Toilet, Commode or Bidet

From the three terms above which sounds least like a plumbing fixture, probably bidet because some people may not know the world bidet or know what it means. It might sound more familiar if we spell it phonetically Ba day. Now some people are going oh yeah, now I know what it is. The spelling on that word will get you all the time.

Toilet and Commode are the same thing you will see in a bit why the bidet is different. The word toilet can either refer to the fixture itself or the room that the fixture is kept in. This explanation of the 2 different terms comes from British England, in North America when the word toilet is used it means the fixture itself. Other words used in referencing the place where the fixture sits are bathroom, lavatory, rest room, washroom or men’s room and ladies room. There are other slang words for it as well, but we won’t mention those.

Here is where plumbing becomes a problem with commodes or toilets and that is this, toilet paper is to be the only thing that should be used to put down in the toilet but that isn’t always the case. Sometimes there are wads of paper towels, baby wipes, feminine products, tobacco, drugs and if you have children you may find car keys and who knows what else.

Bidets are used to wash and clean the external lower region of the body. Most people don’t do this but back in the day when bidets were first introduced men and women used to use it to also clean the feet. If people had trouble getting into and out of the shower or tub then they would use a bidet as a shower. Some people who aren’t really sure what a bidet is sometimes confuse it with a urinal and those people who really don’t know what it is may confuse it with a drinking fountain though I hope not.

Another misconception about the bidet is that it is not a toilet. You should use the toilet before using the bidet, that is why when you see it, they are side by side. You as the user sit on the bidet facing the tap meaning sit on it the opposite of a toilet. You face the tap so you can control the water. It really is a fixture for cleaning and not for doing anything else in it.

Bidets are made in different designs, some have one tap that pours warm water into a china basin. The basin has a plug in it so the water can be drained out. Some other bidets have nozzles in them and they also have drain plugs too. The nozzles are used to get a stream of water for better cleaning. There are also nozzles that may be attached to an existing toilet. Sometimes the bidet nozzle is just an attachment to the toilet.