crazy4travel, are you suggesting you take a shower just to wash your backside? I....

Well, wally, you will sure be able to hit those high notes afterwards!

Oh come on---where else can I ice down the beer?

Some bidets are constructed so that water just flows out beneath the seat rim; others have spigots and handles like a sink.

Has anyone noticed that in Italy just about every toilet you encounter has a cleaner brush next to it? And I mean all- from the train stations to the nicest hotels and everywhere in between. I was a bit confused by this- was I supposed to clean it after my use?

Anyone else notice this? Do they do this in France as well?

<font color="green"><i>When we were in Italy, there were these strange contraptions in the bathrooms...which i didnt think were bidets, (but maybe Im ignorant). They were shallow toilet shaped things with a &quot;faucet&quot; with a swively head. But the water poured out, like out of a sink. I kind of thought bidets squirted water, these gushed water. What was it?</i></font>

<font color="blue">stevegenie</font>, I too would like an answer to this question. I thought they were there to wash our <font color="brown">feet</font>.

ok, I didnt want to say it...but I washed my feet in them too!

See, bidets do have a purpose. It's next to impossible to wash your feet on a ceiling fan, you would get very dizzy and you could electrocute yourself - don't ask me how I know

Of course you can't cool your entire body in a bidet.

That's two more additions to my wish list.

Nina

Hardly any hotels in France have bidets. No, I don't agree because I think ceiling fans are kind of trashy looking, at least in that type of climate and architecture. They look okay in tropical areas, etc., but I think they are tacky when they don't fit the period. Some people next door to me renovated their house (a Colonial reproduction) and put a ceiling fan in almost every room, even the formal living room. It looks really dumb and cheap.

steviegene...you got me on that one..LOL. I will put it in terms of my husband...who is very hairy (all over if you get my drift)...let's just say that he really appreciates the bidet and would love to have one at home. Since we don't have one, our water bill is murder.

Maybe it looks dumb and cheap but it sure saves on cooling costs. Plus, I love sleeping under a ceiling fan.

bobthenavigator...I wasn't going to name any names but now you have revealed yourself.

steviegene...you're not alone. I believe this is still the #1 use for the bidet until the hotels start posting instructions above the contraption.

We've stayed in quite a few French hotels that had bidets--but new construction seems not to include them, unfortunately. I love the one we have at home.

And I agree with you yet again, Starrsville!

Hilarious thread by the way. Thanks for the laughs!

Christina,

Imagine how the house would have looked if they put a bidet in every room.

Kathryncee--

If your home had a low-flow toilet like most in Italy, you would understand the need for all those brushes. You are supposed to clean up after yourself if you leave a mess. With so little standing and flushing water, this might happen more often than in the US. It works well to brush as you flush.

I looooooooooooove the ceiling fan above my bed and the bidet in my bathroom - wouldn't do without them!

Wally34949, try washing your seating parts in the bidet and drying them under the fan: I can assure you it feels soooooooooooooooo good, you will want to get them installed in your house too!!

Well dear ones, I have sure had my laugh for the day Thanks wally!!

Me too!

We use the bidets. When we built our new home 5 years ago, we had one installed in our bathroom.