Bidet or not to bidet?

November 3, 2022 12:24 PM

Am considering getting a bidet for my apartment bathroom. Some questions under the fold.

After some research, decided getting a bidet might be better and more productive; not to mention saving money and the environment. After talking with my apartment management, the maintenance team would install the bidet (and subsequently, uninstall it when I move out), but I was told they would not be held responsible if anything went wrong.

My questions are:

1) What is the likelihood that, if properly installed, something will go wrong (ie, leaks)?
2) If a leak does occur and cause damage, would my renters insurance cover the damage done to my apartment and/or others' apartments?

The bidet in question

The linked bidet above is what I'm considering (and what my friend also recommended to me), and has all the items needed to install. The items/tools are plastic, however, which I'm a bit nervous about, and saw mixed reviews about. I'm also open to other bidet recommendations, if one worked well for you.

posted by dubious_dude to Home & Garden (22 answers total)

I have a Tushy bidet. It's plastic on the booty part but has all metal connections for the plumbing. I installed it rather ineptly myself a little over 2 years ago and have had zero problems.

Worst case scenario the connection tube from the water intake breaks, and it sprays water for a period of time you're out of house and can't see it. This is something your renter's insurance would generally cover, but you should check your individual policy terms to be very sure about that.
posted by phunniemee at 12:28 PM on November 3, 2022 [4 favorites]

We installed a Toto Washlet about three or four years ago. There is no greater risk of leaks than there is with simply having a toilet in the room. We have had no problems or regrets. You'll wonder why you didn't get one earlier once you have it installed.
posted by TrialByMedia at 12:38 PM on November 3, 2022 [3 favorites]

We have the toto washlet which is electric and warms the water which is important when the cold tap of the water in chicago gets down to very very chilly in the wintertime and is a rather a shock to clean with without the heat feature.The remote is expensive to replace and I know because my lovely child ran water through all of it and it is currently unusable until we fork over 150 usd for the remote or hack it in some way. But the toto washlet itself works great and no problems with it.


We used a similar device to you prior and while it worked and did its job, it was very cold! It mostly rinsed dirty cloth diapers and looked like this. That link is the first one that came up, not an endorsement to the product at all.

Had a mild leak at some point that needed a little plumber's tape and a bit tighter, but no catastrophic failure or anything like that.
posted by AlexiaSky at 12:41 PM on November 3, 2022

I have Luxe Neo Bidet (different model) in my apt. bathroom. It's awesome, one of the best purchases ever. No problems installing it, no leaks since.

Also: you should buy directly from the company! Same price as Amazon (well, $1 more), they usually offer free shipping (or you can probably find a coupon online), and you cut Bezos out of the mix! It's a win-win, for your butt and the world.
posted by Saxon Kane at 12:52 PM on November 3, 2022 [8 favorites]

Every bidet I've seen has the plumbing connection being made outside the wall. If that's the case with you then even if there is a leak you'll notice it pretty quickly and will be able to do something about it. Whenever I've done any plumbing stuff my worry has always been the leaks I can't see.
posted by any portmanteau in a storm at 1:14 PM on November 3, 2022 [3 favorites]

The installation of these is really really simple. It just goes into the water line on the toilet. You can check the connections after the maintenance people do it to make sure you are comfortable. It's all very accessible. As long as the connections are tight and no plastic broke that is leaking, Your management company is just saying if something happens with leaks, it is your responsibility. Which means if any of the water line parts break causing a leak and water damage.

I wouldn't worry about it. Honestly I wouldn't even talk to the management people and would just put that on my toilet even in a rental and not think twice about it.
posted by cmm at 1:25 PM on November 3, 2022 [1 favorite]

Oh, since it's a rental, I'd also recommend that you plan on buying another one whenever you move. While you can remove them and take them with you, the bidet in even a very clean bathroom will get a bit... funk-trocious, so you probably won't want to take it with you.

(Side note: another reason I bought mine directly from the company is that I read some negative reviews on Amazon claiming that they'd been shipped a USED bidet, complete with pee/poop stains. No thank you!)
posted by Saxon Kane at 2:26 PM on November 3, 2022 [2 favorites]

I have Luxe Neo Bidet (different model) in my apt. bathroom. It's awesome, one of the best purchases ever. No problems installing it, no leaks since.

Me too, and me too, and me too. Super simple to install, you'll see the leak if one develops, and your butt will thank you.
posted by AgentRocket at 2:26 PM on November 3, 2022 [1 favorite]

I had the same Luxe model that you're considering and I hated it. It worked fine overall but the knobs are very cheap and kept breaking. If you do end up getting one please buy the metal T-adapter; the plastic one leaked for me.

I ended up going with a Bio Bidet SlimEdge and I like it much better. The controls are better quality plus it just looks nicer.
posted by mezzanayne at 2:40 PM on November 3, 2022

I've had a simple bidet for years now. Installation was trivial (turn off knob that's already there, unscrew hose, screw in the 'T' like thing, screw back on original hose, screw on hose to bidet. Attaching under seat is no more difficult. Zero issues. You just need an adjustable wrench. Zero problems. Easy Peasy. (It can be cold sometimes.... :) In my house it can also be rather hot sometimes..... You get used to that. As others have said, it's all outside the wall and even if it leaks because you need to tighten it down some more, it's going to be a drip. It's probably not going to explode one night and spew water everywhere anymore than your toilet might anyways.
posted by zengargoyle at 3:26 PM on November 3, 2022

I've got the same Luxe model and love it. It's the only one I've owned or tried, outside of a high-tech toilet with built-in bidet features.

I agree the knobs can break, though I've only broken 1 in a year. You can order replacements from Luxe directly. If you're ordering from Luxe, you might as well replace it.
posted by Sunburnt at 3:29 PM on November 3, 2022 [1 favorite]

I've lived in five different apartments in the past ten years (dang...) and had a new and different bidet attachment in every one (I agree with those who are saying they get grody enough that you won't want to uninstall and move it to your next rental). Honestly they've all been great. Installation is very easy. I did have a small problem with a leak once from a connection that wasn't perfectly secure - as others have said, it's out in the open so you will notice because there will be a puddle of water on the ground that you weren't expecting. I checked all the connections and left a tray on the ground under where the puddle had formed for a few weeks just to make sure it didn't start up again, no further problems.
posted by telegraph at 4:17 PM on November 3, 2022 [1 favorite]

I have that one. I installed it in a temporary apartment we were living in in about 10 minutes with a Leatherman. It's fine. Easy. Nothing will be more risky than what you already have. Do it. Welcome to having an actually clean backside.
posted by chasles at 5:01 PM on November 3, 2022 [1 favorite]

I just use a hand held travel bidet.
posted by spinifex23 at 5:09 PM on November 3, 2022 [1 favorite]

Also ordered a Luxe model in August (with the additions of lady parts stream plus hot water) and love it. I was going to tell my husband to not worry about the hot water line for now but he installed it before I could say anything and it was easier than I imagined.
posted by icaicaer at 6:52 PM on November 3, 2022 [1 favorite]

I've installed three (well, tried to install the third but failed) of those. They seem more prone to failing by not working, instead of leaking. If you are worried about leaks, there should be a shut-off valve where the bidet connects to the wall, so that you can shut off water to the toilet and bidet, and possibly retighten or reinstall the connections. If you don't have a local shut-off valve, you'll have to shut off water to the entire home, which is much more of a pain.
posted by meowzilla at 8:39 PM on November 3, 2022 [1 favorite]

The only reason I advise against this is, because you're a renter, you may find yourself compelled to give up the bidet lifestyle in the future—and that's worse than never having experienced it.

We live on a high floor, and were instructed to uninstall our Luxe bidet once maintenance saw it (the explanation being risk of leak due to our water pressure on this level being high). This is probably in my top five list of Things I'm Incurably Bitter About, right up there with climate change and neo-fascism. It is, not kidding, making me consider moving, and I really really don't want to move.

I kept the bidet in a bag. Sometimes I stare at it wistfully.
posted by CheesesOfBrazil at 4:21 AM on November 4, 2022 [3 favorites]

a colleague has taken to giving bidets as gifts, she has gone Cult of Bidet and I think she's secretly a little disgusted with the TP Folk

is it that great?? I mean, reading these comments I get the feeling a bidet is a big LPT advancement in one's life. my partner and I were talking about making a bidet our Christmas gift this year. I'm guessing yes (YES)?
posted by elkevelvet at 11:22 AM on November 4, 2022 [1 favorite]

Nthing the sentiment that it's hard to go back once you've had the experience. That said, I'll take the benefit of actually feeling clean during the majority of my life when I'm poopin' at home over the irritation of missing it when pooing elsewhere.

I've installed 2 models in 4 places (all rentals) and 3 of them worked flawlessly over a period of about 8 years. The other I had to abandon because of a very small leak which I couldn't resolve, but it was immediately obvious.
posted by Cogito at 12:01 PM on November 4, 2022 [1 favorite]

I have used a Luxe Bidet like that in one form or another for the past 5 years, with 3 of those being in an apartment (used a GoBidet in an apartment for several years before that, and they're also good if more finicky and expensive). I did my own installation in both cases as I'm handy enough to trust my skills on that, but especially if you're having apartment maintenance do the install and uninstall, you should have nothing to worry about. It's a good idea to make sure you know how to turn off the water to the toilet in case something does go wrong, of course, but I never had any issues myself.

There are portable bidets available though my experience with those is that they work in a pinch and are marginally better than TP but aren't particularly ideal compared to an installed one.
posted by Aleyn at 7:58 PM on November 4, 2022 [1 favorite]

I'm team washlet - all you need to do is change out the toilet seat.
In January 2020, I installed a BioBidet with the option to heat the seat, water or both -- fantastic for the wee hours on winter days. (take that any way you'd wish)

It came with new hoses & connectors - it took me an hour to find my wrench, but was otherwise, very easy to install.
I'd gotten a BJ's package of toilet paper sometime in late 2019 --- and I'm still working thru it.
posted by gardenkatz at 12:43 PM on November 8, 2022

You can buy a water alarm- a little gadget that you put on the floor and if there’s a leak it lets you know. I got some super cheap ones that run on AA batteries and beep but I think there are also ones that text you - which has the benefit of being accessible plus also still being useful if you’re out of town.
posted by nouvelle-personne at 7:03 PM on November 18, 2022