Bidet

Bidet , Low container with running water and drain, generally made of porcelain or earthenware, designed to clean the external genitalia and the anus , although it is also used to wash the feet. It is also useful for sitz baths in people with hemorrhoids .

Table of Contents

Summary

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1 Etymology
2 History
- 1 Countries that use it the most
3 Types of bidet
4 Instructions for use
5 Tips and Warnings
6 Negative Aspects
7 Curiosities
8 Gallery
9 Sources

Etymology

The word bidet comes from the French bidet, a name given to it because you had to sit with your legs open, as when riding a horse. Some claim that the French took the word for bidet which is the French name for a small horse or rocking horse for boys or ladies. It is also believed to derive from the possible muscle-relieving function of – intimate – riders after races.

History

Although no inventor is known, there are theories that point to Christophe des Rosiers, a manufacturer of furniture for kings, and to Marc-Antoine Jacoud. In its original forms it was placed on an easel and used in the bedroom. Some sources point out that it was created in the late 17th century by French furniture manufacturers, as a water receptacle for sore riders. But it seems that it was in the early 18th century that the modern bidet was invented. Other sources suggest that it was designed as an intimate hygiene tool for pre and postcoital relationships, and also as a contraceptive method . According to the writer Néstor Luján, it was first mentioned in 1710 in France, when Madame de Prie received in audience the Marquis de Argenson sitting at his bidet. It is commercially advertised in Paris from 1739 . And around 1770 , when the bathroom furniture begins to acquire some complexity and the basin (anteroom of the sink ) takes new forms, the bidet already appears as one more element of the bathroom. In the period from 1895 to 1929, coinciding with the development of the toilet, Argentina promoted a great hygienist culture. This would explain the current devotion of the Argentines for the bidet, in contrast to the indifference of the British. While the first created a Franco-Argentine Association for the Claim and Development of the Bidet, in England an essay entitled ‘Can we afford the bidet’? (Can we afford the bidet?)

Countries that use it the most

Bidets do not have the same roots in all countries. They are common in southern Europe ( Italy , Spain , Portugal, and Greece ); they hardly know them in Latin America , with the exception of Argentina , Uruguay and Brazil ; Within Africa , Egypt and Morocco are the most pro bidet countries; Those who use it most in Asia live in Japan , India and South Korea ; and among the Arab countries that use it the most, Lebanon stands out, Syria and Jordan .

Bidet types

Horizontal jet, (Europe)
Vertical jet or inverted shower (Argentina, Chile, Paraguay and Uruguay);
Portable

Currently there are devices that are incorporated into the toilet that fulfill the same function of the bidet. .

Instructions for use

Sit on the bidet. You can do it by looking at the taps or from the back, depending on what is most comfortable for you or the part of your body you want to rinse.
Turn on the water and adjust the temperature before rinsing off. A warm or warm rinse is ideal.
Thoroughly rinse your genitals and / or the back. You can use soap if you want. Turn off the water when you’re done.
Get up and dry yourself. Be sure to use a washcloth, towel, or paper that works for this case instead of using a hand towel.
Wash your hands in the sink and dry them as usual after using the bathroom.

Tips and Warnings

Some bidets have an adjustable nozzle just like a handheld shower head.
Be sure to test the water temperature before rinsing the sensitive areas of your body

Negative aspects

The bidet with perineal shower (which releases water from the center upwards), is prohibited in many countries due to possible health problems. “If there is a cut in the water supply with the valve open, the served water can be re-introduced into the network through communicating vessels, contaminating it”

Curiosities

In Japan, bidets are so common that they are often present in public toilet facilities.
There is a group on Facebook called Proud Bidet Users
During the French Revolution it was a sign of refinement, and it seems that at that time it was only used to wash mustaches and beards.
Napoleon is believed to have been a heavy user, and when he died he donated his to his own son. Thus he became popularized between nobles and bourgeois.
In the Klo & So Museum, a room with historical toilets in Gmunden, Austria, you will find the bidet of Empress Elisabeth de Wittelsbach , better known as Sissí. They also have that of their son, Crown Prince Rudolf.
In Italy there is even a construction law that requires every house to have at least one.