necessary, or the water can be allowed to drain away. Other bidets have a nozzle which propels an arc of water up into the air. This jet of water is angled to connect directly with the genital area.

A bidet may also be a nozzle attached to an existing toilet, or a part of the toilet itself. In this case, its use is restricted to cleaning the anus and genitals. Some bidets of this type have two nozzles, the shorter one, called the family nozzle, is used for washing the area around the anus, and the longer one (bidet nozzle) is designed for women to wash their vulvas. These bidets are often controlled electronically rather than with a traditional tap (faucet), and some have an element under the seat which heats up to dry you after washing.

Although using a bidet may include touching the genitalia and the anus with the hands after using the toilet, it can be more hygienic than toilet paper. In fact, most people with bidets use both, wiping with toilet paper before washing with the bidet.

Bidets are very useful for the elderly or anyone with mobility problems and for people with hemorrhoids.

Popularity

Bidets are common bathroom fixtures in some European countries (especially France, Italy and Greece), Latin America, the Middle East and some parts of Asia (particularly in Japan). They may be installed both in private homes and hotels. In Japan, bidets are so common that they are often present in public toilet facilities.

In Europe, the bidet is not normally used for cleaning the anus after defecation (which is done with toilet paper), but for optional supplementary washing, or for daily personal hygiene.

In 1999 the first "paperless toilet" was launched in Japan, a combination toilet and bidet which also dries you after washing. Some even have different buttons for washing the anus or the vulva. Combination toilet-bidets are particularly popular in Japan, found in approximately 60% of households. They are commonly found in hotels and even some public facilities. These bidet-toilets, along with toilet seat/bidet units (to convert an existing toilet) are sold in many countries including the United States.

Residents of countries in which bidets in private homes are rare (the USA and UK for example) may be totally unfamiliar with bidets and have no idea how to use them if they encounter them (while travelling abroad for example). It is said that many American men first encountered bidets in French brothels during WWII and thought they were designed for the prostitutes to douche (inside the vagina) after sexual intercourse. It is not uncommon for people who have never used bidets to think that there is something strange or even dirty about them, these attitudes may be difficult for manufacturers to dispel where it is taboo to talk about toilet habits and personal hygiene in public.

History

Bidet is French for pony (and in Old French, bider meant to trot). This may seem like an odd derivation for device used to clean your posterior; it got that name because early bidets were normally on a stand which the user would straddle, not unlike mounting a horse.

In Greece they are called "μπιντές" - bides.

Note that Bidet is also a last name in some countries, as well as being a type of pony and a 16th Century dagger.

The precursor to the bidet, the bidoaille, was invented in the late Middle Ages during the Crusades, it consisted of a bowl which could be mounted by both men and women for ease of washing.

Apparently, cavaliers would sing a famous folksong which begins: A dada sur mon bidet... while using the bidoaille.

The bidet appears to have been an invention of French furniture makers in the late 17th or early 18th century, although no exact date or inventor is known. The earliest written reference to the bidet is in 1710.

The first bidet that was more than a bowl on a stand was the bidet à seringue (syringe bidet) which was invented in 1750. It was operated with a hand-crank and produced a jet of water.

With the Industrial Revolution the bidet became a status symbol of the new bourgeoisie. Aristocrats used a variation called a Bidache which was specifically designed for washing moustaches. Karl Marx used the Bidache on trips to Paris in order to wash his beard. It is said that he liked it so much that he argued: "Le lavabo est le Bidache du peuple" (The sink is the bidet of the common man)!

By 1900, thanks to the plumbing improvements of the Victorian era, the bidet (and chamber pot) moved from the bedroom to the bathroom.

See also

• Toilet paper
• Toilet
• Domestic water system
• Hygiene