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= Bidet =
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Introduction
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A bidet ( or ) is a bowl or receptacle designed to be sat upon in
order to wash a person's genitalia, perineum, inner buttocks, and
anus. The modern variety has a plumbed-in water supply and a drainage
opening, and is thus a plumbing fixture subject to local hygiene
regulations. The bidet is designed to promote personal hygiene and is
used after defecation, and before and after sexual intercourse. It can
also be used to wash feet, with or without filling it up with water.
Some people even use bidets to bathe babies or pets. In several
European countries, a bidet is now required by law to be present in
every bathroom containing a toilet bowl. It was originally located in
the bedroom, near the chamber-pot and the marital bed, but in modern
times is located near the toilet bowl in the bathroom. Fixtures that
combine a toilet seat with a washing facility include the electronic
bidet.
Opinions as to the necessity of the bidet vary widely over different
nationalities and cultures. In cultures that use it habitually, such
as parts of Western, Central and Southeastern Europe
(especially Italy and Portugal) Eastern Asia and some Latin American
countries such as Argentina, Paraguay, it is considered an
indispensable tool in maintaining good personal hygiene. It is
commonly used in North African countries, such as Egypt. It is rarely
used in sub-Saharan Africa, Australia, and North America.
"Bidet" is a French loanword meaning "pony" due to the straddling
position adopted in its usage.
Applications
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Bidets are primarily used to wash and clean the genitalia, perineum,
inner buttocks, and anus. Some bidets have a vertical jet intended to
give easy access for washing and rinsing the perineum and anal area.
The traditional separate bidet is like a wash-basin which is used with
running warm water with the help of specific soaps, and may then be
used for many other purposes such as washing feet.
Bidet shower
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A bidet shower (also known as "bidet spray", "bidet sprayer", or
"health faucet") is a hand-held triggered nozzle, similar to that on a
kitchen sink sprayer, that delivers a spray of water to assist in anal
cleansing and cleaning the genitals after defecation and urination. In
contrast to a bidet that is integrated with the toilet, a bidet shower
has to be held by the hands, and cleaning does not take place
automatically. Bidet showers are common in countries where water is
considered essential for anal cleansing.
Drawbacks include the possibility of wetting a user's clothing if used
carelessly. In addition, a user must be reasonably mobile and flexible
to use a hand-held bidet shower.
Conventional or standalone bidet
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A bidet is a plumbing fixture that is installed as a separate unit in
the bathroom besides toilet, shower and sink, which users have to
straddle. Some bidets resemble a large hand basin, with taps and a
stopper so they can be filled up; other designs have a nozzle that
squirts a jet of water to aid in cleansing.
Add-on bidets
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There are bidets that are attachable to toilet bowls, saving space and
obviating additional plumbing. A bidet may be a movable or fixed
nozzle, either attached to an existing toilet on the back or side
toilet rim, or replacing the toilet seat. In these cases, its use is
restricted to cleaning the anus and genitals. Some bidets of this type
produce a vertical water jet and others a more-or-less oblique one.
Other bidets have one nozzle on the side rim aimed at both anal and
genital areas, and other designs have two nozzles on the back rim. The
shorter one, called the "family nozzle", is used for washing the area
around the anus, and the longer one ("bidet nozzle") is designed for
washing the vulva.
Such attachable bidets (also called "combined toilets", "bidet
attachments", or "add-on bidets") are controlled either mechanically,
by turning a valve, or electronically. Electronic bidets are
controlled with waterproof electrical switches rather than a manual
valve. There are models that have a heating element which blows warm
air to dry the user after washing, that offer heated seats, wireless
remote controls, illumination through built in night lights, or built
in deodorizers and activated carbon filters to remove odours. Further
refinements include adjustable water pressure, temperature
compensation, and directional spray control. Where bathroom appearance
is of concern, under-the-seat mounting types have become more popular.
An add-on bidet typically connects to the existing water supply of a
toilet via the addition of a threaded tee pipe adapter, and requires
no soldering or other plumbing work. Electronic add-on bidets also
require a GFCI protected grounded electrical outlet.
Usage and health
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Personal hygiene is improved and maintained more accurately and easily
with the use of both toilet paper and a bidet as compared to the use
of toilet paper alone. In some add-on bidets with vertical jets,
little water is used and toilet paper may not be necessary. Addressing
hemorrhoids and genital health issues might also be facilitated by the
use of bidet fixtures.
Because of the large surface of the basin, after-use and routine
disinfection of stand-alone bidets require thoroughness, or microbial
contamination from one user to the next could take place. Bidet
attachments are sometimes included on hospital toilets because of
their utility in maintaining hygiene. Hospitals must consider the use
of bidet properly and consider the clinical background of patients to
prevent cross-infection. Warm-water bidets may harbor dangerous
microbes if not properly disinfected.
Environmental aspects
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From an environmental standpoint, bidets can reduce the need for
toilet paper. Considering that an average person uses only 0.5 litre
(1/8 US gallon) of water for cleansing by using a bidet, much less
water is used than for manufacturing toilet paper. An article in
'Scientific American' concluded that using a bidet is "much less
stressful on the environment than using paper". 'Scientific American'
has also reported that if the US switched to using bidets, 15 million
trees could be saved every year.
In the US, UK, and some other countries, wet wipes are heavily
marketed as an upgrade from dry toilet paper. However, this product
has been criticized for its adverse environmental impact, due to the
non-biodegradable plastic fibers composing most versions. Although the
wipes are promoted as "flushable", they absorb waste fats and
agglomerate into massive "fatbergs" which can clog sewer systems and
must be cleared at great expense. Bidets are being marketed as
cleaning better than toilet paper or wet wipes, with fewer negative
environmental effects.
Society and culture
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The bidet is common in Catholic countries and required by law in
some. It is also found in some traditionally Eastern Orthodox and
Protestant countries such as Greece and Finland respectively, where
bidet showers are common.
In Islam, there are many strict rules concerning excretion; in
particular, anal washing with water is required. Consequently, in
Middle Eastern regions where Islam is the predominant religion, water
for anal washing is provided in most toilets, usually in the form of a
hand-held "bidet shower" or 'shattaf'.
Prevalence
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Bidets are becoming increasingly popular with the elderly and
disabled. Combined toilet/bidet installations make self-care toileting
possible for many people, affording greater independence. There are
often special units with higher toilet seats allowing easier
wheelchair transfer, and with some form of electronic remote control
that benefits an individual with limited mobility or otherwise
requiring assistance.
Bidets are common bathroom fixtures in the Arab world and in Catholic
countries, such as Italy (the installation of a bidet in a bathroom
has been mandatory since 1975), Spain (but in recent times new or
renewed houses tend to have bathrooms without bidets, except the
luxurious ones), and Portugal (installation is mandatory since 1975).
They are also found in Southeastern European countries such as
Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Romania, Greece and West Asian
country, Turkey. They are very popular in some South American
countries, particularly Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay. Electronic
bidet-integrated toilets, often with functions such as toilet seat
warming, are commonly found in Japan, and are becoming more popular in
other Asian countries.
In Northern Europe, bidets are rare, although in Finland, bidet
showers are common. Bidet showers are most commonly found in Southeast
Asia, South Asia, and the Middle East.
In 1980, the first "paperless toilet" was launched in Japan by
manufacturer Toto, a combination of toilet and bidet which also dries
the user after washing. These combination toilet-bidets (washlet) with
seat warmers, or attachable bidets are particularly popular in Japan
and South Korea, and are found in approximately 76% of Japanese
households . They are commonly found in hotels and some public
facilities. These bidet-toilets, along with toilet seat and bidet
units (to convert an existing toilet) are sold in many countries,
including the United States.
Bidet seat conversions are much easier and lower cost to install than
traditional bidets, and have disrupted the market for the older
fixtures.
After a slow start in the 1990s, electronic bidets are starting to
become more available in the United States. American distributors were
directly influenced by their Japanese predecessors, as the founders of
Brondell (established in 2003) have indicated. The popularity of
add-on bidet units is steadily increasing in the United States, Canada
and the United Kingdom, in part because of their ability to treat
hemorrhoids or urogenital infections. In addition, shortages of toilet
paper due to the coronavirus pandemic have led to an increased
interest in bidets.
Etymology
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'Bidet' is a French word for "pony", and in Old French, meant "to
trot". This etymology comes from the notion that one "rides" or
straddles a bidet much like a pony is ridden. The word "bidet" was
used in 15th century France to refer to the pet ponies that French
royalty kept.
History
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The bidet appears to have been an invention of French furniture makers
in the late 17th century, although no exact date or inventor is known.
The earliest written reference to the bidet is in 1726 in Italy. Even
though there are records of Maria Carolina of Austria, Queen of Naples
and Sicily, requesting a bidet for her personal bathroom in the Royal
Palace of Caserta in the second half of the 18th century, the bidet
did not become widespread in Italy until after the Second World War.
The bidet is possibly associated with the 'chamber pot' and the
'bourdaloue', the latter being a small, hand-held chamber pot.
Historical antecedents and early functions of the bidet are believed
to include devices used for contraception. Bidets are considered
ineffective by today's standards of contraception, and their use for
that function was quickly abandoned and forgotten following the advent
of modern contraceptives such as the pill.
By 1900, due to plumbing improvements, the bidet (and chamber pot)
moved from the bedroom to the bathroom and became more convenient to
fill and drain.
In 1928, in the United States, John Harvey Kellogg applied for a
patent on an "anal douche". In his application, he used the term to
describe a system comparable to what today might be called a bidet
nozzle, which can be attached to a toilet to perform anal cleansing
with water.
In 1965, the American Bidet Company featured an adjustable spray
nozzle and warm water option, seeking to make the bidet a household
item. The fixture was expensive, and required floor space to install;
it was eventually discontinued without a replacement model.
The early 1980s saw the introduction of the electronic bidet from
Japan, with names such as Clean Sense, Galaxy, Infinity, Novita, and
of non-electric attachments such as Gobidet. These devices have
attachments that connect to existing toilet water supplies, and can be
used in bathrooms lacking the space for a separate bidet and toilet.
Many models have additional features, such as instant-heating warm
water, night lights, or a heated seat.
See also
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* Anal hygiene
* Cleanliness
* Ecological sanitation
* Feminine hygiene
* Improved sanitation
* Infection prevention and control
* Istinja
* Public health
* Sustainable sanitation
* Tabo (hygiene)
* Toilet seat
* Toilets in Japan
* Washlet
License
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Original Article: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bidet