Beyond the Wipe: Are Bidets Hygienic?

Let's be frank and remove the sticking plaster. Bidets are designed to clean up the poo from your bum. Without beating around the bush, that's what it does. It tidies your tush, unstains your undercarriage, brightens your bottom, and polishes your posterior. It's an alternative method of cleaning your bum with water spray after going to the bathroom.

It can be a little daunting when encountering a bidet for the first time. I mean, it's a complicated discussion. How? When? Where? But once you've mastered the art of spraying yourself, it can open a whole new world of cleanliness and comfort. Having an utterly sparkling butt with a clean and sanitary down under can be a new way of life–making toilet visits not only necessary but actually quite pleasant. 

What is a Bidet? 

Let's delve a little deeper into bidets. So what actually is a bidet? In a nutshell, a bidet (pronounced "bih-DAY") is a plumbing fixture that lives in your bathroom with your toilet and sink, allowing you to spray your bum with water. Cleaning it thoroughly after you've been to the toilet.

Bidets have become increasingly prevalent in various regions around the globe, such as Asia, Europe, South America, and even northern Africa. Interestingly, these bathroom fixtures are also beginning to gain popularity in Australia and the United States, plus other parts of the Western world. Bidets will likely replace toilet paper entirely, but that's another discussion for another bidet article.

Different Types of Bidets

They come in many different forms, shapes and sizes and are engineered slightly differently. But they all do the same thing.

Some are handheld spray bidets like the ones we sell at Bumwash. Extremely flexible, low-budget, and easy to use, it's like having a garden hose in your bathroom. Just aim and spray. Toilet seat bidets are fixed into your toilet seat and are mechanically or electronically controlled. You can buy them as a whole toilet seat replacement or an aftermarket bidet that attaches to your toilet seat. 

For those who like home comforts, you can get whole toilets with bidets or toilet bidet combos. Where the bidet is part of the toilet. These tend to be pretty expensive and arrive with other features, such as blow-drying options. 

And lastly, out of the main bidet designs, we have the porcelain bidet. You know the one. When you go into someone's bathroom, and you think it's a foot wash. These are based on the original bidets from France around 400 years ago. You kind of straddle it like a horse. Some sort of bum-washing-porcelain horse.

The Benefits of Bidets

There are several benefits to owning a bidet. Apart from being the talk of the street, a bidet could change your life. It'll be difficult to return to the world of wiping. Once you go bi-yay, you'll never go bi-nay. Sorry.

Bidets can reach places that wiping just can't. They're ace for cleaning your butt, environmentally friendly (think of the trees!), and hygienic. Are bidets hygienic? Well, yes, read on my bidet, newbie.

Are Bidets Hygienic?

Simply put. Yes. Bidets are noted to be more hygienic than typical methods of removing poo from your lower region. With toilet paper and the traditional method of 'the wipe', you might not be able to reach the parts that bidets can, especially if it's a lengthy bathroom visit. Plus, with wiping, there is a possibility you can get fecal matter on your hands or nails. Ugh. Hence why you should always wash your hands after going to the toilet.

For those with a vagina, bidets provide a sanitary cleaning method after weeing. But it must be used correctly. Otherwise, you have a possibility of causing a UTI (urinary tract infection). When using a bidet safely on your lady parts, the primary concern revolves around the direction of water flow.

To ensure proper hygiene practices, the water from the bidet must flow in the same direction as wiping, which is from front to back. This alignment helps maintain cleanliness and minimises the risk of potential infection. Plus, you need to keep an eye on the water pressure. Too much, and you'll blast water into where the sun doesn't shine. Always check your bidet instructions on how to use it before 'giving it a go'.

Are Bidets Sanitary?

There is a thought that bidets are unsanitary. After all, one of the first things we're taught as a child is how to wipe our bums. As long as you ensure you wash your hands after you've been, whatever your poo removal method is, you'll have a squeaky clean experience. 

And this goes without saying, but keeping the bidet clean regularly is crucial. Most bidets will come with instructions on cleaning and maintaining your bidet so that the water keeps flowing and the bums keep washing.

So are bidets hygienic? Yes. Of course! Numerous studies have indicated that utilising a bidet provides more cleanliness than relying solely on wiping with toilet paper.

Proper Bidet Practices

As long as you follow the bidet instructions for bum washing and always wash your hands after going to the toilet, bidets are much more hygienic than wiping alone. And which type of bidet you use depends on your circumstances. We would always recommend the Bumwash handheld style for newbie bum washers. They're easy maintenance, low-cost, extremely flexible (Great for the elderly, those with injuries, and others with mobility issues), and, lastly, they're great at keeping your delicate down under completely clean. 

So, next time you walk into a stranger or friend's bathroom and spy a bidet, just give it a try. You just might like it.