Long popular in Europe and Japan, bidets are becoming a fixture in North America. They are getting so popular that Toto, the Japan-based maker of upmarket smart toilets, invested in a new US$224-million factory in the United States to manufacture their popular, pricey and action-packed toilets. The growing demand is partly due to the luxury wellness trend driving bathroom renovations. But are they worth splashing out on or just money down the drain? We asked design and environmental experts to weigh in.
What are bidets?
At its simplest, a bidet is bathroom fixture that primarily uses water, as opposed to paper, for post-toilet hygiene.
There are, however, many types of bidets, which is where things get complicated.
There are traditional, stand-alone bidets, the kind that confuse tourists in European hotels who aren’t used to having one. There are sleek “smart” toilets with built-in sprays, remote controls and heated water. Some are just seat attachments that retrofit onto existing toilets. And then there are handheld sprayers. Those look like shower heads and are sometimes, cheekily, called “bum guns.” Drying options vary, too: Some people still reach for a bit of toilet paper, others use small, reusable towels. Those with high-end models often benefit from built-in air dryers.
Which types are catching on?
Not the old-school kind.
According to Michelle Mawby, an interior designer with Georgian Group, kitchen and bath specialists based in Mississauga, her clients tend to be ripping out, not installing, traditional bidets. “However, we are not necessarily getting rid of the idea of the bidet,” she says. “We are replacing them with ‘smart’ toilets or toilet seat attachments – all-in-one toilets with self-flushing, sprays and dryers.”
Why are traditional bidets on the outs?
According to Mawby, there are a few reasons. For one, traditional bidets are “a little old fashioned and not used much,” she says. “And a toilet-and-bidet setup takes up twice the space. Smart toilets take up less space.”
The same is true for bidet attachments, which require no new plumbing and hook into a toilet’s existing water line.
So, why are people buying them?
For some, it started with the pandemic-era toilet paper shortage.
“People were hoarding toilet paper, which was ridiculous,” says Kai Chan, a professor at the Institute for Resources, Environment and Sustainability at the University of British Columbia who has, for the past five years, used a bidet attachment. “My wife’s parents had a bidet. So we started to think seriously about that as an alternative.”
Because of Chan’s work (he holds a Canada Research Chair in Re-Wilding and Social-Ecological Transformation), he was also interested, like many consumers, in the potential environmental benefits. “But I would say the biggest surprise is how comfortable it is,” he says. “It was a bit of a learning curve. As is common, the water to my toilet isn’t heated and it took some getting used to. But I would never go back.”
What was that about environmental benefits? Are bidets better for the planet?
“It depends,” says Daniel Posen, an associate professor at the University of Toronto and a Canada Research Chair in System-Scale Environmental Impacts of Energy and Transport Technologies. “Any time you take a disposable product like toilet paper and replace it with a durable product like a bidet, you tend to do better environmentally. At least you are not going through roll after roll of toilet paper. But there are caveats to consider.”
Those caveats include how much water and electricity the bidet uses, what the bidet is made of and how long it lasts. Using recycled paper already? The environmental edge shrinks. “If you’re replacing virgin toilet paper, the benefits are larger,” Chan adds. “But the benefits of a bidet decrease if someone is already using postconsumer waste recycled toilet paper. Although recycled toilet paper doesn’t tend to be very fluffy, and won’t be as comfortable as a bidet.”
Wait, is toilet paper evil?
Warren Mabee, a professor at Queen’s University, is an expert in the forestry industry. While he recognizes that bidets are probably marginally better for the Earth than toilet paper, he also points out that most Canadian toilet paper producers tend to be efficient. For one, they often use offcuts and refuse from the lumber industry. “And there is a misconception out there that a single roll of toilet paper can take up to 37 gallons of water to produce,” he says. “That’s a lot. However, what’s misunderstood is that the vast majority of that water is reused to make the next roll and the next roll. It’s virtually wrung dry from the paper and recycled.”
So, what is an ecoconscious homeowner to do?
Stay calm, to start. According to Posen: “If this question is giving you stress, it’s not worth it. On an individual level, there are more impactful ways to improve your environmental footprint, such as travelling less and eating less meat. Those would be more important than anything you’re doing in the bathroom.”
Phew. But are bidets expensive?
The costs range considerably. Bidet attachments from popular brands like Tushy can cost around $150. Luxurious Japanese brand Toto offers smart toilets with built-in air dryers that can cost more than $3,000. The pricier models may need an electrical hookup for features such as heated seats, dryers and night lights (again, those bells and whistles might decrease the green benefits, as they require more energy).
So, what’s the final verdict?
Do it if you want a comfortable way to cut back on paper waste, and don’t if the phrase “bum gun” makes you blush or the thought of a user manual for the toilet creates too much stress.
