Currently, people are beginning to wonder if switching to a bidet is worth the investment. They are fed up with toilet paper shortages, clogged sewers, and thousands of trees being cut down each day to keep up with the demand.
In many ways, it seems like bidets would be a better solution for sanitary needs. Many people decide to invest in one to be more conscious and caring about the environment they live in.
But how does a bidet help the environment?
Compared to toilet paper, bidets help the environment in more ways than you would think, and some of them might surprise you.
How Can Bidets Help Save Our Trees?
Did you know that toilet paper production wipes out up to 27,000 trees per day? (Link) That adds up to about 9.1 million trees a year.
According to Justin Thomas, the editor of Metaefficient, bidets are a “key green technology” because they have such massive potential for eliminating tree waste, thereby slowing some of the rapid reduction in earth’s green resources. (Link)
If the United States and other toilet paper using countries were to switch primarily to bidets, they could use up to 75% less toilet paper, saving countless trees.
Do Bidets Use Less Water?
One criticism of bidets is that they use more water per use than a toilet flush, but that’s not the case.
In fact, a bidet may use as little as ⅛ of a gallon of water per flush while the average toilet typically uses 4 gallons per flush, possibly even more if the toilet requires flushing to clear the waste.
Beyond the per-flush amount of water, the water used in toilet paper production is significantly more than that used to produce bidets.
Scientific American notes that each year, American’s use 473,587,500,000 gallons of water just in the production of toilet paper.
Are Bidets Chemical Free?
Bidets run off of your home water system. This means that they use plain tap water, often safe and treated enough to drink, and don’t need any other chemicals or treatments to work.
On the other hand, toilet paper is produced using 100,000 chemicals, including chlorine bleach (with Dioxin), which is one of the most toxic human-made chemicals. (Link)
Chemicals also come into play when cleaning toilets or restrooms of toilet paper messes. By significantly reducing or eliminating toilet paper, there would be less to clean in busy restrooms, and fewer chemicals would be used.
Bidets Are Better For Sewer Systems
You’re in a bathroom, you’ve done the deed, and suddenly you realize there is no toilet paper. What do you do?
If you’re like millions of other people, you’ll begin looking around for the next best thing, whether that be a paper towel, wet wipe, or even some cotton balls.
Desperate times call for desperate measures. Unfortunately, those desperate times add quite a toll on sewer systems.
These objects get clogged in the pipes and can cause costly build-up. This exact thing happened on a major scale recently in the UK as people panicked about toilet paper shortages.
They substituted inappropriate items for toilet paper, the clogs (or fatbergs (Link) were in danger of completely overwhelming the sewage system.
With more bidets, the build-up process in the sewage system would be much less likely. No emergency wet wipes or paper towels would be needed, and fewer clogs would occur.
This is especially true for homes with septic systems, which would last longer and have more space without toilet paper (Link) or other products going down the drain.
Can Bidets Produce Less Waste?
Each toilet paper package comes in a wrapper, whether plastic, paper, or another kind of material.
Many of these packages are not recycled and, instead, either flushed into the sewer or placed in the trash and eventually into a landfill. Bidets allow for long-term use and no additional packaged products.
By using a bidet, you can go for years without having to throw away a single plastic toilet paper wrapper. You also won’t be contributing to the 34 million rolls of toilet paper used each day in the United States, according to Business Insider.
Bidets Are A Great Emergency Resource
During the Coronavirus Pandemic of 2020, toilet paper became incredibly scarce. For reasons unknown to many, people were buying toilet paper so rapidly that it even began showing up on eBay. (Link)
Were there people out there not taking part in the madness? You guessed it, bidet owners.
In an emergency or catastrophic event, bidets are ideal. They don’t require you to go out and purchase anything for their use.
They are self-contained. They can work with or without electricity and can even be used as a handheld sprayer for washing your dog or cleaning soiled cloth diapers.
Bidets Limit Germ Exposure
Speaking of viruses, according to “The Cut”, 69% of men and 35% of women don’t actually wash their hands after using a public bathroom. (Link)
Bidets help limit germ exposure by making most of the process “touchless” or at very least helping to remove some of the contact involved with sanitizing. This would be especially useful in public bathrooms where employees and customers share the same stalls.
Some of the higher-end bidets even come with a remote function, so your hands are never near any of your toileting business.
Since 80% of infectious diseases are passed through human contact, finding a way to decrease the number of germs in the first place is critical.
Bidets Help People Stay Healthier
Several skin conditions such as hemorrhoids, rashes, and chafing are only made worse by wiping with dry toilet paper.
Many people with these conditions will substitute toilet paper with wet wipes, but that wreaks havoc on the sewer systems.
Bidets may also be especially appealing to women because they may help prevent UTIs (Urinary Tract Infections) and sensitive areas stay clean.
Since our hands are the germiest place of our body, it makes sense to use a toilet that will allow you to keep your hands as far away from those sensitive areas (Link) as possible.
Bidets Can Save You Money
According to Business Insider, each American spends between $40-$70 a year on toilet paper.
With the cost of a bidet estimating between $200-$600, it might take a few years before you see a return on your investment, but some handheld attachments cost much less.
Bidets have a low-cost barrier to entry to maintain and can last for over ten years (Link), so the savings continue to add up over time.
Can Bidets Help Caregivers And Those With Special Needs?
Bidets hold benefits for every user, but caregivers and those with special needs often find bidets indispensable.
For older adults who cannot maneuver to perform a typical toileting process, a simple bidet with a spray function might be just the thing.
Special needs individuals who have difficulty toileting on their own will be afforded a higher level of comfort and discretion by using a bidet, which may reduce the number of dispensable supplies needed for this process.
Beyond those with special needs, caregivers also benefit due to the spraying process’s ease and the thorough cleanliness that result for both parties.
The reduction of germ exposure is also essential for caregivers in contact with already medically fragile people.
In Conclusion
Placing bidets in more public areas and homes would allow for less waste, less forest destruction, and less germ exposure. It would also help people stay healthier, and it would be so much better for sewage systems.
While the investment may seem steep at first, it’s clear that if you want to help the environment you live in, a bidet is the way to go.
Plus, the long-term savings are a bonus!