What's wrong with bidets?

Its just not British you know.
I think they are a good idea but I don't have room.

My house has a wetroom downstairs, with bidet. Bidet is good for washing my bottom , and the shower is good for washing my dog, and visiting dog when necessary. I like to have a clean bottom. I bought a portable plastic bidet for the upstairs bathroom. It sits over the lavatory pan with the seat up. The wetroom with bidet was already in place when I bought the house. The tiles and pipes are what estate agents call 'in need of updating' but my priority is usefulness unless the colours are atrocious not just dated. Pink tiles with pink bouquets on them.

Here in Italy they are usually right next to the loo. From memory, in France it was the same.

Here in Italy they are usually right next to the loo. From memory, in France it was the same.

Bidets are l like Marmite - you love 'em or hate 'em. I love mine, wouldn't be without it.

We lived in Cyprus for a few years and both of the houses we rented had bidets - oh, how I loved them! So useful, could give the baby a quick bath, soak the nappies, wash feet etc, as well as for their intended use. DM came out to stay with us once, had never seen one before, turned the tap on and got soaked, as it was an upwards fountain one! (Made DH's day!).

an awkward walk from toilet to bidet Welshwife

I have read through this thread but no one has mentioned the fact which I find odd - in the French houses I have seen most have had a bidet - BUT the toilet is always separate and the bidet is in the bathroom ---- without a toilet!!! In fact we have that in our little house still and the toilet is a short walk away from the bathroom. We had the same in the house we live in but altered it and now do not have a bidet here.

buyer? I mean 'free to collect'

I was thinking of growing plants in it (in the garden)!

It was never that great to use anyway - giulia is welcome to it - free but buyer to collect

it ...

You could sel it to Giulia- every one happy ;)

I grew up with bathrooms with bidets never used it and never missed it.

For the 'what's wrong with them' bit - well one of my 6th formers on a ski trip to Italy found that out 'Mrs C - this toilet is rubbish, he doesn't flush' ...

Yes, they did become rather 'Abigail's Party'

However, we did find ours useful years ago (for washing feet amongst other uses) and changed our coloured one for a white one a long while ago. However, the white one is now languishing, unconnected to a water supply or drain, in the attic after we refitted the bathroom.

It's there, along with other rubbish useful objects just in case.

Yes - I found that in America, hotel shower heads were fixed. Most annoying because I was pretty ill whilst there and needed to sluice down the bath couple of times (sorry if TMI).

In Germany, I don't think I've come across a shower that didn't have a hand-held shower head - sometimes doubling up as the actual shower by clipping into a bracket high up.

We had a very large long bathroom when moving in nearly 20 years ago. This has been split into two, one is a shower room with shower, loo and basin and the other a bathroom with bath (shower over), basin, loo and bidet. The bidet is used daily and we wouldn't be without it. The bath has to be dusted as nobody every uses it! While talking bathrooms, does anyone else get cross with fixed shower heads in hotel bathrooms? As a woman, unless you do a handstand in the bath whilst showering, it is exceeding difficult to wash the bits I want to wash most! Wonder if these were invented by a man?

When I wanted a bidet some years ago our plumber friend said 'You haven't got enough space. You'll have to do a handstand under the shower.' Bit too old for that now!!

Love bidets, nothing better than feeling fresh as a daisy! Never thought about the other uses. Would love to have one put in. I've seen plastic bowls advertised in certain ladies mags that proclaim loudly "turn your toilet into a bidet". Still just a plastic bowl. Have also tried one of those toilets that "wash and dry", but think I prefer the bidet. At least you can be sure of the water being nice and warm . I can tell you, the squirt of cold water on a freezing day didn"t half make my eyes water ?

- LOL at this post! I never really thought about it but bidets haven't taken off in UK like abroad have they?

Many years ago on a first visit to France I didn't even know what it was for ! When it was explained, I thought WOW what a great idea! Except I could never get it right and ended up with scalding hot wotsits or literally freezing my A** off!!

We later bought a house that DID have a bidet but I fear it was rarely used for the intended purpose (accumulated other items). I never felt I wasn't 'clean' though.

Got me thinking IF, I would make more use of one now .

giulia that sounds like a different era

Grannyknot - first I would wash my feet and nether regions in my bidet and then have a glorious soak in my bath (topping up the hot water as it cools down), with a good paperback novel. There was a time when I would perch a cool glass of lager on one rim and a bowl of crisps next to it. Oh, and music on in the background. I'm a disgrace, I know.

Mawbroon and Grannyyknot - thanks for explaining wetrooms to me. We live and learn, don't we!

If we moved house and there was no room for a bidet in the bathroom I would install an all-singing, all-dancing Japanese bog.
They are the mutt's nuts -- and you can even get ones with coloured lights (??) that play music as well as various bidet-type functions, rinse, spray, squirt etc. They cost ££££ but are truly fabulous.
On holiday in Japan I kept taking photos of them, I was so impressed.

giulia the pleasure of a large shower area is that you can soap up away from water and step under to rinse. Baths are not "green" and I'm coming round to thinking "°Why would you run such a large amount of water and lie in there with feet, bum, bits, etcetera when you could have a lovely refreshing, hygienic shower?" With a wet room you don't have to compromise by having a cramped shower space or one over the bath. It also does away with always mouldy shower trays. An all-round win.

A wetroom is very useful if you have any mobility problems and as well as the absence of a step or sill to step over with a shower cubicle, gives you more space e.g.if you need to sit on a shower chair or stool.
A walk in shower with fixed screen or spacious shower cubicle, like a quarter circle one in a corner is the next best thing but a bathtub with shower over would have been next to useless to us for at least the last 10 years.
They have much to recommend them, but dancing around has never featured on my list of advantages

We lived in a rented house in the UK once where there was a bidet. Only used it for washing muddy shoes and soaking feet. Now have a shower, which can be used for a quick wash "down under". When I visited my cousins in Brazil, they had a sort of a long tube attachment to their toilets, which they apparently use for that purpose.