Best Bidet

December 29, 2009 2:10 PM

Bidet - the best reasonably priced one, and do I need a new toilet with a built-in one?

My back is getting old and creaky, and I have trouble cleaning myself after defecating. A bidet seems to be the solution, but the prices run from $30 for a kitchen-sink nozzle on a hose to over $5,000 for a Japanese combination toilet/bidet with fans, a heater and a top that opens automatically when you walk up to it.

Is there a really good bidet that replaces the toilet seat? Or are they all awful, so I should go into the $thousands$ for one integrated into a new toilet? (I don't have room for separates.)

Many thanks for the wisdom of others who are aging with less grace than we thought we would.

posted by KRS to Health & Fitness (6 answers total)

All I can say is that you're making the right decision. My moms house has one and its great. Outs is a Japanese combination toilet bidet thing called a Washlet by the brand Toto. It has a heated seat and warms up the bidet water too. Has a variety of different spray directions. Love using it to clean up even though I am not old. Everyone who comes over thinks its weird until they try it and then they're sold. Good luck finding the one for you!
posted by BusyBusyBusy at 2:32 PM on December 29, 2009

Major bidet advocate here: I have this $60 easy add-on to a conventional toilet model and my wife and I both think it is the best purchase we made last year (I even bought a few of them for friends and family as gifts). It gets rapidly more complicated/expensive if you desire hot water, heated seat, etc. Personally, I don't mind the cold water splash. I still have to blot dry with a wad of TP so if you are incapacitated, maybe you need a more thorough system. But this simple little thing seriously changed my life.
posted by surfgator at 3:25 PM on December 29, 2009 [2 favorites]

Another Toto Washlet owner here. It's just a replacement for your standard toilet seat; you have to hook up to a power source (plug into an outlet) and hook into your toilet's water supply, so you don't need to purchase and install a whole new toilet. My favorite feature is the heated seat but the various cleansing spray settings do come in handy as well. It has a remote control to adjust the angle, pressure, and temperature of the water. And it has a built-in blow dryer.
posted by ellenaim at 3:26 PM on December 29, 2009

I bought a portable bidet several months ago and it's my favorite purchase of the year. You really don't need something very expensive to get the job done. Mine was $30 and works like a charm.
posted by HotPatatta at 3:27 PM on December 29, 2009

I can't see myself able to relax while sitting bare-arsed on a wet electrical appliance, so I'd go for the separate. But maybe I'm just old-fashioned.
posted by flabdablet at 9:43 PM on December 29, 2009

i was inspired by this thread (and my chapped ass) to pick up a Luxe Bidet MB110 (http://www.amazon.com/dp/B001KKRCFA), very easy to install, and my initial impression is that it's pretty spiffy. note that you'll want to have teflon tape around for the installation.

i also think that the highest pressure setting might double as a waterjet cutter, but i will probably try adjusting the supply valve to mellow that out a bit.
posted by rmd1023 at 6:29 PM on January 11, 2010