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Four years after the toilet paper shortage of 2020, bidet converts say they’re never going back

While the toilet paper shortages that hit the United States during pandemic lockdowns in the spring of 2020 ultimately eased up, they’ve had a lasting impact on one industry: the bidet business.

“The industry here in the U.S. just blew up. You couldn’t get a bidet if you wanted to,” says James Lin, founder of BidetKing.com, an online marketplace for all varieties of the bathroom appliance. “We all sold out. … There was a huge scramble to get more.”

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[-] Pronell@lemmy.world 53 points 9 months ago

I've had a bidet for years, before covid even. It really is a game changer. You'd be surprised how much more clean you feel.

They have relatively cheap and easy to install ones that just go under your toilet seat and connect to the toilet's water supply. That's what I use.

[-] towerful@programming.dev 8 points 9 months ago

Is it not chilly as fuck during the winter, when tap water is like 4°c?

[-] Blumpkinhead@lemmy.world 33 points 9 months ago

It's not nearly as bad as I'd expected. You're only doing short bursts of water, so you're not getting brain freeze on your butthole or anything.

[-] homesweethomeMrL@lemmy.world 19 points 9 months ago

The little bit of water needed is usually already in the house and relatively heated by ambient warming. Its enough.

[-] Rai@lemmy.dbzer0.com 7 points 9 months ago

And when it’s hot out, it’s INCREDIBLE

[-] jpreston2005@lemmy.world 1 points 9 months ago

the MOST REFRESHING

[-] UFODivebomb@programming.dev 8 points 9 months ago

Can be. But really adds another wakeup jolt to the morning coffee ritual XD

[-] sxan@midwest.social 5 points 9 months ago

Many pre-heat the water. I have one lux one that has a heated seat, heated water, and a warm air blow-dryer. $300? $600? I don't remember, I've had it for a decade; it was cheap at whatever price and 100% worth the investment.

[-] Rai@lemmy.dbzer0.com 1 points 9 months ago

I wish the dryers were better. The rest of the features are sick.

[-] sxan@midwest.social 3 points 9 months ago* (last edited 9 months ago)

Yeah, I think it's just physics. You'd need the equivalent of a bathroom hand dryer on the toilet to improve the drying. Or, god forbid, a Dyson. I shudder at the thought.

[-] Rai@lemmy.dbzer0.com 2 points 9 months ago

Oh gawd. Like the inverse of one of those clit-succ devices. I’ll stick with my two slices of TP, thank you.

[-] werefreeatlast@lemmy.world 5 points 9 months ago

It's definitely not bad at all. My wife resisted to getting a bidet for years but then we got one and now she can't live without.

[-] bitchkat@lemmy.world 5 points 9 months ago

No, its not bad at all and our cold water is usually in 50s Fahrenheit in the winter.

[-] stoly@lemmy.world 4 points 9 months ago

This isn't as bad as you might think it would be.

[-] EatATaco@lemm.ee 2 points 9 months ago

Yes, definitely. But it's like jumping into a chilly lake: you might not want to stay there long, but god damn is it refreshing.

[-] rushaction@programming.dev 2 points 9 months ago

Nope. Many are plugged in and it will keep the seat and water warm. It further warms the seat when it detects someone is sitting on it. Kinda depends on budget, features, manufacturers.

NGL, middle of the night visits are still a bit jarring because the heating logic tries to conserve energy at night so it tends to me room temperature. But whatevs.

Honestly, worth it. Absolutely no regrets other than maybe not spending more 😂. At a couple hundred dollar Costco Toto model, it was already a risky purchase that at the time I simply wasn't sure about. But yeah, it's awesome 😎.

[-] Varyk@sh.itjust.works 1 points 9 months ago* (last edited 9 months ago)

It's a dollar more to install the ones onto the hot and cold taps, then you can set and forget the temp of the water, so it's always the right temp.

And obviously they have the tech on-demand heated ones, but you can buy the sprayer and taps version for 15 bucks with stainless steel parts.

I'm lazy so I use the kind you can screw directly into the sink tap itself, find the right temp in the regular sink faucet handle, set and forget.

30 second installation, adjustable water temp, switch adjustable nozzle to use bidet or sink faucet, easy.

[-] bitchkat@lemmy.world 4 points 9 months ago

I just went with the basic cold water ones because I don't have a hot water tap at my toilet and didn't want to go through the trouble of installing hot water due to finished walls.

[-] afraid_of_zombies@lemmy.world 1 points 9 months ago

Probably why my mother-in-law doesn't have a bidet, no hot water. Yes, I offered to buy her a water heater and pay for it to be installed she turned it down

[-] Varyk@sh.itjust.works 4 points 9 months ago

That would make it tough in colder climates, but still worth it for 6 months out of the year, in my opinion.

It's just such an obvious equation to me now haha, like do you want to touch any of that?

No, I don't want to touch any of that and I want to be perfectly clean.

Okay then there's this option that saves on toilet paper, feels better for your skin and is far more hygienic.

There's just no comparison, although I perfectly understand how conservative and resistant to change people can be.

I worked with some old folks once and there was this old man who refused to buy a mouse for his laptop cuz he was like look this is the trackpad. I don't need a mouse, that's just newfangled b*******.

[-] afraid_of_zombies@lemmy.world 5 points 9 months ago

She lives in a part of the world where you can die from the heat 12 months of the year.

Whatever, I tried. Pretty much every year I can get her to accept at most one improvement to her situation. Last year I got her to let me and some workers I hired to clean up her backyard. So at least she some nice plants to look at instead of a motorcycle parts graveyard.

[-] Varyk@sh.itjust.works 2 points 9 months ago

There you go, take the wins where you can

[-] SoleInvictus@lemmy.world 6 points 9 months ago

We had ours during the pandemic. While my friends and coworkers griped about toilet paper shortages, it was like having a hidden superpower.

[-] stoly@lemmy.world 5 points 9 months ago

Mine, sadly, doesn't hit me in the right spots and I constantly have to move around the seat. Then my undercarriage is wet and takes time drying.

[-] Rai@lemmy.dbzer0.com 8 points 9 months ago

Same, but that’s an installation error. If yours isn’t absolute ass, it’s adjustable.

Mine is, I’ve just been too lazy for two years to fix it. I should do that.

[-] stoly@lemmy.world 2 points 9 months ago

I have the cheapest of the cheap lol. It has an adjuster that doesn’t work. Need to invest into something better.

[-] Rai@lemmy.dbzer0.com 4 points 9 months ago

Ahhh that makes sense then. Mine was like 70USD and goes back and forward, but I’ve got it too far back. The vaj wash hits my bum so I gotta lean REEEEALLLY FAR forward to clean everything off. I could fix it but like… ehhhh… lazy.

[-] stoly@lemmy.world 3 points 9 months ago

You’ve just convinced me to try again!

[-] Rai@lemmy.dbzer0.com 2 points 9 months ago

Ughhhhh maybe I will too then. I even have another toilet seat for it but when I got it, it seemed too complicated to install. I should like… do that.

[-] stoly@lemmy.world 2 points 9 months ago

Pshaw! Need. Should. Someone give us some adderall

[-] Rai@lemmy.dbzer0.com 2 points 9 months ago

My gawd please. Damn shortage.

[-] bitchkat@lemmy.world 5 points 9 months ago

I have one that has its own seat lid. The one my son has is the type you mentioned that just slips under the standard seat.

this post was submitted on 19 Mar 2024
175 points (93.1% liked)

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