History

The bidet appears to have been an invention of French furniture makers in the late 17th or early 18th century, although no exact date or inventor is known. Theories exist that its inventor is Christophe Des Rosiers, furniture maker for the French Royal Family, but Marc-Antoine Jacoud is also rumored to have been the inventor. The earliest written reference to the bidet is in 1710. By 1900, due to plumbing improvements, the bidet (and chamber pot) moved from the bedroom to the bathroom. 1960 saw the introduction of the electronic bidet, an attachment which connects on to existing toilet arrangements — ideal for bathrooms lacking the space for a separate bidet and toilet.

Usage

Bidets are primarily used to wash and clean the genitalia, inner buttocks, and anus. They may also be used to clean any other part of the body; they are very convenient for cleaning the feet, for example. Despite appearing similar to a toilet, it would be more accurate to compare it to the washbasin or bathtub. In fact, the bidet is used by some for a baby bath.

Users who are unfamiliar with bidets often confuse a bidet with a urinal, toilet, or even a drinking fountain. It is generally understood that the user should sit on a bidet facing the tap and nozzle but may also sit with back to the tap and wall.

Bidets are made in several different designs. They may have one tap which pours (usually warm) water into a china basin. The basin can be plugged and filled if necessary, or the water can be allowed to drain away. Other bidets have a nozzle which propels an arc of water up into the air. This jet of water is angled to easily attain the perianal and genital area.

Bidets are common bathroom fixtures in many southern European countries (especially Italy, Spain, Portugal, and Greece), some Latin American countries (especially Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay; there they are found in approximately 90% of householdsFact: date=July 2008), the Middle East and some parts of Asia (particularly in Japan, India, Sri Lanka and South Korea). Although France is the country where the word bidet originated, not every house is equipped with one, especially the smaller or cheaper flats.

Integration of toilet and bidet

A bidet may also be a nozzle attached to an existing toilet, or a part of the toilet itself. In this case, its use is restricted to cleaning the anus and genitals. Some bidets of this type have two nozzles, 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 women to wash their vulva. These bidets are often controlled electronically rather than with a traditional tap, and some have an element under the seat which heats up to dry the user after washing. These bidet toilets have been popular in countries like India, and Sri Lanka since British colonial days, as the use of just dry toilet paper to clean the perianal area is considered dirty and unhygienic in these tropical regions. The nozzle is sometimes controlled with an external tap within the reach of the hand. Traditionally, local style squatting toilets have been more common in India and are more convenient to most Indians, especially of the lower classes. But with the rise of westernization, western style pots have started becoming more common, and the most convenient way to wash the perianal area with these pots is simply to attach a bidet nozzle.