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Once upon a time, a lonely French carpenter dabbled with the material at hand and by accident constructed something that we use to this day. For centuries, this invention was considered a taboo in its country of origin, mostly because people were too shy to inquire about its proper use, which to it being marked as unsanitary, and therefore a source of numerous contagious diseases. You might have already guessed that the enigmatic invention is the bidet as we know it today. It is true that the first one was designed and constructed in France, but the inventor and the exact date of origin are enshrouded by a veil of mystery. All this is not topical today, unlike the bidet which is more than ever needed because of the positive effect it has on the environment and our health.
Saving the Earth by installing a bidet?
The main advantage of a bidet over a conventional toilet bowl is the fact that you do not need to buy toilet paper. You might ironically reply: “big difference,” but it really is on a global level. In America alone, some 36 billion rolls of toilet paper are used each year, for which tens of millions of trees need to be fallen. The paper industry uses even more energy to transport and process timber, which adds to the overall pollution level needed to produce a single roll of paper you use within a few days. On the other side, if you switch to bidets, then you are only left with a kitchen paper towel, which accounts for only 10% of household paper consumption. In other words, if you stop using toilet paper, over the years you will help preserve tens of trees.
Health benefits
If you find protecting the environment too complicated and a distant topic, then surely your health is something palpable. This is perhaps the biggest advantage of a bidet, quite contrary to the false folk beliefs of the old times. Firstly, the use of water is better because water is a universal solvent and it cleans the entire residue, unlike paper which cleans only superficially, giving only the impression of cleanliness. Furthermore, skin diseases are contracted through dirty hands in 80% of the cases. Whether we are willing to admit or not, polls show that almost half of people who use the toilet do not wash their hands afterwards. Since a typical bidet, especially the attachable hands-free bidet, decreases direct skin-to-skin contact, it significantly lowers the spreading of disease, and much more.
Bidets use water to operate, so skin comes in contact with a jet of soothing water. This is important for people who have skin conditions, haemorrhoids or simply sensitive skin. When they use toilet paper which is rough on the skin, they can experience the feeling of discomfort and even pain. New mothers can also benefit from using a bidet as their body returns to normal after childbirth.
Clog prevention
Everyone who uses toilet paper knows what can happen if too much of it ends up in the bowl. Clogs occur quite often, especially in public toilets. If they happen in home plumbing, then you have to pay to set your bowl free, that is if the sewer pipe doesn’t burst before that. If your septic system is old, then even overflows can occur, destroying your bathroom and increasing the total damage cost. Bidets use running water so it is virtually impossible for them to clog the plumbing. Quite the contrary, the constant outflow of water can only keep the pipes unobstructed at all times.
Decreased costs
We discussed how discarding toilet paper can help the environment, but it can also relieve your home budget. Although the core design of a bidet had not changed over the centuries, they have become more modern and you can easily order bidets online. This means that their price is lower than the one of conventional toilet bowls. They can even be found in the form of an add-on to a conventional bowl, with a significantly lower price. The biggest thing you will save money on is the lack of the need to purchase toilet paper every week or month. Trees will not have to be cut down and your wallet will not be any thinner. It’s a win-win scenario.
Bidets are no longer a taboo in our time and neither should your health be. By installing a bidet, you are not just making a fashion statement, but you are making an investment in your health. Not to mention that you are both saving the planet and money in the process. The way that life influences our health so we have to make sure it gets all the help it can get. When it comes to the bathroom area, bidets are the best way to go in order to stay healthy.
And just like Mahatma Gandhi once said: “It is health that is a real wealth and not pieces of gold and silver.”
