ladyrob1, the trees! you've opened up a can of worms, oh I could go on…..

Fascinating. We have a separate loo so the squirt bottle idea is great - thanks!

Just found one online that does hot and cold water: http://www.gtmall.com.au/hydraulic-toilet-bidet-warm-water.html?
Has anyone tried this one?

Hi
Looking to buy a quality "douche sprays kits" or what is called "Hand Held Shower Head Douche Bidet Toilet Spray"
Any recommendation from where can i get it in Sydney ? I found couple on ebay can i trust them ?
Thanks

Scroll up to "Bathroom Sprayers.com" on this page...don't know if they are in Sydney. There's website and photos of the 'gadgets'. They invite people to contact them so give it a try.

Returned to this thread for info...have an elderly friend who has had a recent colostomy. Poor wife was having such a hard time...colostomy bags breaking etc..and they live in the outback in underground housing on their mining lease. Since doing some serious investigation, they've done a marvellous job on their home. The installation of a 'dugout' wet room...complete with toilet having a home made sprayer with a few bought nozzles and bits..etc.
Juat as a comment here in response to the advocates of wipes or just paper... wipes are totally insufficient, impractical in these situations....which can happen to anyone at any time so best be prepared...and in the know...According recent reports, wipes may not be even sanitary given that they are impregnated with...whatever according to brand and sales speel
If up against it I'd still go with my personal spray bottle in my little toilet bag !
A recent news article stated that some wipes may be dangerous. The ordinary person would not know what all the ingredients in the moisturisers are.
Turned me off wipes for any purpose and now save a few dollars too!
My friends, the senior couple, are much more comfortable now with their 'douche spray'.
Just to comment here... a douche spray in the loo is not to be sneered at.
Some people pay lots of money for colonic lavages and the likes when they have problems with their inner plumbing. Hospitals make use of these and enemas in drastic situations. Once it was a normal practise ro flush out a person'd plumbing in preparation for a simple apendectomy...so, to those who find that bidet seats and the like 'conjour' up' wierd impressions...Maybe you need to think it out again.

Life is not always as dignified as we would have it be. To coin a practical, down to earth Aussie phrase...'Sh 1 t happens' literally, none of us can be certain what fate has in store for each of us...best be informed, open minded, non complacent and accepting of the human condition, grateful that others have addressed these things. The pioneer farmers...if they needed a 'gadget' that facilitated "this or that" farm job and it didn't exist...they'd invent it! Thanks to the inventor of the bottom douche, the concept of the bidet and the fancy bidet seat!

If you feel its a good idea...get one, its for sanitary purposes not for a weird, embarassing, sexual thrill associated with.... "50 Shades of Grey"...(which I am sure has secretly met the eyes of many a ' conventionally-minded' person under the covers !)

Its my belief that your nether regions and feeling of well being will thank you, you won't have to hide it and, who knows...unlike my dear old friends, initially, you might find yourself well prepared for an unexpected eventuality.

Well said Ladyrob1

Bacci !

I just wanted to throw in a comment about the use of soaps by girls and women--they really should be avoided as they are drying and also kill the good bacteria.

Instead try any of the liquid body wash products that have a pH of 5.5 such as Dermaveen, QV, etc.--they are easy to use and great cleansers without causing irritation.

@kitschwitch....Good Advice...and not only for girls and women.
If one thinks a little..Its useless that the woman keep herself fresh and clean if the partner is careless and introduces nasties...it should not only be up to the woman.
Wouldn't hurt for certain gents to get a good pressure clean, groom and disinfect ...and not " now and then" either!
Pity that the bidet seat does not incorporate such a function for males...and not one that can be avoided either =...you 'go' you get entirely cleaned!
Maybe one day we'll have ...Personal Hygene Stations in the home and all we'll have to do is press a button to order 'female' or 'male' hygenic cleanse.

Knowing some males' attitude to cleanliness....I'd rig it so the door to the loo would not open unless the deed were done!
Maybe somebody should think more on this...it might be a good business idea for the modern home of the future! Have a feeling that it will become a necessity.

I want one, don't like not having one, but husbands a Yorkshire lad and won't be pushed that far..........................

Two children in, split abs, would love one but they don't seen to be an Aussie thing, retro fitted seat style has me worried cannot be clean, have compromised and fitted a handheld on the shower. bliss, but its a pain the number of things I want too shower after............Yorkshire man still muttering........

Like the idea. Would like opportunity to try the use of one. Don't know about having air blowing on one's bits. Hate, hate, hate using trees for cleaning myself. Cutting trees down to do a job that can be done without creating waste is an environmental sin. (Same goes for using tissues to blow your nose. The power of advertising is incredible. Off topic but still relevant to my comment.)

With two bung shoulders it is hard to reach the relevant bits. I think I would benefit from a bidet or bidet-like device.

This is an old thread, so I am hoping that some of the contributors are still reading, especially @annoulaxeni :-)

I have a few questions/problems. I grew up with a bidet as a child, until we emigrated to Australia, where (back then) no one has heard of them. Anyone I mentioned it to, said YUCK.

Anyway, never had a house where installing one was a possibility. I have been "eyeing" the Japanese ones for years, but I just don't see how that can be hygienic, even though I am assured that the sprayer arm "washes itself" before each use. The shattaf sounds interesting (although I don't fancy it being cold water only) but I have some questions about that as well... Don't you end up with water everywhere? I mean on the seat, possibly on the floor, etc? TBH, with my present toilet, I don't see how I could fit my hand holding the shower in the toilet behind my bum :-) I think I would have to partly stand up, which would definitely result in water getting sprayed everywhere.

However, I have an even bigger problem with my present set-up. I have recently bought this house, and didn't notice some things before moving in :-( There is no basin in the toilet, so one has to go to the bathroom to wash one's hands. This is something I HATE, so I called a plumber to install a basin. (there is room for one) Turns out, it would be a major job, costing a fortune as there is no water available in the toilet (except the water that flushes the toilet, which -in my case- comes from the rain water tank outside, which is not clean water)

So, I am presuming that I couldn't actually install anything, including a "proper" Japanese bidet, unless I fancied washing myself with rainwater.

Does anyone here have a solution for my problem?

Hi @Judy! Just waking up with a coffee at my computer when a notification of a new post on this thread came in so yes, I'm reading. I'm happy to help if I can.

So: no, you don't end up with water everywhere, although you can end up with a drip or two on the toilet seat as the shattaf hose empties itself and you return it to its parking place. However, you reveal a detail about your habits which is different from my own: I do my clean-up from the front, not the back. I'd have to agree that trying to spray blindly from the back might result in more of a mess, but I'm prejudiced.

Still, the design of your particular toilet will play a role: some are better able than others to accommodate a hand holding a [very slim] shower head.

Personally I still find even the idea (and never mind the cost) of the Japanese ones rather revolting. It washes itself? Why do I suspect that was said by someone who thinks washing and rinsing are synonymous?!

There are times of the year when we only have cold water available (unless we've heated for baths) as we generally rely on solar heating. I admit that during those periods I attend to my shattaf business ... efficiently.

As for your house, if you plan to stay, if you spend enough hours there -- and you can afford it, of course -- it seems worthwhile to get one bathroom the way you want it -- basin, shattaf, whatever. Not leaving the bathroom frustrated is a surprisingly important part of life!

Thank you @annoulaxeni In my case (without becoming too graphic) I would need to to use it both from the front and the back. Which, and @7weed1's comment above, made me think of something else. I am not getting any younger. ATM, I "only" have arthritis in my neck, but have had tennis elbow and frozen shoulder before. During those times, just using paper was rather painful. So, I am now wondering if using a shattaf would be any easier?

With the Japanese toilets, their main advantage is that no hands are necessary at all. I thought about the fact that if I was the only person using it, it wouldn't be sooo yuck, but, as I only have one toilet, my visitors would need to use it as well, even if I didn't give them instructions on how to use the bidet part (I visited a friend in Sydney who has one of those, and she gives detailed instructions to all visitors on how to use it <g>)

Still here @Judy, and get the feeling this discussion is fairly private ATM, so I'll risk being a bit more graphic :-)

Using a shattaf -- whether from front or back -- you still have to reach to some extent. It's definitely not hands-free. While you're 15 cm or so away from the actual business site(s) working with a shattaf, you will want to fully engage to pat things dry. That, or sit there for a while :-)

So, is a shattaf easier? Not really, in fact it adds an added step to the customary Western routine. What it does offer, however, is an easy way to get cleaner. Which many of us love. I'm not one of those people for whom toe-to-top sanitation would be a dream come true, but especially once you've experienced a shattaf, you may find as I have found that you feel decidedly -- unpleasantly -- not clean enough using the old method.

Yeah, the matter of sharing or not does have to be clarified, and the sooner the better. I actually have no idea how they handle this in public loo's in the Middle East. It's one thing to use my own shattaf (which I share only with my clean daughter ... sometimes ... when she's home from uni) in the privacy of my own home. It would be another thing entirely to use a public shattaf -- a horrifying idea.

As one has to do with certain visitors anyways (careless ageing uncles, friends of your teenage son) (note the sex bias?!), one cleans the toilet after others have used it. And no matter what claims they're making about that self-cleaning Japanese crotch fountain thingie ... you surely CAN opt to clean it thoroughly yourself. So unless you have a constant stream of visitors or they're really vile, seems you could surmount that easily enough.

Thank heavens for your friend's good sense in volunteering instructions up front. Nothing worse than being confronted with something completely foreign and puzzling in the bathroom, is there?! I think back to my first encounter -- completely unexpected -- with one of those toilet-in-the-floor thingies which to this day I cannot see how anyone can use in a hygienic way!

Hehe, changing the subject completely and being much too graphic... I am glad I don't live in a country with holes in the floor toilets. On the rare occasion I had been dragged camping (not my idea of fun, at all) crouching in the bushes was a very traumatic experience, in fact (to be graphic) I find it impossible to crouch and strain at the same time :-)

At The Moment

Yeah, I have read that about squatting as well. In fact (for that reason) I prefer toilets that are lower to the ground. They make some very high as it is supposed to be easier for older people to get up from, but I would rather have one lower down and install some sort of handle bar to assist in standing up, if necessary

This old thread keeps popping up and after reading the comments I feel the need to enlight you on the subject from a french perspective !

In my home country the bidet had nothing to do with after toilet ablutions ( in fact the toilets were in a separate room of their own, usually downstairs )

The bidet was for female usage only. 'nuff said?!

I guess in a country were showers were not readily available, it was a convenient way to clean and refresh yourself between baths...

I have also been told than originally and in pre-pill days they were used for contraception purpose.

Anyway, I'm using past tense here as they are not the norm very much this days.

The bidet toilet seat looks like the way to go if you don't have the room for a bidet. Most hygenic and good for the environment as no paper used. It cleans as well as dries so no towels needed either.

If you are building a new home and have the room, I would suggest you install a bidet. However you have to make up your own mind. If you really want one, then have one installed.

I have just purchased one and it is in the process of being installed. As per usual, nothing goes simply for me :-(

It is supposed to be able to be installed as a DYO project. I am getting a new toilet at the same time, so getting the plumber to do the lot.

The plumber has never seen one before, and doesn't believe in reading directions. :-( nor phoning up for help (which was offered) He is coming back on Monday to finish, but I already know that what he did so far is wrong.

The seat is supposed to lift off with a push of a button... it doesn't. It is also too far forward, some of the porcelain is visible when one lifts the lid.

Another problem. I asked the Bidet Shop (several times) if it is usable with tank water, as the toilet is connected to the water tank (was done by the original builder like that, so no idea how it is connected, possibly under the slab) and am not sure how easily (if at all) this can be disconnected. They told me that it is not a problem, the system has a filter in it.

So, I am now reading the manual (instead of the plumber reading it) and it says, in bold: "Use main water supply as the supplied water. Industrial or gray water, if used as supply water, may cause skin damage or disease."

So, I am now looking forward to asking the plumber on Monday if it can be disconnected from the tank. Grrr

To those who have/had Bidet's or Bidet Toilet Seats (or any topic for that matter) could you please include product brands/models? Its what I expect in a review.

One should add, the desire for a proper bidet would make it difficult to add a brand in Tassie where the item is observed with suspicion! G. knows why...it is an asset to feminine higene or should I say an essential!

FWIW mine is a Coway BA13-BE, however, I never thought of this as a review site - this is jut a chat site

Years ago, I used to work with a girl, who moved in with her very wealthy boyfriend. He gave her carte blanche to renovate the place. She went to a Bathroom Renovating shop and pointed at a bidet (even more rare in Australia back then) and asked what it was. The way the salesman explained it to her, she went, yuck, I don't want one!

I was nearly in tears when she told me - why didn't someone give me carte blanche to renovate a house???? I tried to explain to her its real purpose, but by then the bathroom was on order

@Judy,

I know absolutely nothing about bidet's so can't help with fitting it ha-ha but but I would imagine your connection to water, might be fresh tank water, which would still have a pump to bring it into the home under pressure so would be no different to mains supply and would be of equal or even better quality to mains water as it wouldn't have flouride or chlorine and I'm sure the nether regions would appreciate pure water!!

Gray water is septic water runoff if you have a septic system that is, usually a rural thing like we have and not in suburbia where there is mains connection and even if you did have a septic, it would only be connected for gardens and NEVER used indoors EVER so my guess is that the water you have will be perfectly suitable for use in your bidet.

As for the seat, it looks like it's the wrong seat to be seeing porcelain like you can or is fitted incorrectly at the rear.

Good luck

Yes, I have since found out that I misunderstood what grey water meant. Also, I know it is the wrong size, but what annoys me is that the bidet shop told me it would fit, now they want to replace it with a smaller seat, which I didn't want in the first place. (I bought the toilet to fit THIS particular model - or so I thought)

@Judy,

Just stick to your guns and tell the shop it won't do.

Good luck.

Barbara

Great article ...Thanks for your great information, the contents are quite interesting. I will be waiting for your next post.

https://homeplix.com/best-shower-heads

I yay. But instead of a seperate bidet, I'd be more interested in the Japanese washlets (those sci-fi toilet seats that do the washing & blow drying). Looking forward to using one in Japan later in the year :)

HI all, I know this thread has been running a while, but I need to ask a few questions. Im installing a back-to-wall toilet with a concealed cistern under a bench. I'd love to add a 'shataff' kind of contraption.

My concern is, the toilet will be mounted against a painted cabinet. I had not planned to tile up the entire wall the toilet is mounted to. I'm wondering whether this will present a waterproofing problem. Im concerned in particular if I need to rent my house out for a period of time, and young children move in, potentially they could squirt water all around the room.

So my question really is a construction one: how much water proofing - and what sort of zone - is required around a toilet with a hand-held shattaff? Is there anything in the Australian Standards about this?

hi my Plumber told me today it's against the Australian Standards - to fit a 'shattaff' or bidet hose to cold water inlet of toilet. This is because if the hose falls into the toilet by mistake and a 'vaccuum' is created, there can be a backwash of foul water into the clean water supply. He said he can lose his license for doing this. Does this mean all the bidet hoses advertised locally are 'illegal' or cannot be legitimately plumbed into an Australian toilet?

@souzette From my experiance, everything he has said is true. Would be worth looking a companies with Australian Standard and checking if they have non return valve prefitted and paperwork to support . Other issue is these usually need to have a separate isolation valve /tap as the hoses are not designed to be under pressure and you are having a back to wall / wall faced suite with a concealed cistern, the inlet ( cisten tap) will be concealed too... where would fit the tap?

Contact your local council and find out that the certifier requires for it to be made legal.

Hope that makes sense. I was in the industry for 20 odd years but although i still do have a hand in it Im not up to date. One thing for sure .. Australia does have very strict rules and regulations around plumbing.

@Souzette Lovell,

I know nothing about bidets but just commenting on your question about water being splashed on untiled areas of your bathroom. I constructed my bathroom entirely with villa board, and the only plaster is on the ceiling.

I have also tiled the entire bathroom to the ceiling because it made sense to do this rather than be concerned about any water ingress anywhere as well as any damage from something like the hand held shattaff you mention and it means zero maintenence having to repaint from time to time.

My suggestion is if it's not too late to use villaboard and not plaster, in fact I'm surprised all bathrooms aren't fitted out with villaboard but I don't think it's compulsory except for the shower cubicle. I did it so there would never be an issue with water damage as this material is impervious to water ingress.

Otherwise if it's too late and your bathroom is complete, I would tile this wall or a section of the wall as it would make more sense to be able to wipe the tiles regularly in case of any unwanted splashes from regular use if there are children especially, as their aim isn't always perfect and it's hard to clean plaster ha-ha!!

Hi Barbara and Carey -thanks for excellent advice! :-) . OK i'll check for non-return valves and regulations etc. But will probably end up with a japanese toilet seat when I save up for one. Barbara good point about villaboard and tiling - it's a complete stripout so I will use villaboard and lots of tiles. Lucky I enjoy tiling

@Souzette Lovell,

Great decision. Villaboard is more expensive as compared to plaster but I personally don't believe plaster should ever be installed in such a wet area as I mentioned earlier.

We built our entire house ourselves and did everything from the foundation up including the frame, plaster etc...and all the tiling and we did save allot of money, heaps actually but not everyone is prepared to give it a go. I think with Bunnings for example having regular workshops on all manner of things for indoor reno's, if one doesn't know how to do something, it isn't hard to learn so good luck!!

Photo's attached of our finished bathroom

Agree, Give your local Bunnings a call and ask the activities organisers (a/o) if/when they might have a diy. Workshop coming up.

Only if installed by a licensed plumber with an RPZD https://mccarthyplumbinggroup.com.au/blog/2022/05/26/can-i-install-a-bidet-myself/