by Joanne Smedley

Created on: April 12, 2009

My first experience with a bidet toilet was when our family moved house. I was twelve at the time and, as the journey was a long one, we had to have several stop-overs on route. The second was in a farm house. My sister and I took one room, and my two brothers another. They had the luxury of an adjoining bathroom, and I bet, by the end of the stay my parents regretted it!

Admittedly, it wasn't entirely their fault, but neither of them had ever seen a bidet before and it held a certain fascination, that anything that sprays water on demand has for a couple of pubescent boys. They played with it throughout the evening, non-stop, experimenting with it in all manner of ways and for all many of purposes (none of which were the original intention). When we all went to sleep none of us had realised just how much damage they had done. That is, we didn't, until we went downstairs for breakfast the next day to find one wall completely running with water!

Apparently they had fiddled so much with it, they had broken the pipe! Needless to say my parents were aghast, but the owners were non-plussed. Apparently it had happened before, and they didn't level any additional charge for the damage caused. Phew!

Anyway - that was my first experience with a bidet, and I have to say, living in the UK, I haven't really seen them much since. Of course, being somewhat older than twelve now, I know what they are used for. For example, they aren't for washing your feet, or bathing small babies, but i have never seen the attraction of using one, and so have never bothered.

In the UK Bidet toilets are one of those conveniences that come and go. They come in and out of fashion about as often as luminous socks. House owners with pretensions tend to own one, or households which had their bathroom fitted during "bidet year" will have some, but in the main, bathrooms in the UK are of the typical toilet, wash hand basin, bath, shower varieties.

I am sure in other countries where toilet paper is less common, or where there are religious taboos or requirements, bidets are probably much more popular, but in the UK they are still a rarity, and while they remain that way, when we ever encounter one as a family, then I spend an interesting few moments myself explaining to my own young family exactly what they are used for and what they do, just to ensure I don't end up in the same predicament as my own parents

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