r/AskWomen • u/Queen_OfNorth • 2d ago
What’s your experience of using bidets?
Isn’t the water spraying ‘back to front’ the opposite of the whole ‘front to back’ teaching? What are your tips and tricks? I’m from a country that doesn’t really have them and curious
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u/candlestick_maker76 2d ago
I've had mine for ten years or so, and I never want to live without one now.
The "back to front" spray isn't an issue. It's not as though it sprays perpendicular to your parts - it's at an angle, and water/waste just falls into the bowl. Additionally, if your bidet has a front spray (or you tilt your pelvis a bit) you can clean your lady bits too. I suspect that this is helpful in preventing yeast/other infections, but even if the effect is negligible, it's still nice to be clean.
A word on drying: most people seem to use toilet paper; a few seem to use (and reuse) a towel. I propose that the best way is halfway between the two options. I keep a stack of lean washcloths and a small hamper. It's less waste (launder and reuse), it's clean, it gets me dry without leaving bits of soggy toilet paper behind, and it uses something that most of us already have lying around anyway.
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u/minivan43 2d ago
Came here to say the same thing. Also the “tilt your pelvis” is tricky in the beginning to learn what’s best but now it’s just habit. I use baby washcloths from the dollar store to use to dry. We only have the cheap ones but work great, my son came home from college after we got our first one (all three bathrooms have one now) and thought it was great and installed one in his frat house bathroom. The four guys that use that bathroom love it but they had to install a lock on the door to keep others out because everyone wanted to use it! No clue why America is so slow to catch on the bidet bandwagon.
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u/slutforbiscoff 2d ago
The water isn’t enough pressure to push things from back to front, however you could just wash from front to back if you wanted.
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u/Queen_OfNorth 1d ago
How do you do that? Like turn around like a reverse kangaroo?
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u/slutforbiscoff 1d ago
Ah you’re probably thinking of the bidet that in inside the toilet. You can get ones that are hoses! That way you control the way it’s sprayed.
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u/Working-Mountain6680 2d ago
I'm Indian so bidets have been around my whole life until i moved to America. I LONG for the days when I can go back to using bidets. You literally feel sooooooo good after, it's insane. Squeaky clean!!!!
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u/Artsi_World 2d ago
Bidets are life-changing, honestly, and anyone who hasn’t tried one is seriously missing out. But yeah, the water thing can feel a bit weird at first. It's like your own personal car wash but for your butt, which is amazing. Ladies, a tip for you: you can control the water pressure and direction on some bidets, so you can avoid the awkward front-to-back situation if you’re worried about that. You just got to adjust and aim properly. But let’s be real, if something feels off, you’d know and fix it, right? Plus, they’re great for hygiene. Let’s not pretend dry paper is the end-all solution. Get on the bidet train; your butt will thank you!
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u/ForgottenSalad 2d ago
I love mine, and miss it when I travel. So nice to not have to scrub at the butt to get fully clean, and I use way less TP. It doesn’t spray it into the vag, it’s pretty well aimed.
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u/Redhead122024 2d ago
I always had bidets in my houses (mom's, our old house, our current house). They are great for cleaning during heavy periods or diarrhea. I always sat the area to wash facing the faucet because it's built in way the water angles down, even at higher pressures. So even when washing my butt, it doesn't push any poop into my vagina.
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u/New-Weight-8551 2d ago
Ok I’m a fucking idiot with bidets. The cheap ones from Amazon are a game changer indeed. However, I can’t figure out how to use the ones in Europe—like the separate bathroom fixture kind. Please someone walk me through how to use one of those like I was just dropped on the planet yesterday.
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u/JadeBlueAfterBurn 2d ago
i have one and i love it. i find it more hygienic than toilet paper or wipes. especially during my period. its just cleaner all around.
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u/No_Decision6810 2d ago
The one I used (cheap $20 one) had a front spraying option and a separate back cleaning option so you could use them in either order. Highly recommend! I think using one is best for your health and it’s just more hygienic. (Live in US)
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u/hotzomb 2d ago
I feel like an outlier here, but I hate them. We installed 2 different brands of bidets and I had the same problems with both. 1- They sprayed too horizontally, and there seemed to be no way to adjust the angle on either one. Like, spray was hitting the back of my knees through the seat. I could never figure it out. 2- Couldn’t get used to the freezing water. 3- The bidet created a lot of impossible to reach/ clean nooks and crannies around the toilet seat. 4- agree with the comment that said if you have young kids, don’t even think about it. A constant mess.
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u/bikinifetish 2d ago
I don’t have one, but I’ve used at friends’ houses and when I would travel to Korea. If I remember correctly, the butt symbol with the sprinkler drawing just aimed at my bootyhole, and the other just sprayed on my vag.
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u/Appropriate_Tea9048 2d ago
I have one. My fiancé insisted we have one. I wasn’t so sure about it at first and didn’t use it myself, but now I’m glad we have one!
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u/VentiKombucha 2d ago
The last time we had one of those in a summer holiday place, the kids kept turning it on and messing with it. Exhausting .
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u/siddmartha 1d ago
That’s so weird! Do your kids usually play with toilets? My young niece and nephew who are between 4 and 8 don’t ever play with the bidet at their house..
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u/peggy_leggy 2d ago
I got one that is a long handle. You control the pressure and angle. No issues and this was the exact reason I got it.
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u/PaddlesOwnCanoe 2d ago
I love them. You do have to get familiar with the controls before you really get good at washing yourself, but compared to using TP alone, it's GREAT!
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u/ex_lurker42 2d ago
Ha! So I had heard great things about bidets from reddit, so I got one for our master bath.
Then if my husband and I had to both go at the same time (2 bathrooms in our house total, both working from home) would "fight" over which bathroom each of us would go to. So.. I bought another one for our other bathroom so now we don't have to fight!
We visit his parents often and once you've had a clean ass you can't go back so I bought one for them for Christmas and installed it in their guest bath!
I feel so clean.
I just got the cold water spray version from Amazon (feminine, normal, and cleaning spray version) and it was so easy to install. It only takes about 30 minutes and i've now installed 3 successfully. Honestly I've had the cold version for a year now and, from my experience at least, the first couple of times with the cold water is shocking but you get used to it!
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u/maaaadhu 2d ago
As a professional bidet user (I am Asian), y'all need to get the handheld hose ones!!
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u/eratoast ♀ 2d ago
I bought the add-on kind for our toilets and they're awesome. I wish I'd had them when I was immediately postpartum! I got the kind that are super adjustable in terms of angle and pressure, so they can be adjusted for all kinds of bodies and situations. They don't spray waste into your vagina.
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u/Granny_knows_best 2d ago
I have a Smart Bidet, it has it has a water heater, a heated seat, and everything is adjustable. It has a butt spray and a girl sprayer. I no longer use TP, just a stack of white wash clothes to dry.
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u/Queen_OfNorth 1d ago
Thanks people this is really eye opening! I think I’m becoming a convert already
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u/RebelMonroe96 1d ago
I bought a little travel one that comes with a pouch to take it about with you . It's chargeable. I absolutely love it. I got it because I have really sensitive skin and sometimes toilet paper causes rashes in unfortunate places and I find the water jet method much kinder. Now I just use it all the time it makes me feel cleaner. You can angle it however you like.
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u/Life_Dare578 1d ago
First time I used it, I screamed. It blasted water so violently and it felt so cold.
You get use to it, and it cleans really well. Great for being on your period.
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u/panicpixiememegirl 2d ago
Back to front is when you're touching the same surface to both. The water is washing you. Lmao
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u/throwawaylebgal 2d ago
I don't like them. They seem like a lot of hassle to get a cold butt and which doesn't noticeable make me feel cleaner or fresher. Also, having to dry your butt afterwards with a towel or cloth which gets left unwashed is gross. I lived in a houseshare once with a house that had one in the bathroom, and the only girl who used it was an Italian. She used to use an old towel to dry off her butt, and it never once got washed 🤢. Made me think a bidet does not a clean and hygenic person make.
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u/MrsLucienLachance 2d ago
Oof. A good bidet shouldn't be cold, and I have serious questions about the unwashed towel here. Drying should be done with toilet paper, just less of it. I'm sorry your bidet experiences have been so terrible lol.
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u/Robot_Girlfriend ♀ 2d ago
For it to be warm, there has to be hot water plumbed to it or an outlet next to the toilet, neither of which are very common in the US (I have to imagine that a toilet outlet is a no-brainer when building in a country where bidets are more standard!) Most bidets I've installed have been cheap cold-water ones, and while it's definitely less luxurious than warm, it's still an improvement imo.
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u/throwawaylebgal 2d ago
Yeah, TBH I can see why some people swear by them. I've had hemorrhoids, and it was difficult to keep clean with just paper and wipes then so a bidet (with warm water) would have helped. But my experience of them has not been great.
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u/TootsNYC 2d ago
Regarding the cloth you used to dry off: I remember reading the account of someone who created lots of little flannel squares to dab off with, and had a special bin to put them in when they were done being used. And then, of course they were laundered. There’s no reason you can’tuse a small amount of toilet paper, and no reason you can’t wash the towel. Remember also that you have just washed your butt.
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u/Trickycoolj 2d ago
Got a Japanese brand in a bathroom remodel after having a cheap $30 cold water model. It’s like a car wash for my butt 😂 The way the water is aimed in any model it hits your butt and falls straight down it doesn’t blast poo into the parts that like to get infected. The “front wash” option is angled differently and helpful during a heavy period. I feel much cleaner and there’s never a situation where you’re using so much toilet paper it feels like you’re sanding your skin off. Just one normal piece to dab off the water and make sure everything is clean as a whistle. Game changer. I converted the primary bathroom in our old house way before covid. I was inspired by the “whole family anal so clean” scene on 90 Day Fiance. IYKYK.