How to Use A Bidet Sprayer: A Dummy’s Guide

How to Use A Bidet Sprayer
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While bidets are commonly used in some parts of the world like Italy, France, and Japan, the word is bound to elicit confused looks in other parts of the globe where bidets are toilet fixtures that are to be curious about.

Understandably, if you come across one in your travels abroad and even if you know it by name already, how to use a bidet sprayer is a legit question that you might be too embarrassed to ask. So, here’s your cheat sheet 🙂

First things first, what are bidets for?

Bidets are primarily used when you find toilet paper not enough to do the job and when a shower is an overkill.

They produce jets of water so you can conveniently and thoroughly clean yourself up when you go No.1 and No. 2.

Some people use it only when they go No. 2; whereas, others use it in both cases. It is also particularly useful for women when they are having their period.

Other than for genital and anal cleanup, some people use the bidet to wash their feet. As you would deduce in the next section, not all bidets are designed to support this function.

Aside from regular folks, babies, the elderly, hemorrhoid patients, and pregnant or post-partum moms can significantly benefit from bidets.

What are the different kinds of bidets?

There are four kinds of bidet:

Standalone bidet

As the name implies, it’s a separate plumbing fixture. It is a cross between a toilet bowl and a sink. The standalone bidet is low-lying and has one to three water taps.

Bidet shower

This is a hand-held nozzle, which shares a water line connection with your toilet bowl. The nozzle rests on a dedicated holder when not in use.

Toilet seat bidet

These are toilet seats that double as bidets. The advanced ones allow you to control water pressure and temperature and may even have warm air dryers.

Portable bidet sprayer

Either manual or automatic, these bidet sprayers are great for those who love using bidets and want to have 24/7 access to them wherever they go.

Why do some people use bidets?

Cleaner and fresher feeling

A bidet is a great tool to have that fresh-from-the-shower feels—at least, down there—every time you step out of the washroom.

It’s a great alternative to toilet paper, which is known to contain harmful chemicals that can cause cancer and infertility, among others.

Bidets also lower your chances of incurring urinary tract infections, vaginitis, and more.

More environment-friendly

Whether you choose to clean your bottom or other private rooms using a bidet only or do half and half with toilet paper, you significantly reduce your carbon footprint.

On average, a tissue-paper person consumes 57 sheets of the roll in one day.

That’s 100 rolls of toilet paper per year. And the saddest part is that it takes 384 trees to make a single person’s lifetime supply of toilet paper.

So, you can just imagine how many trees are saved even if you just go half-and-half with your bidet and toilet paper use.

Cost-effective

Based on the figures above, the use of bidets will also save you money. Bidets will only require you to use a small amount of water.

On average, a single person will spend around $55 on toilet paper. So, if you’re a household of three or five, just imagine how much money you’ll save up in a year.

Now, for the Question on How to use a Bidet Sprayer?

Whether you are working with a standalone, shower, toilet seat, or portable bidet, the principle around how to use it is the same. You direct the jet of water on the area that you are cleaning up.

For this section, we’ll focus on how to use a bidet sprayer—the portable kind.

As there are different kinds of bidets, there are also different designs for portable bidets. There are two kinds: the manual and the electronic type.

For the manual portable bidet sprayer, you just need to place your finger on the air vent at the bottom and fill the bottle up.

Using one hand only, hold the container in an inverted position with a finger still covering the air vent. When you lift your finger from the air vent, water will start to flow.

To increase pressure, adjust your squeeze on the bottle. Next, position it to hit the right spots—either in front of your genital area or behind your anus.

Wash the area with soap using your other hand. Then, pat dry with a tissue or a towel.

For the automatic or battery-powered portable bidet sprayer, you operate it in the same as you would the manual one: Fill the bottle, aim, wash, and pat dry.

The difference is that you don’t need to put your finger on the air event during operation. Plus, to adjust the water pressure, you just press applicable buttons instead of squeezing the bottle.

In both types of portable bidet sprayers, it is recommended that you practice and see the angle the water comes out before the real need to use it arises.

Tips on using a bidet sprayer:

When you decide to switch from using tissue paper to bidet or do half-and-half, here are a few things you need to remember:

  • Keep articles of clothing safe from water sprays and spills. You wouldn’t want water on your clothes. So, remove your underwear and pants or skirts and hang them safely on a towel hanger, or find whatever workaround. The goal is to step out of the washroom clean, fresh, and dry. 
  • Have a separate soap and towel set for bidet use. Soap and towel are used in conjunction with bidets. Soap for cleaning and towel for drying yourself afterward. At home, have a different towel for that purpose. Also, have a different soap by the sink for hand washing.

I hope this article has helped unravel the mystery of using a bidet sprayer. More importantly, may it encourage you to make a full or half-and-half switch to bidets. Give it a try; you might just love it!

How to Use A Bidet Sprayer

26 thoughts on “How to Use A Bidet Sprayer: A Dummy’s Guide”

  1. Hi there,

    Awesome article!

    I don’t have any bidet in my bathroom, but I do have a sprayer. I know the differences between bidets as I used to have one when I was living in Europe. Anyway, I find it extremely difficult to use the sprayer. Every time I use it, it goes to another direction. I must be doing something wrong:)
    I am just curious, what would be easier to maneuver, the manual or the automatic sprayer?

    Thank you for this excellent post!

  2. Thank you for the informative information on bidets, I think they are becoming more and more popular in the US.

  3. The hospital that i stayed in after I gave birth had a bidet spray and I have to say I loved it. Going to the toilet after birth can be messy and the spray always made it a lot easier and cleaner. I don’t think it was quite as fancy as the one you’re describing, it was more like a shower head but it did the job.
    Thanks for a great review!

  4. I had never even heard of these things. One thing that seems really good is that it saves money. I am not sure if I am as adventurous as that. It does sound interesting though. Who knows, they might become the next big thing. Thank you for sharing this. I may just have to try this.

  5. Advance My House

    Hi, Daniella,

    Thanks for your comment.  You are not doing anything wrong 🙂

    It does take some time to get used to using a bidet sprayer.  You will find that the more you use it, the easier it becomes.

    Both the manual and the automatic versions are useful for various persons, however, I have found that the automatic version makes it a bit more easier to maneuver.

    I hope this helps you out.

  6. TheToysThatTeach

    I have never heard of a bidet sprayer before which makes this dummy’s guide perfect me! I love the idea of reducing the carbon footprint, and with 4 kids and 2 adults in my house we use a lot of toilet paper!
    Are bidet sprayers something that are more common in Europe than in the US? I don’t remember ever seeing these at your local home improvement stores.

    Jennie

  7. Hello, I am interested in bidet’s I would like to get the best one that’s on the market because I do not have one installed in my home I was wondering what the cost of a brand new one like the whole bidet toilet to get it installed by a professional?I like the fact the bidet is a hygienic way to wash instead of wiping the private areas.

  8. Win Bill Huang

    Bidet sprayers seems pretty good and sanitary. I know a lot of friends with hemmorhoids problem. Their biggest issue is the blood after they finish. The bidet sprayer really helps clean thoroughly after going to the bathroom.

    Bringing your own bar of soap sounds a bit inconvenient. I wonder if it is alright to use liquid soap instead. To me it feels easier to control the amount, and it is harder to contaminate the soap. It is just my thoughts.

    The mobile bidet spray is pretty cool. You can go to a friend’s house and stil be able to use a bidet. My friends will probably love it.

    Another use I can think of is to clean off a baby’s butt after she has a blow out (diarrhea mess). Instead of using a big wad of baby wipes, we can pretty much just spray it off. What do you think?

  9. Advance My House

    Hi, Win,

    You can definitely use liquid soap to do your wash up! This is what we recommended for sure since it’s much more hygienic.

    Bidet Sprayers do have a lot of uses and the cleaning of baby’s diapers is actually recommended. You can read this review of the Easy Giggles Cloth Diaper Bidet Spray to see how effective it is for this particular job.

    So yeah, it’s much better than having to keep buying and using baby wipes which can really add up to hundreds of dollars in the long run.

    Thanks for stopping by and we really appreciate your comment.

    Jason

  10. Advance My House

    It’s good to see you familiarizing yourself with the use of Bidet Sprayers.  They are becoming increasingly popular, especially in the western world.

    And since you like the idea of keeping the environment safe, this will be the right choice for you and your family.

    They are not so popular at your local store, however, you can easily pick up yours at any major online store such as Amazon, Bestbuy, etc.

    Glad that this guide was able to help you out.

    -Advance My House Team

  11. Wow,
    I learned so much from this one post on bidet sprayers, I must admit I did not realize this is what those sprayers were referred as before reading your post. I also did not know there were so many to choose from, this product is not as common in where I live so not many people know so much about them.

    Being concerned about my health, I do think these sprayers would be a healthful addition to your bathroom routine, I thank you for so much information and I will share this with my family and friends

  12. Rebecca Etienne

    Great presentation. Not many folks in the US know about this sort of thing, so this was a nice discovery for all of us.

    When were bidets invented?

    I am assuming it was sometime after indoor toilets were invented.

    Is there any particular type of bidet that you recommend?

  13. Hello! I loved reading this. I have always wanted a Bidet sprayer in my bathroom, and I also know several people who want it too. It is that very common nowadays here in Norway, but it WAS for a time back, I do remember that, I will show your page to my friends and I will definitely consider buying a Bidet Sprayer.

    Thank you,
    Kari

  14. Hey, thanks for your interest and questions, Rebecca. It’s always a good thing to inform and educate others about Bidet products.

    The bidet was actually invented way back in the 17th century in France and the name “bidet” is actually derived from a furniture maker of French descent who was known as “Bide”. (Refer to this article for more info)

    We recommend bidets based on user preference. There are full bidet toilets, toilet seat attachment, sprayers, portable bidets, etc.

  15. Hi Jason!! Great article. We are planning on adding one to our master bathroom. I still remember seeing them at my grandmother’s house in all the bathrooms. It seems, as a society, that we forgot how healthy and enviromental freindly they are. It is good to know of all those other choices out there, especially the portable one. Thank you!

  16. Hello, thanks for the insight on the benefits of using a bidet. I have never used one before and you really shed some light on why it may be a good option. I never knew that there are so many different kinds and ways to use it. It all makes sense and I feel less reluctant to use one if it was available.
    Thanks,
    Marcus

  17. Advance My House

    Thank you, Kari.

    It’s good to know that you found value from the article and is considering getting a bidet sprayer.

    This is a wise move indeed.

    All the best and if you have any questions, feel free to send us a message!

  18. Advance My House

    It’s great to see you educating yourself on the use of Bidet sprayers, Marcus.

    You will find that once you get used to the idea of using bidet sprayers and also bidet toilet seats, it will be difficult to go back to the traditional toilet that you now use.

    We suggest you get more knowledge on the use of history and the use of bidets by visiting this link here >>

    Thanks for stopping by to leave a comment and all the best!

  19. Your comments are right. I suggest the new bidet, the KO BIDET, with steady, vertical stream, never pushing filth to uro-genitals. Cheap (18$),

  20. ZISIS KONTOGOUNIS

    Before installing a bidet I suggest that you should know the following:
    A FATAL MEDICAL MISTAKE REGARDING UTIs and ACQUIRED HOSPITAL INFECTIONS. Wiping back to front or front to back, or sideways is in anyway wrong and dangerous, particularly to women and more so to pregnant ones.

    THE MICROBES REMAINING IN THE FECES FILM LEFT AFTER WIPING, QUICKLY TRAVEL, THROUGH FRICTION AND AIR, TO THE NEAR URO-GENITAL ORGANS, CAUSING UTI AND LATER TO ANY SURFACE OF THE HOUSE OR WORSE OF THE HOSPITAL, CAUSING THE OFTEN LETHAL ACQUIRED HOSPITAL INFECTIONS. Take in mind that the in Hospitals weakened ill people are not able even to wipe satisfactorily.

    After that there are two important questions to be urgently answered.

    1. Isn’t it strange that there are doctors, urologists, gynecologists and others, against any scientific logic, can excuse themselves or be satisfied to frivolously advise people and particularly women to continue using toilet. paper and just change wiping direction ? Don’t they know that microbes should be faced at their SOURCE and not just be dispersed around ?.

    2. Why the issue seems to be curiously (!!) ignored by World Health Organizations ? Counting and comparing the number of microbes under pants left after wiping and washing it is not a such formidable task to do, so this very serious in its implications scientific problem and the long going dispute between fans of the two parties would be solved once and for all.

    What is the SOLUTION?? The add on bidets already on market??? But, in most of them, the water jet is oblique, back to front ( wrong direction), that pushes filthy water towards uro-genital organs. What then????

    The only logical answer is: add on bidets with: VERTICAL (or front to back water stream), 100% safe and effective, even if there are HEMORRHOIDS.

    KO BIDET, 18$, with steady, vertical stream.

    ZISIS KONTOGOUNIS, retired medical doctor. zikonto@hotmail.com.

  21. Thank you for this very informative article! I’m getting a portable bidet, and, maybe later (I don’t own my residence, I rent), one attached to my toilet.

  22. That’s a smart decision, Scott 🙂 Be sure to check out our article about the best portable bidets as this will help you to purchase the right one.

    You can read it here >

    Of course, when you have your own residence, you can look into getting your very own bidet attachment or even a more upgraded bidet toilet.

    Thank you for your contribution to this article.

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