Due to environmental concerns about toilet paper waste and store outages in the wake of the pandemic, more and more Americans have turned to the use of a bidet.
Bidets have long been in use on other continents. Americans have been shocked and amused by these hind quarter cleaning alternatives located in public bathrooms across Europe and Asia.
Now, we’re starting to cozy up to the idea of swapping out our toilet paper for this water-based bathroom accessory. However, there are still plenty of skeptics.
The number one concern of bidet skeptics? Sanitation. Read on to have all of your questions about bidet sanitation answered!
How Sanitary Is Bidet Use?
When we discuss sanitation, we tend to mean a few things. First and foremost, we want to know how sanitary something will be for our bodies. Let’s take a look at how bidets interact with both our bodies and our bathrooms.
Human Sanitation
There are a few myths when it comes to bidets, the biggest one being that bidets are using toilet water. The truth is that your bidet is hooked up to your tap, which means that the water is as clean as the water you brush your teeth with. It’s not touching the dirty toilet bowl until you’ve already used it!
Plus, most bidets have self-cleaning nozzles. That means that you don’t need to worry about any mold or mildew building up on the nozzle and getting sprayed onto your body.
Believe it or not, bidets are actually more sanitary to use than toilet paper. While there’s nothing inherently wrong with using toilet paper, wiping does not remove particles or bacteria as well as water does. Think about washing your hands versus wiping them on a napkin.
Plus, when you skip all the wiping and rubbing, you lessen the risk of creating irritation. When skin is irritated, it becomes more susceptible to infection, especially if the irritation is caused by broken skin. Water is not abrasive like toilet paper is, which your hiney will appreciate!
It’s important to note that even if you swap your toilet paper for a bidet, it’s still important that you wash your hands. Whether or not you’re touching your nether regions, bathrooms are natural breeding grounds for all sorts of bacteria. Any time you use the restroom, you should wash your hands to reduce your risk of getting a contact-spread illness.
All in all, we rank bidets as perfectly sanitary for bodily use.
Bathroom Sanitation
Another major bidet myth is that it will cause a mess in the bathroom. The truth is that when you turn a bidet on, you’re not going to be met with an uncontrollable jet of water. Instead, a gentle stream comes out that won’t leave the toilet bowl as long as you’re in the proper position.
In other words, bidets are not going to flood your bathroom, increase humidity, or leave puddles of water on the floor that encourage mold growth.
Are There Bidet Risks?
Are there any health or sanitation risks that come with bidet use?
Women should exercise the same precautions with a bidet that they exercise with toilet paper. A front to back cleaning motion is essential to avoid spreading fecal matter to infection-susceptible areas of the body.
In addition, excessive use of hot water can also disrupt a woman’s natural bacteria that keep her body in balance. If your bidet is temperature-adjustable, start on a cool or lukewarm setting to ensure that you’re not blasting yourself with hot water.
If you find that the air stream isn’t doing enough to dry you off, you may consider using a small amount of toilet paper to do the trick. For people with sensitive skin, prolonged dampness can cause minor skin irritation.
Other than that, there are very few risks of using a bidet. It may take a bit of practice before you feel comfortable, but this learning curve has everything to do with comfort and very little to do with safety.
Bidet Sanitation: How Do We Clean the Bidet, Itself?
We do our best to clean our toilet seats, tanks, bowls, and bases. Does that mean that we should also clean our bidet? Even if the nozzle is self-cleaning?
Because bidets are often located inside of your toilet bowl, it’s a good idea to sanitize it by hand from time to time. In fact, we suggest that any time you’re reaching for the toilet bowl scrubber, you go ahead and clean up your bidet, too.
There are a few things you should know about cleaning a bidet.
The first is that you’re going to want to avoid using alcohol-based cleaning solutions. While alcohol won’t cause damage to the bidet, it may not be pleasant if it somehow comes into contact with your skin. If you do decide to use an alcohol-based cleaning solution, wipe the bidet down with a wet cloth afterward.
The second is that there are different kinds of bidets, which means that the cleaning methods can also differ. We encourage you to read more about each recommended cleaning method before tackling your bidet.
Bidets Rank High on the Sanitation Scale
Let’s take a final tally of the bidet’s sanitation ranking. It’s sanitary for bodily use, it’s sanitary for bathroom installment, and while you should clean it, it poses no more sanitation issues than your toilet! That’s right, bidets rank high on the sanitation scale!
Whether you encounter a bidet in a public restroom or you want to get one for your own home, you can rest assured that they are sanitary.
Are you looking for more tips on how to lead a healthier, happier life? Are you as curious about beauty products as you are about bidets? Take a look around and see what else we can offer.
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