Bidet Use Down Under: From 17th century France to 21st Century Australia

Have You Ever Used a Bidet?

Invented in France during the 1600s, the bidet has been touted as the cleanest way to “do your business”. 

The original bidets were popular among French aristocrats and were intricately decorated porcelain bowls that were filled with water. The user would straddle the bidet, which is the French word for a pony, and wash. 

From there, bidets spread around the world through trade routes. France had a good reputation as a trading country, with their perfumes and fabrics coveted by the Asian and Indian traders who came through the country, and thus bidets were exported and copied around the world. 

As plumbing and technology improved, various styles of bidets emerged past the original bowl design. Some are handheld, some have numerous sprays and some are even automatic, built into a robotic toilet.

Over the past four decades, designs and technology have been used to create electronic controllers and water-saving technology.  They also come with a range of beneficial features, from heated water to adjustable spray pressure.

The Adoption of Bidets in Australia

While they have remained popular in Europe and a number of Asian countries, the bidet has struggled to gain a foothold within Australia, with toilet paper remaining supreme. This is until recently, with increasingly blurred lines between cultures, improvements to technology, and even our global aging culture, seeing the humble bidet experience a bit of a resurgence. 

The plumbing experts at PNG Solutions have seen their fair share of bidets. They say that “modern advances in bidet technology mean that they are a more viable option for Australians than ever before. They no longer need to take up a lot of room, as they can be integrated into your toilet, and a range of features such as heated water and adjustable pressure make them more comfortable than ever before. They are also quite eco-friendly, using minimal water.” 

The expert building designers at DC Cladding have also noticed an increase in bidets in Australia, stating, “with Australia becoming more and more diverse, people who have moved from overseas are wanting to bring bidets into their homes. Another big group of people who request bidets be designed into their homes are those with mobility, such as the disabled and elderly populations. Bidets can be life-changing for these people as they are easy to use.”

So, there we have it — bidets are beginning to make a splash in Australia. Would you ever consider using a bidet?

At The Bidet Shop, we can offer you the safest, most widely tested, and guaranteed bidets in Australia and New Zealand. Take a look at our wide range today.

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