jahn

I don't know if this is the proper place for this question but I'm going to Europe and have never seen a bidet in my life. Can someone tell me exactly how it works? Is it warm water and then warm air? Do you sit on a toilet and then transfer to a bidet? I'm not kidding, I really want to know.

Ed

Just think of it as a low-hung sink. Does have an extra spigot (jet) in the center. <BR> <BR>Handy in the old days when one took a bath monthly. Some find refresing now. Also useful for washing socks and undies. <BR> <BR>Ed

student

And for chilling champagne and other goodies!

Marty

...and for washing dirty feet!

Robin

Recently I saw almost no bidets in France-- only one of nine hotels we stayed in had one. Maybe they are becoming passe! I remember them as having cold water though-- makes the whole idea sound a little scary, no?

bo_jack

Although I am male, I happen to like and, when they are available, enjoy using bidets; so, I’ll take your question seriously and answer it in some detail. Bidets are plumbing fixtures used principally by women to clean their genitalia (i.e., to douche). A bidet can be used by either sex to clean the anal area after defecation. It also can be used as a soothing treatment for hemorrhoids. (I first encountered a bidet in a whore-house many years ago ... but I digress.) In my experience, there is no "air"; only water is available. Typically, a bidet is the same height as a toilet seat and on first glance looks quite similar. However, the bidet has a faucet with hot and cold running water, does not have flushing capability, and does not have the large drain nor deep bowl associated with a toilet. Typically a bidet is located either directly adjacent to or directly across from the toilet. I consider the “across” location to be preferable, but space constraints often cause them to be placed adjacent. Sometimes there is a hinged (toilet-like) lid on the bidet; sometimes there is not. The bowl of the bidet is typically about 6” deep and has a drain with a stopper operated by a push-rod and plunger -–similar to bathroom sinks in many American hotels. One “mounts” a bidet by facing the plumbing fixtures, putting legs on either side of the bowl, and squatting on the edges of the bowl. There are two typical bidet styles. I think of them (rightly or wrongly, based on where I have most commonly seen them) as the “French” style and the “Spanish” style. The French style has two water delivery points; one point is from a faucet at the edge of the bowl; the other is from a vertical spray fixture near the center of the bowl. The French style has separate controls for the spray fixture and the edge-faucet (2 hot-water valves; 2 cold-water valves); by proper body and valve positioning, one can have comfortable-temperature water flowing simultaneously over the genitalia and over the anus. The Spanish style typically does not have the center, vertical spray fixture. You will need to fool-around some with the various valve operators to understand how it works. You may get wet in unexpected places; so this is best done naked. There are several variations on the basic French and Spanish styles; so, if you see one bidet, you definitely have not seen them all. Use the bidet for its intended purposes, and you are likely to enjoy and appreciate it. If this is your first tip to Europe, bidets will not be the only bathroom mystery; European plumbing is not nearly so standardized and is much more creative than what is typically found in America -- explore, enjoy and, when appropriate, appreciate it.

Holly

So THAT'S what that thing's for!!! I always thought it was a sink for little kids to brush their teeth in. Stupid me!

Maggi

This question made me smile - we have experienced many types of "facilities" in our travels. I remember the first time I saw a bidet I turned on the tap and got squirted in the face! <BR> <BR>Other interesting bathroom experiences: <BR>The toilet seat in Germany that revolved when flushed, cleaning itself (I laughed so hard and ran and got everyone in to check it out). <BR> <BR>The elegant coffee shop in Istanbul, complete with chandeliers and tuxedo-clad waiters, where the ladies bathroom was nothing more than a hole in the floor (this not unusual say, France or Italy, but mostly in casual surroundings - a good reason to pack your own T.P.). <BR> <BR>And of course an incident which has provided fodder for years of humor at my expense: I was visiting my fiance's grandparents in Germany years ago. Their toilet had a manual handle on the floor which when used "dropped" a lid into a septic field below. Being mechanically impaired, I pushed and pushed on it, not realizing you were supposed to pull up. The handle broke off, the lid fell into the field and the whole thing had to be repaired! Not an auspicious beginning, I admit, but...my husband and I are still married after 30 years!

Ed

Maggi, the 'hole in the ground' you found in Turkey is called ... drum roll please ... a Turkish Toilet. <BR> <BR>Still many left in Europe. Sadly they're disappearing. Used to be several on the roof of St. Peter's, but they've disappeared. Last I knew there was still one to be found outside behind St. Peter's in Chains. <BR> <BR>Ed

sandi

We have covered this subject thoroughly in at least one other thread. (search on "bidet") Take care not to sit on it, then turn on the water--adjust water temp first or you will get a very burned bum--as I did. A bidet is to keep one "dainty" after a "nooner" or some such thing, to "tidy" in the morning when you are only washing certain parts, the last part of a "spit" bath--you will know one when you see one.

Judith

Judging by the way many europeans smell in the summertime, they must still be using these very often instead of taking a full bath!!! By the way-good idea after a quickie.

richardab

nothing beats a good old fashioned shower. i was recently in tokyo and these bidets are built into the toilets. they are electronic mechanisms when you just press a button and it squirts!

Al

Years ago in the Navy, we used to use those bidet things to cool a whole case of beer at once. And those Turkish-style places required a bit of discipline because bell-bottom trousers did not have large pockets. One put one's wallet between one's teeth lest it slip down that forbidding hole in the ground and be gone forever. Unfortunately, a few of those hole-in-the-ground things remain in service in Europe and many more are found as you travel to the Middle East and way into China.

jahn

Thanks Bo-Jack (and others)for the informative response. Can't wait to try it!!

Rhoda

Next time you visit Florida , drop by and I will show you my winderful bidet! <BR>Lots of newly built houses in the US have them today. If you really like them why the next time you renovate or build or buy make sure one is included! Have fun!