By Robert Nielson
Are you aware that over 100 million rolls of toilet paper are consumed every single day throughout the world? The United States alone uses over 3.2 million tons of toilet paper per year. In fact, 54 million trees are cut down every year just to produce toilet paper for the US 
market. In addition, the production process itself is very destructive and wasteful of resources. Each roll produced consumes:
- 1.5 pounds of wood
- 37 gallons of water
- 1.3 KWH of electricity
- Harmful chlorine, sulfur, and calcium carbonate
Having a modern toilet bidet in your home will reduce toilet paper consumption from 50 to 100% via the effective cleansing of the warm water wash and optional warm air dryer. In addition, a toilet bidet only uses an average 5-7 cents of electricity per day – even less when its power saving features are activated. The use of a toilet bidet supports both a green lifestyle and aging in place.
A toilet bidet eliminates the need for abrasive toilet paper when using the toilet. The warm water jet and warm air dryer clean and dry the user, providing great relief from symptoms such as tenderness and irritation. Whereas sufferers with traditional toilets often dread going to the bathroom and try to wait as long as possible (causing further complications), toilet bidet owners may actually look forward to using the toilet because it has become a pleasant, soothing experience.
Toilet seat bidet adapters, which can easily be retrofit to most toilets, are becoming increasingly popular with the ageing and disabled. Many manufacturers now provide easily installed seat bidet attachments that use wireless remote controls to activate the water jets and air dryer. These conveniently placed remote controls provide ease of use to those individuals who suffer from limited mobility or other disabilities which would otherwise compromise their ability to maintain their personal hygiene in the bathroom.
Fully integrated toilet bidet combination units provide the ultimate in personal hygiene, comfort, features and interior décor style. These units are as easy to install as a conventional toilet as long as you can provide a properly located electrical outlet.
The “Seat Bidet” units are a fully featured bidet built into a toilet seat module that can easily be retrofit to almost any toilet. Most of these units also require a conveniently located electrical outlet.
An “Insert Bidet” is a simpler device that is fitted to an existing toilet between the toilet bowl and the toilet seat and provides many of the hygienic benefits of an electronic seat bidet unit. These units do not, however, provide air-drying or heated seats and therefore require the use of toilet paper. They are easily connected to the toilets plumbing but also require a hot water connection if you wish to have a warm water wash.
Also growing in popularity are “Hand Bidets” which consist of a stylish spray nozzle connected to a flexible hose that is connected to the toilet’s water source. The hand bidet is used to provide a “manual” cleansing wash of your private parts for enhanced personal hygiene. Additionally, a hand bidet is a much more convenient, stylish, and hygienic alternative to the use of a traditional “toilet brush”.
Whether you suffer from medical problems or disabilities that require an alternative approach to common bathroom methods, or you want to make a simple, economical modification to your existing bathroom or merely want the pampered luxury and improved personal hygiene of an enhanced “bathroom experience”, there are many benefits provided by the modern toilet-bidet.
Robert Nielson is President of Sanicare, a distributor of a selection of the finest toilet bidets, bidet seats, and hand bidets available on the market today.
