History of the Bidet
If you have yet to hear of, or use, a bidet you’ve been missing out on one of the most convenient and effective household fixtures that the world has ever seen. That may sound like an exaggeration but the bidet can give you a sense of clean equivalent to a shower, without having to take the time to wash, dry, and beautify your entire body every time you answer Mother Nature’s call.
If you’re from a culture that it typically unfamiliar with the bidet it’s entirely possible that you’ve come across one before without having any idea what it was that you were looking at. So what is a bidet? A bidet is a device used to rinse both your front and back sides after using the rest room and gives you a much cleaner feeling than what you get when using toilet paper. One common type of bidet is shaped much like a flush toilet, sans water tank, with a faucet attached at the back where the tank of a toilet would be. To use this kind of bidet you straddle it much like the way you would straddle a pony while riding. In fact, the word bidet originated in France some time during the 1620’s and its original meaning is pony. It was adapted to act as a nickname that defined the bathing device around the time of its invention during the 1700’s.
The bidet originated in France and, while no date or inventor is known for certain, the first written documentation of the bidet is said to have been during the early 1700’s. By the mid 1700’s the bidet was a popular item and in common use throughout France and the surrounding areas. During this time period it was customary to fully bathe only once per week. This added to the practicality of using the bidet as a way to keep yourself clean and odor free in the places that seem to become odorous most quickly.
In 1960, with the introduction of indoor plumbing, the bidet was integrated into the flush toilet allowing for extra floor space and convenience in compact areas.
During the early 1980’s the electronic bidet was invented in Japan. The electronic bidet is integrated into a flush or tankless toilet. Popularity grew very quickly and today approximately 50% of Japanese households are equipped with an electronic bidet. Development of this product over the years has resulted in an impressively wide array of functions and options such as temperature controls, an adjustable, retractable, and oscillating spray nozzle, blow dryer, air purifier, luminous LED’s for use in the dark, and hand held remote with a help button for those who may need assistance. Many people are quite surprised to see this futuristic toilet in the hardware stores and have a great time fulfilling their curiosity as they explore this foreign and seemingly bizarre invention.
Another type of recently invented bidet is the portable bidet. For those who have a real appreciation for the bidet, wish they were commonly installed in public restrooms, are handicapped and find the bidet a necessity, aren’t home owners and therefore cannot install a traditional or electronic bidet into their homes, and for those who are travelers and/or outdoorsmen, the portable bidet can be a life saver that allows the luxury of being shower fresh anywhere you might find yourself.
If you’re from a culture that it typically unfamiliar with the bidet it’s entirely possible that you’ve come across one before without having any idea what it was that you were looking at. So what is a bidet? A bidet is a device used to rinse both your front and back sides after using the rest room and gives you a much cleaner feeling than what you get when using toilet paper. One common type of bidet is shaped much like a flush toilet, sans water tank, with a faucet attached at the back where the tank of a toilet would be. To use this kind of bidet you straddle it much like the way you would straddle a pony while riding. In fact, the word bidet originated in France some time during the 1620’s and its original meaning is pony. It was adapted to act as a nickname that defined the bathing device around the time of its invention during the 1700’s.
The bidet originated in France and, while no date or inventor is known for certain, the first written documentation of the bidet is said to have been during the early 1700’s. By the mid 1700’s the bidet was a popular item and in common use throughout France and the surrounding areas. During this time period it was customary to fully bathe only once per week. This added to the practicality of using the bidet as a way to keep yourself clean and odor free in the places that seem to become odorous most quickly.
In 1960, with the introduction of indoor plumbing, the bidet was integrated into the flush toilet allowing for extra floor space and convenience in compact areas.
During the early 1980’s the electronic bidet was invented in Japan. The electronic bidet is integrated into a flush or tankless toilet. Popularity grew very quickly and today approximately 50% of Japanese households are equipped with an electronic bidet. Development of this product over the years has resulted in an impressively wide array of functions and options such as temperature controls, an adjustable, retractable, and oscillating spray nozzle, blow dryer, air purifier, luminous LED’s for use in the dark, and hand held remote with a help button for those who may need assistance. Many people are quite surprised to see this futuristic toilet in the hardware stores and have a great time fulfilling their curiosity as they explore this foreign and seemingly bizarre invention.
Another type of recently invented bidet is the portable bidet. For those who have a real appreciation for the bidet, wish they were commonly installed in public restrooms, are handicapped and find the bidet a necessity, aren’t home owners and therefore cannot install a traditional or electronic bidet into their homes, and for those who are travelers and/or outdoorsmen, the portable bidet can be a life saver that allows the luxury of being shower fresh anywhere you might find yourself.