Why do so many countries use bidets But the US doesn t?

The American Way

Because the fixture was a French invention, it was rejected by the English, and that sentiment drifted across the pond. During World War II, the Times notes, American soldiers saw bidets in European brothels, "perpetuating the idea that bidets were somehow associated with immorality."

Why does the US not use bidets?

Bidets haven't ever been widely embraced in American culture. A common origin story for this reluctance is that bidets were seen as lascivious because they were used in brothels as a form of emergency contraception.

Why Westerners don't use bidet?

Europeans think it's unsanitary to use a restroom without a bidet. Conversely, many Americans think of bidets as unsanitary. There's a lack of information and knowledge around bidets and their use — and it's likely to remain that way for many years to come.

Which country uses bidets the most?

While households in the U.S favor dry toilet paper to this day, bidets are the dominant cleaning method in places like France, Japan, Italy, and Portugal.

Why do some countries have bidets?

In those cultures which use it habitually, such as in parts of Western, Central and Southern Europe, Eastern Asia and some South American countries such as Argentina, it is considered an indispensable tool in maintaining good personal hygiene. It is commonly used in North African countries such as Egypt.

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Why are there no toilet seats in Italy?

Most Italian public toilets don't have a toilet seat.

This has to do with maintenance. Since public toilets are often less than spotless, people often climb with their shoes on top of them, not to sit on a potentially dirty seat.

How do Europeans dry after bidet?

The modern bidet seats even have drying options. If you press the 'Dry' button, provided there is one, the air dryer will dry the area. If you are using the traditional bidet, you can dry using toilet paper or a towel. In most public toilets with bidets, towels are provided on a ring next to it.

Which state has most bidets?

Where Bidets Are Most Popular in the US. According to our survey responses, the state with the greatest percentage of the population having regular access to a bidet is Alabama, with 23.5%.

Do China use bidets?

In China, many people use what's called a "chamber pot". This is a small pot that you can use to urinate or defecate in. After you're done, you simply empty it out. They also use bidets in China.

What is the downside of bidet?

Con #2: Bidets can get gross and unsanitary

A bidet can get pretty disgusting, especially if it's not maintained well. Factors that influence just how clean a bidet are how often it is cleaned, whether it has self-sanitizing nozzles and how much the bidet is shared with others.

Is a bidet more sanitary than wiping?

In fact, using a bidet is more sanitary than using a traditional toilet and toilet paper. Bidets use water to cleanse and wash away any leftover urine or fecal matter – no wiping required. While some users dry themselves with toilet paper after rinsing with a bidet, the fecal matter has already been washed away.

Do people not wipe after using a bidet?

If you are using the bidet properly, and if your bidet is of high quality, you should not have to use toilet paper to wipe yourself clean. A high-quality bidet will clean your backside more thoroughly than any amount of wiping. However, you may want to use a small amount of toilet paper to dry yourself.

Is a bidet better than toilet paper?

Bidets are gentler and more hygienic than toilet paper, which just smears around your poo. Bidets spray a small stream of water onto your butthole, rinsing off leftover fecal matter.

Do Americans know a bidet?

From Japan to Italy, the bidet is a standard fixture in any bathroom. Bathrooms and toilets around the world commonly feature a bidet or some type of water cleansing device like a spray hose like toilets in the Middle East commonly feature. Yet bidets are curiously absent in the United States.

What countries wipe with their hand?

Wiping buttocks by hand

In the Republic of Sudan, a Muslim country in eastern Africa 10,000 kilometers away from Japan, it is common to wash hands before 5 daily prayers, after a meal and during excretion. During excretion, the left hand is used to wipe the buttocks.

Do Japanese use bidets?

The current state of the art for Western-style toilets in Japan is the bidet toilet, which as of March 2016 is installed in 81% of Japanese households. In Japan, these bidets are commonly called washlets, a brand name of Toto Ltd., and they may include many advanced features rarely seen outside of Asia.

What country invented the bidet?

As far as historians can tell, the bidet is a French invention. Spearheaded by French furniture makers around the late 17th century, the bidet is a grown-up version of the chamber pot or bourdaloue, which was a small, portable chamber pot classy ladies would take along with them on extended trips.

Do Westerners use bidet?

The French of course gave the world the word bidet, and even though the devices are fading away from France, they remain standard in Italy, Argentina, and many other places. Meanwhile, Youssef's beloved “bum gun” is commonly found in Finland. Still, much of the West relies on toilet tissue – including the UK and US.

What country can you not flush the toilet?

Visitors to this country are often mystified by the seemingly universal rule that you can't flush toilet paper in Costa Rica. Typically, they learn of this from a sign on a bathroom wall instructing them to place toilet paper in the trash can and not in the toilet.

Why do German toilets have a shelf?

Advantages: Energy costs in Germany are much higher than in the United States, which includes the cost of water. Therefore, the shelf toilets were designed to use much less water than their American counterparts - hence the shelf.

Why do Dutch toilets have a shelf?

The purpose of the shelf is inspection. You're meant to look at the consistency, shape, color, abnormalities, etc. before flushing, and then hope that the rush of water cleans the shelf enough – otherwise, that's what the brush is for.

How do most people dry off after using a bidet?

Pat dry with toilet paper

Since you're already clean from your bidet, you won't need much toilet paper to do so–just enough to remove any excess water. Use a gentle pat-dry motion instead of a wipe to avoid any irritation. That's all there is to it.

Do bidets cause yeast infections?

Conclusion: Habitual use of bidet toilets aggravates vaginal microflora, either by depriving normal microflora or facilitating opportunistic infection of fecal bacteria and other microorganisms.