Will a Bidet Replace Your Toilet?
While the bidet has long been a standard of hygiene in Europe, it has only recently begun to trickle over to America, where it is beginning to be the latest and greatest trend in bathrooms across the country.
While the bidet has been in America since the 1960s, when it is widely believed to have been introduced by Arnold Cohen, the bidet has recently gone high-tech.
To use a traditional bidet, a person straddles a toilet-shaped apparatus as faucets spray water in front and behind while the user wipes with the hands, cleaning the exterior of the body. The new tech gadgets being introduced in America are attached to regular toilets and are made by brands including American Bidet, BioBidet, Brondell, Coco, Koehler and Toto, and range in price from $500 to $1,300. They feature everything from self-cleaning bowls to heated water and adjustable faucets to air dryers and deodorizers and other conveniences.
Proponents of bidets claim that they are more eco-friendly. Although many still use toilet paper after using the bidet, they say they use less, and wash their hands just as they would after wiping with toilet paper. In addition, bidets are said to also reduce water consumption, as people spend less time getting clean in the shower.
The new American bidet can be a space-saving way to introduce a touch of Europe into your bathroom, without having the side by side appearance of toilet and bidet.
photo: mandydale
