Avoid the Corona Virus toilet paper buying frenzy with this luxury bathroom alternative. The bidet can be an attachment to an ordinary toilet or a separate bathroom device used in addition to a toilet. What’s it do? Primarily, it provides a cleansing spurt of water to the user’s rear.
The Bidet has been around since at least 1726. As an integral part of civilized life, even Marie Antoinette was granted a red-trimmed one while awaiting the guillotine. She was in a dank, rat-infested cell, but her right to freshen up would not be denied.
We use these paper-free cleaning systems in the United States far less than overseas where they are common bathroom fixtures. In Italy, the installation of a bidet in a bathroom has been mandatory since 1975. However, luxury homeowners and environmentally-conscious consumers in the US are opting for the bidet instead of tree sourced toilet paper products.
Bidets are the source of many comedians jokes but owners of these bathroom devices love them. Why? “You wouldn’t wash your dirty dishes with dry paper”. A bidet provides a refreshing sploosh of cleansing water, so all you may need is a pat dry.
The “butt-cleaning bowls” and seats range wildly in price, from around $25 for an accessory that attaches to a regular toilet and offers a stream of water at the turn of a nob, to Kohler’s $7,000 “Numi 2.0” toilet with bidet unveiled at the recent Consumer Electronics Show that has ambient colored lighting, Bluetooth music syncing, a seat heater and a warm-air dryer. Unlike toilet paper, these items are available online and in stores.
If you are in the market for a new luxury home. Read the Luxury Home Buyer Guide and don’t forget to look for the bidet! Learn more from Consumer Reports.