Bidet Benefits
- Dr. Heather Swain PT, DPT, CIDN, CPT
- Jun 20
- 9 min read
Updated: Jun 23
The idea of switching up your bathroom habits can be unsettling. The longer you've been doing something a certain way, the more uncomfortable and burdensome the idea of change feels. If you've been using toilet paper your entire life, the idea of switching to a bidet might feel foreign, or even a little threatening.
There's a huge commercial industry that wants you to feel that way. In a speech to a business summit in 2005, Jeff Bezos analyzed the psychology of learned helplessness with the invention of toilet paper. People lived for thousands of years without toilet paper, but after its advent in 1857, we can't fathom functioning without it (1).
Though the COVID-19 Pandemic of 2020 wasn't primarily a gastrointestinal infection, anyone who lived through it remembers the toilet paper panic buying that ensued. Stores had to begin rationing toilet paper and limiting the number of packages people could buy at one time. They say that in times of crisis, we find out what we are really made of and what is most important to us. Apparently, toilet paper ranked high on the list for most Americans.
Before deciding you would rather just stick with the familiar approach of using toilet paper, at least take a few minutes to consider your options. Let's take a closer look at some pros and cons, to help you decide if a bidet is right for you.
Hygiene-Does it get me as clean?
The first question to answer is about hygiene. The research on this subject is relatively limited. There are also a number of factors that may impact the answer.
It's easiest to compare bidet use to some of our other cleaning habits. If you were changing a diaper for your child and got some poop on your hands, what would you do? Most of us wouldn't wipe our hand off with toilet paper and then put our winter gloves on to go outside and go on with the day. We'd typically opt for using soap and water to wash our hands, or at a minimum use a wet wipe to clean our hands off. If you apply a similar idea to your own hygiene after going to the bathroom, it may make you view using toilet paper and pulling your pants up differently.
Next, let's compare it to taking a shower after doing some yardwork. If you have soil on your skin, wiping it off with a paper towel might be enough to get the bigger chunks of dirt. The smaller fine particles, however, may be better washed away with water. If your skin is sweaty and oily from working in the yard while it's hot out, oils and fats don't mix well with water. You may need soap and the friction of a loofah/wash cloth to really get clean.
We have to acknowledge that there are a variety of stool consistencies. If you are prone to fatty, oily stools, the better cleaning method may be different than a person who isn't. The same concept can be applied to cleaning off after a stool that is liquid compared to one that is more solid. Which option is best to get you clean may be dependent on your dietary habits and general bowel health/habits.
We also have to consider your bathroom cleaning habits and bidet features. If you are using a private bathroom that is cleaned regularly, and/or have a bidet that has self cleaning nozzles and a splash guard, the likelihood of bacteria on the nozzle being sprayed at your behind is much smaller. If you're using a bidet without those features in a high traffic public restroom that isn't cleaned very often, the answer might change.
These comments are notably, all based on logical assumptions. As of now, specific studies on these variables haven't been done. Research on what's best for cleaning your bottom hasn't been at the top of the list for the limited research funding grants available.
We can fairly confidently assert, however, that your hands stay cleaner when using a bidet. There is less risk of contamination from stool onto your hands if you've washed away the majority of the stool before you dry off the water with a clean towel. If your bidet has a built-in dryer feature, there's no need to wipe at all. Going to the bathroom can be a hands-free experience.
This is a major plus for parents of young kids who aren't great about washing their hands. It can also give some peace of mind for people who are concerned about infections. The idea of a hands-free bathroom experience can be comforting for individuals who struggle with OCD, and germaphobia. For people who are at risk of infections, like those who have a history of frequent urinary tract or yeast infections, or perhaps have a transmittable viral infection like herpes, bidets reduce the likelihood of spreading infections by directly touching your pelvis.
Cost-Does it save time & money?
Using a bidet requires some up-front investment to purchase one, but afterwards, you may be able to eliminate toilet paper costs from your budget. If you live with the child who uses 10x more toilet paper than they need, or a puppy who thinks it's fun to grab the end of the toilet paper roll and joyfully run around the house teepeeing the dining room table, bidets can definitely save you some extra cash.
The water comes right to your house anyways, you don't have to spend time, gas, and money going to get it at the store or having it shipped to your house. It bears mentioning that your cost savings may be greater if you live in a place where water is more plentiful and less expensive to source.
Never Running Out of Toilet Paper
While we hope to never repeat the great toilet paper crisis of the pandemic in 2020, if you have a bidet, you won't be caught with your pants down. Bidets eliminate the problem of needing to continually purchase toilet paper. They're also nice if you live in a house with someone who has a habit of forgetting to replace the toilet paper roll. It is also one way to put an end to the family debate of whether the toilet paper roll should go over or under.
Sustainability
If you buy a bidet once, as long as your house still has running water, you're all set. Some people argue that using a bidet makes you less dependent on paper products and is more environmentally friendly. There is some debate about how true this is, depending on where you live, and how much toilet paper you use.
If you live near the Great Lakes in the Midwest, water doesn't have to travel far to get to your home. That may not be as true for a person living in the desert regions of the Southwest United States (2).
If sustainability is a major factor for you, considering your drying method is important. If you are planning on using a bidet then dabbing dry with toilet paper, you aren't getting as much in terms of savings. If you plan on using a clean towel to dry off like you would after a shower, it is likely more environmentally friendly. If you're purchasing a model with a built-in dryer, the energy to run that dryer is a factor to consider.
While many bidet companies are using sustainability as a selling point in their marketing, you have to evaluate whether or not that is actually true for where you live, how you dry off, and how much toilet paper you use compared to how much water you use from your bidet.
Septic Tank & Sewer Friendly
If you aren't putting toilet paper and wipes into your toilet, less material is going into your sewer or septic tank that needs to be degraded. If you have a septic tank, this can mean longer periods of time between tank servicing and drainage, and a reduced risk of septic back-up problems. Even if you have access to the convenience of city sewer systems, that paper waste doesn't disappear on its own. The city handles the waste management for you (for a fee). Someone still has to deal with things like wet wipes that don't naturally degrade on their own and can clog up sewer systems.
Cultural Sensitivity & International Travel
Some places in the world don't use toilet paper at all. Installing a bidet in your home can make guests more comfortable to know that they have options that are more familiar to them if you have friends from other countries.
It can also be nice to try using a bidet and get used to them before you travel abroad. International travel is meant to be a fun adventure, and bathroom anxiety can put a damper on your experience. Trying out a bidet in the comfort of your own home may be preferable where you can control the experience.
Independence When Injured
If you've ever hurt your back, your shoulder, your elbow, or your hand, going to the bathroom can be a painful adventure. The bending, twisting, and reaching required to wipe can all of a sudden be painful, or even impossible. After some shoulder and back surgeries, patients are given surgical precautions that forbid bending and twisting, or require them to not use their arm at all for several weeks. Some elbow injuries might make it hard to reach to wipe, and hand problems may make it difficult to hold the toilet paper.
Even if you have a very close and supportive family, you still most likely would rather not ask for help with wiping your bottom. Bidets are a cleaning option that let you get clean independently without needing to awkwardly call a family member for help.
Obesity Friendly Hygiene
For individuals who overweight or obese, it can also be difficult to clean their bottoms fully after going to the bathroom. Carrying extra weight can make it difficult to bend and reach to wipe and clean your body well.
Extra adipose tissue can also cause your skin to rub and bump up against itself. The friction on your skin can lead to chaffing and irritation, which can be painful if you have to wipe toilet paper across it.
Sweat Management
If you're someone who gets sweaty from your workouts, bidets can help you clean up between showers. If your gluteal cleft gets sweaty, or you are a male who experiences scrotal sweating, bidets can help keep your body cleaner and smelling more fresh.
Dyspareunia & Urinary Frequency
Females who experience pain with sex, also called dyspareunia, especially those who experience entry pain with initial penetration, sometimes have irritability in their skin. Reducing the amount of friction and pressure from wiping can be beneficial.
When you stop and think about it, females generally wipe more often than males do due to the anatomical differences in the way they urinate. If you consider how raw the skin on your nose gets when using tissues to blow your nose while you're sick, it's reasonable to say that the same effect can occur for females with repeated wiping. If you are wiping to get clean rather than dabbing off water after using a bidet to get dry, it is likely more abrasive to your skin. This is especially important if you urinate frequently. If you struggle with urinary frequency, check out our Bladder Boot Camp post for an introduction to getting bladder issues under control.
We should note, however, that if you are urinating frequently because of a pregnancy, there are some extra topics to discuss (see: Pregnancy Pro-Tips: Bidets & Babies (coming soon)).
Swelling Management
The cool water function on a bidet can actually be soothing for individuals who are struggling with swelling. This is a common problem for women during their menstrual cycle, and people with pelvic vascular diseases (also called pelvic congestion syndrome). It's also convenient for women who experience swelling and inflammation with sexual activity. Water does an excellent job of conducting heat and can help cool off areas that are painful and inflamed.
It's also convenient for males experiencing epididymal hypertension (commonly called "blue balls") or women experiencing Blue Vulva. Instead of having to "take a cold shower" the cold can be applied locally instead.
This can also be a game changer for people with inflammatory bowel issues, or difficulty emptying their bowels fully. If swelling in the pelvic floor is restricting the opening for you to pass stool out of the body, cool water can help reduce the swelling and make bowel movements easier.
Menopause Conscious
Bidets can be a good investment for aging people for more than just orthopedic reasons, to make life easier when managing injuries and recovering after surgeries. Menopausal hormone changes can lead to dryness and more fragile skin tissue for women in the vaginal and vulvar area. While there are treatments available for these issues, in the form of hormone replacement medication that can be discussed with a physician, not all patients are comfortable with these treatments.
The dryness and changes in skin tissue that are common during menopause can make both wiping and sexual activity painful. If you can only tolerate so much friction on fragile skin, spraying with a bidet, instead of wiping with toilet paper, can help save your skin for sex. Bidets may also help to reduce friction on these skin tissues and make going to the bathroom more comfortable.
Conclusions:
In closing, there are many benefits to using bidets for different groups of people. There are a lot of factors to consider in whether toilet paper, or a bidet are right for you.
This article is intended for educational purposes and is not a replacement for individual medical advice. If you would like recommendations based on your unique situation, click Book Online to schedule an evaluation appointment with a pelvic floor physical therapist.
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