We are in the process of designing a new house from scratch, and would really appreciate feedback on up-market bidets as a first install rather than a retrofit. In our current house, we have an old-fashioned bidet which I love as a way to control what I call crutch-rot. You sit facing the wall, will the bidet bowl with water, wash the difficult bits very easily, then drain the water out and dry with a hand-towel. However we have been looking at the Japanese options, which seem to be fairly common in the USA but virtually unknown in Australia. I think that you sit back-to-the wall, but I’m still not sure. As for many people with a back problem, twisting around to wipe my backside can be difficult and painful, so a wash and hot-air dry is very interesting. From a space and finances point of view, sticking to a new model ‘washlet’ could be a good option in a new-build, rather than waiting for a retrofit on top of a standard toilet. Yes, very expensive, but perhaps worth it?
I would be really grateful for some feedback on the options. Is a purpose built toilet-washlet the best option? Is a washlet seat OK? - as good as the whole purpose built thing? And can you use the toilet and flush normally, without having to use the squirt and warm air options?
Please follow posters, please give me the benefit of your experience!
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The last straw for me was thinking about finding someone to fix the super-dooper job in Alice Springs, if something failed in its complicated internal workings. In your dreams! NTWH, we discussed a trip to Japan to investigate, but thought it was going over the top a bit!
I am really grateful. I have digestion issues, my sister is disabled, and DH and I (and our friends) are getting older. Retrofit solutions are usually messy and expensive, so I wanted to get this right instead of waiting for things to get worse. Yours with thanks Margaret
Japanese restrooms overall are on another level. Picture the nicest restroom you have ever been to. Most Japanese public bathrooms, even on a train, will outclass that. A restroom in a nice hotel, office building or shopping center will be like you stepped onto the set of a science fiction movie. I've met foreigners who are so overwhelmed, they just stand there baffled how to proceed. Too many buttons. Just because there are so many buttons doesn't mean you have to all of them or any of them. Just let the toilet guide you.
In Tokyo, Toto has a showroom for you to see all these wonders. Otherwise, you'll have to make do with their website.
https://www.toto.com/
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Lots of people have mentioned the simple sprayer attachments for a regular toilet, I wouldn't consider that unless I could hook one up to a system allowing me to adjust the temperature.
Oh yeah, I should mention that when it came to cleaning up my mother I was lucky enough to be able to reach the toilet with the hand held shower, all the mess was in the toilet and easily flushed away and she got a nice warm wash.
For cleaning up diarrhoea or after removing pull-ups, a bidet ought to be a really good idea, with many more advantages than the original purpose of washing before and after sex. It is a pity that what I usually find is footage of young people’s surprised faces at being squirted in an unusual place, or ‘they are a wonderful idea’ with no real detail.
I’m quite disappointed! At present I think we’ll go for a toilet and an old fashioned bidet, and perhaps consider changing the toilet seat if we find that would be better in the future. If anyone has more information, I would love to hear it.
Although there is a lot of chat on this forum about bidets of all kinds I don't think most North Americans have encountered one unless it was on their world travels, in fact I doubt most have even heard of them. There are some very interesting videos available on YouTube if you haven't look there,
I have joked that I wish there was a bidet showroom available where a person could try before you buy - can you imagine that in your mind's eye? 🤣
Where is this 'showroom', so I can plan my next vacation?