Toto Neorest 600

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For those looking for the ultimate bidet-toilet combo, look no further.  The Toto Neorest 600 bidet is the most complete and advanced bidet solution in existence and has an MSRP of over $5,000.  By purchasing one online, you can cut quite a bit off of this cost, though it’s still the most expensive bidet-toilet combo that we’ve ever seen for purchase in the U.S. Read more

Buying Your First Toilet Seat Bidet

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If you haven’t bought a bidet before, it’s understandable to find yourself a little unsure about your purchase.  Toilet seat bidets, after all, are still in the process of gaining popular use in the US and many still aren’t familiar with how they work.

First things first, though.  If you’re buying a toilet seat bidet, you have to take note of two important things: your existing toilet and your budget.  Since it will be an add-on accessory to your bathroom fixture, you will have to make sure any bidet you buy will fit snugly as a replacement for your toilet seat.  Four variations of toilets (either one-piece or two-piece elongated and one-piece or two-piece round) are usually found in homes and you’ll have to arm yourself with that information before shopping for your bidet.

As for establishing a price, there’s a wide range of options in toilet seat bidets.  The cheapest and simplest units can run as low as $40, while complete sets with a barrage of features installed can retail for as high as the low four-figures.

While cheap bidets are available, we highly recommend investing in a moderately priced unit ($250 to $500) from trusted brands like Toto, Coco Bidet, Bio Bidet, and Brondell.  You can expect bidets to be widely used inside the home (especially if you’re planning to eliminate toilet paper in its presence), so a moderate investment should be a smart choice in exchange for a higher quality of build.

As for features, expect your costs to add up with each extra function your bidet facilitates.  If you have the budget for the extra expense, they should be worth every penny, though.  Some features I personally consider necessities for new bidet owners include:

• adjustable water pressure (helps cleansing a lot)
• adjustable water temperature (for hard-to-remove dirt)
• warm air dryer (for drying your wet bum)

Other features that are not real necessities but you may find of value include:

• heated seats
• remote controls
• seat sensors
• hydraulic lids
• built-in deodorizer

Hopefully, that’s enough to get you started on your road to buying your first toilet seat bidet.

Benefits of Bidets – Elderly and Handicapped

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The elderly and the handicapped are two growing groups of bidet users.  Due to physical limitations, using a toilet can be difficult or impossible for some people, which makes the bidet an ideal candidate for them.

For people who have difficulty moving or pain while doing so, a bidet can provide much relief over a standard toilet.  By simply sitting down, doing their business, and then standing up, one can eliminate all of the extra exertion and pain of wiping.  This can be extremely difficult for those with arthritis, muscular dystrophy or multiple sclerosis. Read more

Hand-Held Bidets Versus Toilet Seat Bidets

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While toilet seat bidets have been the most popular choice among people looking to install these toilet paper replacements, hand-held bidets have been coming up in prominence as market alternatives.  How well do these hand-controlled sprayers perform compared to their seat-fitted counterparts?

Control

The main selling point for hand-held bidets have always been the ease by which they allow you to control the direction of the water.  Instead of having to do the “Dirty Boogie” or any similar motion, you can freely move the device around the area that needs to be cleaned.  You can use it to jet the water out front or from behind, without much restrictions on angles and positioning.

Convenience

While hand-held bidet manufacturers tout its convenient use, it’s actually a bit harder to clean with one in tow than a regular toilet seat rig.  When cleaning your posterior, for instance, you may need to get up from the seat a bit to allow the device to slip through.  I, personally, find it a more awkward posture than having to wiggle around when using a  typical toilet seat bidet.   Additionally, having to reach out for a separate device actually makes it extra work, compared to the single-push convenience of a seat-installed bidet.

Overall

Personally, I think hand-held bidets are great for washing.  If they allow high water pressure, you can even use them as an alternate hose when cleaning your bathroom.  However, they do take up extra space and, with a hanging water hose, isn’t the safest to have lying around.  Also, if you enjoy having plenty of features on your bidet, such as hot water or warm air dryer, a toilet seat model should easily provide it.

Conserve Resources By Eliminating Toilet Paper With Bidets

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Eco-conscious homeowners are ever on the lookout for new technologies that will help reduce our use of resources and the bidet has proven to be a valuable home addition that achieves just that.

Do you know that in the United States alone, people use an estimated 36.5 billion rolls of toilet paper annually?  That means over 15 million trees cut down from forests, 473 billion gallons of water used up during manufacturing, 17 terawatts of electricity powering the toilet paper factories and 253,000 tons of chlorine employed for bleaching the pulp.  Now, imagine how much resources are wasted for toilet paper production worldwide.

If you’re at all concerned about reducing your household’s environmental footprint, the bidet is an easy way to achieve it, single-handedly eliminating the need for toilet papers in the bathroom.  A single toilet seat bidet (you can find decent quality, non-electric ones for as low as $50) can be attached to your existing toilet and plugged into your plumbing with just a short amount of work.  If you hire a contractor to install it, the whole job should cost you no more than $150.

Using only water to clean you up after doing the dirty deed,  it uses very little resources for essentially the same function as toilet papers.  Apart from the cleaning, some bidets even include a drying mechanism so you really don’t need any toilet paper to wipe your posterior dry.  Alternatively, many green-conscious bidet users keep bidet towels to pat themselves dry instead of toilet papers to totally eliminating the pulp product from their bathrooms.

If you’re really earnest about saving those rainforests, you may want to get serious about installing a bidet.   It really will help you achieve those conservation goals faster than ever before, as well as hold off on the use of plenty of resources in the process.

Benefits of a Bidet – Pregnant Women

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During pregnancy, women experience several different factors which can lead to a decrease in their ability to feel fresh and clean.  The changes in hormones can often cause changes in the chemistry of their vagina, leading to embarrassing odors and difficulty in keeping the area clean.  Bidets are an easy way to ensure that a woman’s pregnancy doesn’t mean that she has to compromise her hygiene and confidence. Read more

Toilet Seat Bidets Versus European-Style Bidets

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My first experience using a toilet seat bidet is in a hotel in the Far East.  Asian bidets, unlike their European counterparts, are usually attachments that are put in place of where the toilet seats used to be.  With tight space always seeming to be a major consideration in that part of the world, the tack-on design made a lot of sense.

While I find great value in separate bidets, I’ve always been partial to the toilet seat attachment variety and recommend it to everyone who asks me about installing one in their bathrooms.  There are plenty of good reasons why an add-on bidet is better idea for majority of homeowners.

1. It’s cheaper

With fewer materials and less plumbing work needed to install them, toilet seat bidets are hands-down the more economical choice.  With recent advancements in these low-cost bidets, there isn’t really that much of a difference in the amount of cleaning they can facilitate.  As long as you know how to work your body for a thorough wash, you’ll be good.

2. Less space requirements

The space that a separate bidet will take can easily be used for other fixtures like a towel hanger or just additional legroom.  Unless you live in a million-dollar home with plenty of space to spare, an attachment bidet should give you the same functions without leaving your bathroom a little too crowded for comfort.

3. Installs fast

A toilet seat bidet can be installed and tested within a few hours, requiring little in the way of extra work.  Those separate bidets with their own basin can require an entire day to outfit, requiring new plumbing, drains and more.  Put those two options side by side and the choice isn’t really that hard, is it?

Bidet Benefits – Menstruation

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For women who are going through menstruation, a bidet can be a fantastic way to feel clean and hygienic.  During this time, any irritation to the delicate tissues of the vagina or the urinary tract can cause dangerous infections.  This is why the gentle cleansing of a bidet can be extremely beneficial. Read more

Using A Bidet: Proper Movements For A Thorough Cleaning

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When using a bidet, I’ve heard some people complain that the cleaning isn’t sufficient compared to wiping the area down with toilet paper.  Fact is, you can’t simply sit there, turn up the water and expect the bidet to splash you clean. To make the most out of this convenient device, you’ll have to do a little extra work on your part.

An effective way to improve how well your bidet cleans you up is to learn a dance move especially choreographed for bidet users, which we like to call “The Dirty Boogie”. Also known as “The Bidet Boogie” or “The Toilet Shuffle”, it’s a simple movement that helps ensure you to get the entire area sufficiently washed down.  To perform it, simply wiggle your bottom in a circular motion while the water jets into your crotch.   The action allows the water to hit your skin from different angles, creating for a more thorough rinse.

This easy-to-learn hip maneuver is particularly useful for those who just used the toilet to defecate.  With some traces of the excreted materials usually left on parts of your anus, water darting out of the bidet will almost always fail to take out every trace.  When you move your body in this dance-like motion, however, the water is able to remove any remnant, without needing any additional padding down with a toilet paper.

Bidet Benefits – Cleanliness

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Nearly every proctologist, gynecologist or general practitioner will tell you about the benefits of using a bidet to wash after defecation.  Washing your anus, genital and perianal is much easier and more effective with a bidet than using a shower or bath, not to mention the unnecessary water usage of the latter techniques. Read more

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