How do I write about a bidet without the snickering going on in the back of the room?  Well, let me get started by pointing out that 'bidet' is not French for 'drinking fountain' but actually means 'little saddle pony'.  In the 17th century, a small saddle horse was allowed to each trooper or dragoon for carrying his baggage.  The 21st century bidet is not a pony but a low basin-like bathroom fixture with spigots used for bathing the genital and perineal areas.  Not many places in America have bathrooms which display both a toilet and a bidet, but now they don't have to because Rehabmart offers bidet toilet seats that do the same thing a bidet does, but more.

The history of the bidet is not really something people really need to know about but it's interesting nonetheless and it's great to know for the fun facts.

The washing up after urination and defecation was a prevalent practice for centuries in the Islamic cultures, but the actual bathing bidet device may have been invented by a French furniture maker in the late 17th century.   A couple of hundred years later in Europe, a porcelain cleaning device was developed for personal cleaning and during the Victorian era, the bidet came out of the water-closet and went into the home's indoor bathroom.  Later during the 1960s, the electronic bidet was invented as an attachment that could be connected onto existing toilets.  Since then the bidet has evolved into a cleaning and comfort device commonly found in European and Asian bathrooms and is now slowing making its way into the American culture.

Most Americans have never used a bidet, nor do they really understand how it works, even though it is really quite simple, especially the toilet seat bidet offered by Rehabmart.  Water is usually the best way to clean just about anything and anything also includes the area covered by your swimsuit, as my mother used to say.  The problem with using nothing but toilet paper is that Americans use about 34 million rolls of toilet paper...every day!  The negative issues associated with this are not just the 50 million trees cut down each year to keep up with the demand but also the huge amounts of water, chemicals, energy, and industrial waste it takes to make toilet paper each and every year.

With these toilet bidets that Rehabmart offers, a person can sit on a comfortable heated seat while water provides a soothing and gentle cleaning, all the while taking advantage of the hygienic benefits enjoyed  by both male and female, young and old alike.  Not only will planet Earth be appreciative of your use of a bidet, so will your family and friends.

The bidet toilet seats below are a few examples of the hygienic and comfortable bidet toilet seats offered by Rehabmart.

       The Brondell Swash Ecoseat 100 Bidet has an innovative design that can help make going to the bathroom quite a refreshing experience.  This bidet is powered solely by water pressure and features an aerated posterior and feminine wash with sterilized filtered water and self-cleaning nozzles to complete your hygienic experience.  Besides being a heck of a conversation piece, this bidet is easy to install and fits most toilets.   Due to its hydro-powered nozzles, it needs no electricity or batteries.  Also with its simple-turn dial controls, you can adjust the water pressure of the dual retractable front and rear cleaning wands. When you are done with the toilet, the comfortable seat and lid will slowly close on its own. 

       The Brondell Swash 300 Bidet Toilet Seat offers basically the same things as the 100 Bidet but with additional features such as warm water, a heated seat, and an easy to use remote control, so no more shivering surprises on those cold winter mornings.  Besides the warmth and comfort, the Swash 300 also has a 'quick release' for easy seat removal and cleaning, an intelligent body sensor which will tell the seat and lid to gently close, a wireless remote control, a sturdy lid to sit on, and a automatic power saving mode to save energy.

       Other features include a nozzle oscillation massage feature, self cleaning nozzles with a sterilization function, an aerated wash spray with three levels of width adjustment, the intelligent body sensor, a wireless remote control and a gentle closing seat and lid. At the least, with all of these features, the kids should enjoy playing in the bathroom more.

So, a bidet by any other name is little saddle pony, but also a comfortable and hygienic experience in a time and place where good experiences may be few and far between.  Be the first person on your block to own a bidet, and your friends and neighbors will be so awed that you just may end up starting a new planet-friendly bathroom fashion trend! 

Bill Stock
Executive Editor,
Content & Social Media Services
and
Hulet Smith, OT
Rehabmart Team Leader & CEO