Bidet attachments are specific types of devices designed to attach to an existing toilet and provide bidet functionality – and sometimes more. It’s one of the easiest ways to get a bidet into your bathroom, and it can introduce you to other features as well, but if you’re a skeptic of such devices, you might need some more convincing. What are the benefits of getting a bidet attachment?
What Is a Bidet Attachment?
A bidet attachment is a device designed to fit underneath your existing toilet seat. Once installed, you’ll be able to use its spray wand or nozzle to clean your underside after using the bathroom.
It’s difficult to expand upon that simplistic definition, because there are so many different types of bidet attachments available to consumers. You can find attachments with different types of spray lawns and nozzles. You can find attachments with secondary luxury features, such as a heated toilet seat. You can find attachments that are equipped with precise controls for things like temperature and pressure, as well as attachments that are much more minimalistic.
In any case, this bathroom fixture was invented to bring the bidet experience to people who don’t want to invest the time and money into installing a standalone bidet.
The Practical Elements
So why should you get one of these attachments?
Let’s start by looking at some of the practical elements that we need to consider.
- Inexpensiveness: Bidet attachments are relatively inexpensive. Remodeling a bathroom can be very expensive, so people tend to be understandably skeptical of any proposed changes to that environment. But the reality is, bidet attachments are affordable to almost anyone. Depending on whether you want all the bells and whistles, you can probably find one for $100 or less. If you want something a bit more luxurious and state-of-the-art, you’ll probably spend a few hundred dollars. As we’ll see, this cost is likely worth it.
- No major plumbing changes necessary: If you want to install a traditional standalone bidet in the United States, you’ll probably need to undertake major plumbing changes. Traditional bidets, like toilets, require a dedicated water line and available space in your bathroom. If you don’t have the budget for a bathroom remodel, this is out of the question – but bidet attachments offer a reasonable alternative.
- Easy installation: Installing a bidet attachment is designed to be as simple and straightforward as possible, in an attempt to appeal to a wider audience. You can pay someone to install the attachment for you, but if you follow the instructions included with the attachment, you probably won’t have any problems doing it yourself. Once installed, you can enjoy the attachment for years – and if well cared for, indefinitely.
- Options and availability: People also love the wide range of options available for bidet attachments. You can find something that is perfectly suited for your budget or your bathroom needs, whatever those happen to be. Also, thanks in part to the explosion in bidet popularity, you can find attachments sold by a wide variety of retailers.
The Long-Term Benefits
There are also many long term benefits of using a bidet to clean up after in the bathroom:
- A cleaner feeling: People often notice the cleaner feeling that they have when using a bidet, rather than toilet paper. This is natural, and reflective of a much more hygienic experience. The easiest way to conceptualize this is imagining the difference between washing your hands and the sink and wiping them off with a paper towel; wiping them off with a paper towel is better than nothing, but it’s not as clean or satisfying as washing with water.
- Exceptional comfort: The experience is also more comfortable. For many people, even the softest toilet paper has a rough texture that’s hard to mitigate. Wiping excessively can be uncomfortable, bordering on painful. But this experience is much more pleasant when you’re washing with water.
- Faster bathroom visits: It’s much faster to clean yourself with an attachment than it is to wipe with toilet paper in most cases. With an attachment installed, you’ll spend much less time overall in the bathroom.
- No more toilet paper: The average person spends $30 a year on toilet paper at the absolute minimum. If you splurge on better products, you could end up paying $100 or more. If you have a household with four people in it, that could be $400 of annual spending. With an attachment installed on your toilet, you could cut that to almost nothing, more than paying for the bidet attachment in just a year or two.
- No more clogs: Since you won’t be using nearly as much of the paper, toilet clogs are going to be a thing of the past. If you find yourself constantly using the plunger to get rid of excessive toilet paper clogs, an attachment could be highly valuable.
- Environmental benefits: Some people are reluctant to use bidets because they feel they waste water, and are therefore bad for the environment. But the opposite is true. Bidets are considered much more environmentally friendly than using toilet paper. That’s partially because it takes such an insane amount of water to produce even a single roll of toilet paper.
- Reduced risk of hemorrhoids: Another benefit of using the bidet attachment in your bathroom is reducing your risk of hemorrhoids and certain other medical complications.
- A conversation starter: Having a bidet attachment in your bathroom could also be an interesting conversation starter if your friends are relatively open minded and willing to talk about potentially taboo topics.
What’s Stopping You?
So what’s stopping you from getting a bidet attachment?
Even after reading about all these benefits and more, some people are reluctant or shy about moving forward with the purchase. Status quo preferences are natural, so it’s understandable that many people want to stick with toilet paper simply because it’s what they’ve always known. But if you’re looking for an overall better bathroom experience, and a cleaner and more comfortable one, a bidet attachment could be exactly what you need.
