New year, new daily bidet habit

At the start of every year, many people pledge themselves to new habits to improve their health. Some begin a cleanse or a diet, while others jump into a new exercise routine. Yet there is one habit for better self-care that often gets overlooked: the daily use of a bidet.

What is a bidet?

The bidet, pronounced bi-day in American English, is a low-lying basin that sprays clean water on your backside after using the bathroom. The word is derived from a French term meaning “pony,” and people straddle it as they use it. Bidets are common in bathrooms around the world, especially in Japan, where over 70 percent of the population use some version a bidet. People who live in North America, however, have been slow to adopt the bidet. Until now, that is.

Bidets boost personal hygiene

This may come as news to toilet paper users everywhere, but in the words of Dr. Donnica Moore, “Water is the best and healthiest way to clean just about everything.” With this in mind, it makes sense that clean, warm water—rather than dry toilet paper—provides a hygienic bath for the bottom. Using a bidet instead of wiping keeps your hands cleaner, too.

A gentle cleansing

File this under Things People Are Too Shy to Discuss: anal skin tissue is very sensitive. This is especially true for people dealing with hemorrhoids, rashes, irritable bowel syndrome and more severe conditions like Crohn’s disease. Using dry toilet paper in this area can irritate an already painful situation. As an alternative, cleaning the anal area with water can help heal abrasions and other issues.

While these private issues aren’t easy to discuss, they can be helped. At Coway, a team of engineers has been developing the Coway Bidet 200 to be debuted this year. The stylish unit mounts directly onto an existing toilet, and easily transforms it into a bidet. The Bidet 200 features i-wave, a system that allows users to customize the water flow, plus other innovative functionality.