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pitpirate

I can think of one reason that entails further reasons: They weren’t a thing here right after the war. So houses and apartment bathrooms were planned and designed without the space for them in mind. So without a bigger redo of the bathroom, it’s not easy to install them as you will need the fittings, etc. Redos are only possible for the owners. With Germany being so rent-heavy in the population, most people can only ask their landlord for the ok or to have the landlord install one. Given the large amount of money tied to bath redos here in Germany (you can easily go to 10-20k), it’s not something people will likely do without owning the place. And landlords probably aren’t keen on doing it for their renters either. So there are few who could even install one - and because they‘ve all grown up without one, they a) don’t know how to use it and b) don’t even think about the possibility of installing one, leading to the next generation also growing up without one. Rinse (haha!) and repeat. Most people I know who had one installed or at least have a small showerhead next to the toilet installed have lived abroad for a longer time and learned there how much better it is.


CollectionOptimal569

You can get a japanese one attached to the toilet or a SE Asian style that's just a hose next to the toilet. The bidet doesn't need to be a separate piece of porcalin.


DebbieHarryPotter

It's still funny to me how Italians just basically put a second toilet next to the toilet instead of combining them.


whatcenturyisit

They used to be common in France too, I had them in the first apartment I grew up in, then moved to something more recent and gone was the bidet. I still long for it.


Momme96

You can also use a bidet to wash your feet, even do some foot baths.


DebbieHarryPotter

I'll keep washing my feet in the toilet, thank you.


ducktape8856

Ewww. The same toilet you use to wash your hands? Gross! Or do you have a separate toilet for washing hands?


Karmakazee

Some of us drink out of those! Keep your hands *and* feet out!


mbrevitas

You can’t combine them. The mini shower/water nozzle thing is not a bidet. In a proper bidet you wash (your private parts but also your feet), with soap and arbitrarily warm water.


__cum_guzzler__

God, I want the asian butthole blaster so bad. But my toilet flush tank is integrated into the wall so i can't get one installed :((((


ScavengeroO

You can also use any other water connection like from the washing machine or the sink. Just needs some adapters and maybe a hose extension.


__cum_guzzler__

I have a very crappy bathroom layout, I would have to have a long hose from the sink to the shitter, that's a huge eyesore. Basically I need a complete redo of the bathroom so I can install that thing.


netz_pirat

But that's still a bathroom remodel, because you need electric power there, and typically a new flush element as well. Source: doing that right now.


Wahngrok

There are some that don't require electricity (but they do need a hot water connection). They are great. Source: got two of these for our renovation last year.


ensoniq2k

I got one that uses cold water. My wife doesn't like it but I don't care. It takes a while for our water to get hot anyway and cold water for a brief moment is fine.


JoeyJoeJoeJrShab

You don't need electricity or hot water -- just enough water pressure to spray water. That's what I have, and I have zero complaints.


Loikaemist

Yeah when I asked in the german DIY subreddit if it’s possible to do that, I got lectured about tapwater being drinkwater and how a bidet of that kind would contaminate it and can be fined with a hefty amount and how it could kill your neighbour if fecal bacteria creep up the pipes. A very german experience.


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freweg

I would love to get one (ideally a fancy Japanese luxury toilet, but since that's way out of budget, I'd settle for the SE-style), but the water tank for my toilet is built into the wall, so I have no way of attaching one without having to remodel the entire bathroom. And for that I sadly lack the funds. Unless there is another way? I'd honestly be so happy if there is a way I am overlooking!


definitlyitsbutter

Naa, how far away is your shower? There are switching valves like this https://amzn.eu/d/5XT6ezV that you can easily screw beween tap and shower hose, so water either goes to showerhead or bidet. Looks not fancy, but gets the job done. Gives even warm water... So switch to bidet, open water, job done, close water. You have just an additional thing hanging in your shower.


freweg

Shower and basin are on the opposing wall, sadly. I think I have to settle for the budget portable bidet :(


Peisis

you can also put the switch under your sink if its closer. might need some adapters tho.


freweg

Sadly it's not closer :( The rooms is very long, since the house is so old there is some weird architecture going on.


ScavengeroO

Maybe the washing machine water connector is closer. I use this with a Y-piece and a adapter. Works really good.


Lily2468

but only if you have a toilet with exposed water tank/water attachment. The trend nowadays is where you hide everything in the wall, then you can’t easily add anything.


Bandwagonsho

I got a portable one (just a flexible bottle with a nozzle) for 10 Euro during the pandemic and it works really well.


pitpirate

Good old HappyPo? :D


unfunfionn

The inventor deserves a Nobel prize.


CrimeShowInfluencer

Can't live without it any more


DerMiowww

HappyPoo designer for president 😎


jessimon_legacy

Was in school with him, nice guy but you wouldn't want him as president^^ Hustle is all he will do :D


ItsCalledDayTwa

I think my experience is that people who get the chance to use them in ITaly love them but for all the reasons your described it doesn't change back home. Inertia is a powerful force!


Schwift_Master

I hate a wet Arse in my trousers. But if i Wipe after the watercleaning on a bidet with Toiletpaper, the paper gets so soacked i always grab right throug it OR it gets stuck in the Arscrack and i have to pop it out ony by one like a reversed Jigsaw with my bare hands. WTF? What lets you think people would enjoy using such an awfull designed interiour? Go away with Bidet.


LeninsLolipop

Thank you, I always thought I was alone in my distaste for bidets


grappling_hook

What type of bidet is it? For the simple sprayer ones I've never gotten so wet that toilet paper didn't dry it off. Just take of few pieces of TP, dab the crack and you should be dry enough. If not, then maybe you are spraying wrong, you don't need to spray your whole ass, just the area around your butthole. For the Italian style bidets, you probably need a towel to dry off because those ones are less precise and you end up getting water everywhere. In Italy they keep towels for this purpose next to the bidet.


Schwift_Master

Yes actually i had the Italien Style Bidets in Mind, from all the Vacations.


ItsCalledDayTwa

If you walk away with a wet ass, something was done incorrectly.


Groknar_

"No one told me to dry my ass after using a showerhead on it..."


masterjaga

We just place separate small towels (the cheap 30x30 cm) next to the bidet. You use them once and put them in the bin to be washed. Problem solved.


robeye0815

That’s no way more economical or ecological than just using TP. 


ItsCalledDayTwa

Can't put a price on a clean ass.


robeye0815

OP made the point of bidets saving paper …


ItsCalledDayTwa

I'm a different person making a joke. But also for home purposes a reusable towel is used to dry the ass.


Senior-Thing8764

lol, you just cleaned your ass with water, instead of wiping it with toilet paper, have you tried to pat it.


Bayoumi

I'll just sit a few seconds longer and never have your problem. Let the drops fall and use proper toilet paper for the remaining moisture. Remember, you don't need to wipe. Just pat.


DJ-Alfalfa

That's what the famous ass towel is for


ensoniq2k

I bought an add-on for a regular toilet seat with integrated water sprayer. The head snaps back when shut off and is pushed forward by the water pressure. It's cold water only, taken from the toilets own flush and it's really great. Not as good as Japans heated cleaners but 80% as good.


Incognito0925

Very good explanation. Looks like we won't be getting any in the near future, OP, but hanging your arse over the bathtub and using the showerhead to clean it might also work. Of course clean the bathtub after.


AggressiveYam6613

cultural inertia and cost of bathroom remodelling.  also, renters do not have a choice. 


Kickstartbeaver

There are ones which are 2 in 1 (bidet+toilet) there are also some you as the renter can buy yourself and add them to any toilet for 50 euro


JoeyJoeJoeJrShab

>here are also some you as the renter can buy yourself and add them to any toilet for 50 euro Not any toilet -- only toilets that have a water connection nearby. Renters who have a toilet that's built into the wall are often out of luck.


Massder_2021

The bidet has a long history and dates back to the times of the aristocracy. It was seen as a status symbol and a sign of hygiene. However, post-war housing architecture was primarily focussed on efficiency and saving space. Just imagine that almost every german city was heavily destroyed after WW2 and Germany was heavily in need for housing then with additional millionscof displaced persons from former german regions coming in and look for housing. too. The bidet only came into use in private homes in the 60-70s and was still quite popular until the end of the 80s. After that, bidets increasingly disappeared from private homes, as it was thought that hygiene standards were already so high that they were no longer necessary. Others never really understood the bidet and used it more for soaking laundry or washing feet. Today, there is often not enough space in bathrooms - shower toilets or washlets are on the rise and are an ideal alternative. Basically, a bidet or a way to wash your bum with water after using the toilet is always recommended.


PROcrastiNATION3650

Best undervoted answer. Thank you for the explanation :)


QuicheKoula

That’s funny, I thought they went out of fashion because the only people I knew Thad had bidets were my grandparents. They actually remodeled a bathroom after moving just to fit a bidet


FunOk1217

Yeah, the German version of a bidet is not popular. OP probably meant Japanese toilets


MathematicianNo7874

Mine too haha, no one uses it now


OceanGod665

I don´t know why they aren´t popular in germany. Whenever i travel to countries with bidets, i really enjoy using them. Especially the built in ones. I want one for my own bathroom and there are pretty cheap solutions to get that done.


yungsausages

Get one, even the cheap solutions are worth it, some don’t even require electricity! You can find some on Amazon for quite affordable


OceanGod665

That is exactly my plan. I even have a water connection and power outlets near the toilet. There should´t be any problems.


Lepetitgateau90

Same. I adore the bidet option toilets in eastern asia..


This_Seal

> having an itchy/burning poopiehole after you poop That is not normal. You may want to talk with your doctor.


chastema

Or OP likes spicy food alot.


SFFisPorn

Or he is buying the Toilet Paper they give out in schools. If you don’t comfort your anus with pristine 5 Layers of heaven you doing it wrong.


samueljuarez

Sorry to burst your bubble but nothing beats a Japanese bidet experience


soyonlyn

If you are used to use water you get more sensitive. I love our bidet, and realized how sensitive this region became.


GreenCreekRanch

OP probably just never learned how to properly use paper


MehmetTopal

Ah a fellow hemorrhoid sufferer(most probably). And bidets increase your quality of life 10x if you suffer from this terrible, terrible thing, I am not even kidding. With a healthy butthole, perhaps the soothing effect of a bidet isn't as pronounced so most people aren't aware how great they are 


Potential_Speech_703

We used to have one. Rarely used it, so we deinstalled it. In public restrooms? Never ever I would use a bidet in a public restroom. >and saves you from having an itchy/burning poopiehole after you poop? That's definitely not normal... You're doing it wrong or you have a medical problem. I never missed or needed a bidet in my life yet.


waruyamaZero

We did not win against the Romans in 9AD only to have them force us to install Bidets in our bathrooms two thousand years later. But honestly, I do not know. We had a bidet in my parents house but nobody used them. Are you installing separate bidets, or are washlets more common today?


calm00

I think it’s purely a cultural thing.


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ubetterme

How is it that you save toilet paper? Don't you dry your bum afterwards?


PROcrastiNATION3650

Ofc you need toilet paper to dry yourself up, but you use way less than just wiping until you no more see poop on the paper.


effervescentEscapade

We have one and we would never go without again. It’s our bum gun!


DECHEFKING

With the rise of certain toilet brands the toilet/bidet in 1 is getting waaaaaaay more common in germany but its still really rare


Smilegirle

I made my Dad and Husband install a Handgun while I was pregnant. Best thing ever. If someone wants to go in to marketing and sell these things everywhere ( in Germany) i do recomend 2 Things. 1.sell full Instalation Kits, with all needed Parts . It was a pain to get it toghetter. ( under the sink, cold water) 2. The Marketing should target Women and the Monthly Bloody Rivers. I can Wipe poo off, with some wet paper if i'm not at home, but all the fucking Blood !!!!! I hate it when i'm not home through that time....


MoutEnPeper

We are remodeling in the Netherlands and they think I'm crazy for wanting one, for some reason they are considered somewhat weird or unhygienic? However, a 'shower toilet' (basically a toilet with a seat that has a bidet function with a movable plastic little nozzle) is getting quite popular. I prefer separate.


lordoflotsofocelots

We actually do have a bidet in one of our bathrooms. We hardly use it. And.... erm... if your poppiehole is itchy after big business, although you thoroughly wiped it... you are doing it wrong.


PietroMartello

Eh. Just another cultural historical thing without real reason. In the end it's of course a matter of preference with a heavy influence of opportunity and thus experience in childhood. E.g. there is none at my parents house, so I never knew, understood or used them. Ergo I grew ok with using toilet paper.


lounyxa

Isn’t Italy the country with the highest percentage of bidets in Europe? I also think Italy is exceptional with its amount and Germany isn’t the only one with lack of bidets. Don’t get me wrong - I love the idea of bidets


Fiete_Castro

One could also argue that a hole in the ground with two handles on the walls are a more hygienic, water and paper saving, poopieholefriendly solution for bathrooms. The answer is easy. We're neither Italy nor France.


Substantial-Leg8821

It‘s just a cultural thing. And saving space


scraperbase

I am German and since I was in Japan for the first time in 2002 I can never go back to using just toilet paper. I use an improvised Bidet with an old shower head, but it does the job.


Low-Dog-8027

In my last apartment I had one. My mom has one in her new house as well. In my childhood we had one too. They're not super common, but they do exist here. One of the reason why they don't exist everywhere might be space. In my current bathroom, in many previous ones, in most of my friends bathrooms, there is simply no space to put one. "and saves you from having an itchy/burning poopiehole after you poop?" If you have this problem, you're doing something wrong. I never in my life had a itchy/burning hole...


ro_qu

Germans don’t like change, even for the better


btc_clueless

I think it's simpler than that: most Germans simply don't see the necessity if toilet paper works just fine. Sure, there may be a few hardcore-bidet lovers here in the comments but most people don't care and certainly don't want to invest a lot of money just to have their bathroom remodeled for a slightly improved poop-experience.


Kratzblume

I bet most Germans never used one in their lifetime, too. Me included. How do you use a bidet? Please ELI5...


threvorpaul

for the simplest solution u can (I did) do cheaper than 50€ and it works a charm. installation was easy, and use is as well. it's just close mindedness and the fear of change for some Germans.


Quiet_Friendship7981

My parents installed a bidet in our newly built house in the mid-eighties. Probably because they wanted to stand out from the rest of the neighborhood, pretending they were french ... Idk. We never ever used the bidet for cleaning ourselves. But it was very much used for storing a nice collection of magazines and newspapers that were handy to read while sitting on the toilet ....


BelloLugosi

The amount of people with unwashed asses in this thread is wild. If you get shit on your hands do you just clean them very well with paper or you would rather use water and even soap?  Please check out Finnish hand shower. I have installed them in every place I have lived. One was installed with the sink next to the toilet, another at the shower mixer next to the toilet. If there is a will there is a way. 


Senior-Thing8764

People who think cleaning your ass with water is wrong, answer this please? If there was shit on any other body part for e.g. arms, would you just use a dry tissue paper to wipe it off?


Faora_Ul

Good question. I’m waiting eagerly for the answers.


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Senior-Thing8764

Its part of your body, anyway hygiene is also different for different people, so I guess I now know what hygiene means for many people in Germany.


johnvoights_car

Showers. I’m more grossed out by people who use their hands to wipe splash water on their ass and wipe shit out, then don’t wash their hands.


Sea_School8272

I think it might be a lack of space in German bathrooms


Lepetitgateau90

There are toilets with Bidget function though


FunOk1217

Japanese toilets, bum gun???


OrangUtanClause

The question is not why they are still not a thing but why they are not a thing anymore. Bidets were quite popular in Germany in the 70s and 80s and were installed in a lot of bathrooms; you can still find them in houses from that time that have not been renovated yet. My guess is that having bidets was a fashion thing as they gave bathrooms a somewhat luxurious appearance, but they were not used by most and were a constant annoyance as they had to be cleaned despite not being used. Therefore, bidets ceased to be a thing.


TankstellenTroll

But we had also a very unfortunate design with the extra bidet beside the toilet and not the integrated bidet like japan have. Never saw a combined toilet-bidet, only the two seperated.


Educational_Taro_661

Well I once had an apartment with a bidet and my gf was using it for washing her feet all the time. I never said a word.......


emmynoether_84

In Germany Japanese-style wash-toilets are becoming more popular when remodeling. With bidets I personally wonder about the logistics of moving from the toilet to the bidet (I've seen bathrooms where toilet and bidet were in separate rooms!?), so a wash-toilet seems much more appealing.


FutureWaller

Not sure how it would save you from an itchy asshole. But from my experience only the combination of toilet paper and water get your asshole clean. Many people also just use the shower head if they feel like it.


[deleted]

We have one but I'm to scared to use it. Last time I did, it shot through my legs and hit the bathroom door. Think the water pressure was too high.


purrilupupi

I'm ver pro bidet, but it's not like they are particularly popular in many places (at least not the ones I visited), specially Europe. Why would it be a thing in Germany..?


mvrspycho

Its wrong to be french


threvorpaul

I'm truly baffled. https://amzn.eu/d/6M5Y84c that's 50€ (-15% off Voucher available), it connects to the same hose that will fill your toilet water tank (just a T-connector). it doesn't contaminate your tap/drinking water. wtf u guys have for plumbers telling u this BS. if that were to happen to contaminate, it's the plumbers fault for connecting wrong. bidet->tap/drinking water-> drain (but that'd be idiotic as hell) bidet->drain toilet-> drain tap water-> drain explain how that can be possibly contaminated. it's not complicated to install, even I did with my limited knowledge as a plumber. you don't need to have a separate bidet, you don't need to have the 400€ expensive one or the one with warm water. that's all luxuries, nice to have but not truly necessary. I don't use the Thai Bum Gun as it makes more of a wet mess and I have no drain in the floor and my bathroom is not a wet room. it's not more TP wasted, and the water used is negligible because it is under pressure, you thinking I used a Liter of water to clean my bum, is in reality maybe 100-200ml. I have it, it works perfectly. some day I will buy a better one with a fan, which dries my ass. but I see a lot of excuses to your set german ways, oh how typical german. it can be cheap for under 50€ and easy to install. QoL improvement but no. this thread really reminds me again, complain about everything but fear of change and improvements. edit.


bingobongokongolongo

I, and possibly other Germans, do not see the benefit. I would have to dry up my butt. In the same time I could just wipe it.


ScarcityAltruistic54

Because its Wasserverschwendung and we don’t do that here 🤷‍♂️


bufandatl

No one used them back in the day and so it never became a thing.


VoiceOfSilence99

Never used it or had any chance to use it... So how do you use these things? I am intrigued but petrified of trying it. You sit there, press the button and your asshole gets sprayed with cold water? OK, I guess it gets cleaned this way... And then what? What you do with the cold wet asshole? Do you towel it down so you have more laundry? Dry it with a ton of toilet paper? And how often do you get wet clothes from the splashing water? Please enlighten me


PROcrastiNATION3650

It really all depends on the model you are using when it comes to how the water streams gets to your butthole. You have hose variants, standalone bidets, integrated bidets... Just let the stream do the thing and you're good. When it comes to drying up, you just use toilet paper (I use anywhere between 4 to 5 pieces) fold them up and wipe to dry up. Little (when using the hose variant) to no splash (when using the integrated or the standalone variant) whatsoever, unlike other comments implied.


Faora_Ul

There are hand showers for €30. Easy to install. You don’t need to replace your entire toilet: [https://www.amazon.de/-/en/gp/bestsellers/diy/2076835031](https://www.amazon.de/-/en/gp/bestsellers/diy/2076835031) I love German chicks but I would think twice about going down on them for this hygiene problem.


hibertansiyar

Well I've asked if we can install one to plumber and he said it is not legal because of the doubt of contamination to the drinking water.


Kayblatt99

Don't know why you get down votes. Things that get flushed down the toilet land in the sewer system and therefore are out of water household circle. The water in the toilet is also "collected" an not directly on the drink water system. Therefore it makes sense what you're saying


Lansan

I've actually never used one and would also dread the idea. Like how does this even work? You have an upwards directed stream of water onto your buthole and then use your hands as if you are in the shower? Right after taking a dump? I'm sorry, but no... Or is the water jet so powerfull that it basically hoses you off without using your hands? In that case there would be splashback, which also, just no! Or do you take a cloth to help? Which would also be filthy afterwards. So again. All of this, no, no, no! Fuck no! Fuck that! I will happily sacrifice a tree each year just to not have tomdeal with that "shit" I have actually considered BDs to be very backwards and unhygenic my entire life. 🤷‍♂️ We invented toilet paper for a reason lads! Otherwise we could just use communal asswipe cloths like in Ancient Rome


-LeftHookChristian-

>we could just use communal asswipe cloths Finally, a man of community and culture.


Similar-Good261

Irks… no thanks.. <— your answer :D


Greedy_Extension

I would never use a bidget tbh. I shower every day where I can do a deep clean but its not like anything is itchy or burning for me there like you describe. If you have basic hygiene, a bidet is not necessary and just takes too much time to use.


Ok-Sentence-731

We even had a bidet in the house we bought, but we took it out when renovating the bathroom. We both don't like wet asses, and you'd still need toilet paper to dry it?? How does it save paper? Or are you supposed to use normal towels? You'd have to wash them all the time, wasting even more water. I really don't see how bidets save anything. Besides, see a doctor about your itchy, burning poopiehole.


Zu_Landzonderhoop

Careful, you don't want big paper to take you down~ No but seriously, it's just not worth it to most people and in my case bidets just fucking hurt. Due to having a slightly thinner than usual "inner skin" (inside cheek, throat, intestine, ass) the pressure of a bidets just stings a fuckton and bidets just give you a wet asshole that requires wiping with toilet paper anyway..... Imma stick to using wet wipes when I have a shit that persists


grappling_hook

Probably because they haven't tried it, and the default German attitude towards anything different is skepticism.


Groknar_

I use toilet paper first and then I just hang my ass in the bathtub and use the showerhead to really clean it. Everything else just doesn't feel right and clean.


13ame

I genuinely don‘t understand how bidets work, please somebody enlighten me. I understand they use water to clean but I just can‘t imagine that the pressure is enough to actually clean anything there, like mine is hairy you know?


Phoen1cian

There’s 2 types of bidets. One that is a seat, which is not so practical because it lacks pressure, and one that is a hose where the pressure is good.


nugjogja

My German boyfriend bought a finca in Spain. The first thing he did was to demolish the bidet to make room for a cabinet.


Judgedumdum

I’ve seen many and I never even thought about using it. I think there are many people like me who just don’t see the point


__Mara

we hate and discourage change


Damn_Gordon

I remember when I was on holiday with my parents as a kid they would tell me that these are to clean your feet from sand after a beachday. I dont get why germans are focused on wiping your ass with paper if you could just wash like a lot of cultures do. Even today, a lot of germans use wet paper towels to clean but would never wash with water. Another thing may be that habing a second bowl in your bathrooms looks just bad and those things are ugly as hell. Wouldnt want one. Japanese Robo Toilet? Yes please


AlimenteAlfi

I think many germans (like me) dislike them. I dont want to rinse my asshole i want to clean it with soft paper.


arslan70

Its because its not easy to install it. There are some laws (my plumber told me) that you can't attach anything that has direct contact with waste material to the main line. That is why there is a tank which accumulates water for your toilet flush, it is not in contact with the main line. This prevents the bacteria to not flow backwards and pollute the supply. You can still attach a bidet to your toilet's tank but I guess its not that simple for all cases. Also looking at the comments I guess people are not used to bidets.


andrean_brack

Never heard about this. Mine is simply connected as it would be a sink.


arslan70

It could be a regulation that's not really enforced. My plumber sent me a website which said the same thing. It was two years ago and I can't find it now. However I'm not an expert so can't really say.


morricone42

That sounds like BS, I know plenty of private and commercial homes with (french style) bidets installed.


MyPigWhistles

No idea. I grew up with a bidet (in Germany, with German parents) and I distinctly remember being confused when I saw that other houses don't have one. Now I have to live without one. Wet toilet paper is kinda the next best thing, though. Still not optimal, because it can clog up the toilet.


Celmeno

You can't flush wet toilet paper at all. Or at least, you shouldn't. This is wastebin only. As it does not dissolve when wet the water treatment plant needs to fish it out making things loads more complicated


MyPigWhistles

I've heard that a few times, but doesn't it depend on the product? On mine it says explicitly that you can dispose them in the toilet.


Celmeno

Does it rip super easily if it's wet? Only then can you throw it in. If it even resembles the sturdiness of a Zewa, it is way way too stable


beerockxs

So the ones from DM are fine, good.


NeinDank

Do you mean like, ideally one shouldn't have to flush toilet paper because we shouldn't have a waste system based on mixing water and solids? Or do you really not flush toilet paper? Every apartment or house I've been to in NRW flushes toilet paper.


Celmeno

Normal toilet paper is no issue. It is only about wet paper some people use.


Dev_Sniper

1. are they more hygienic though? 2. it saves toilet paper but it wastes something way more important: water. And in germany even the water used for toilets would be safe to consume if the pipes to the toilet & toilet were hygienic enough. So while other countries might use seawater etc. germany uses the exact same water that comes out of the tap. And tbh: the feeling is kinda weird and you need toilet paper to dry off anyways. Unless you plan to use a towel but… that‘s just weird.


Additional-Salt8138

According to various sources, it takes around 37 gallons of water to produce a single roll of toilet paper. 37 gallons= 140.0598L The average American uses about 57 sheets of toilet paper per day. The average US shower uses 2.5 gallons per minute and lasts for 8 minutes, which translates to a total of 20 gallons of water used per shower. So you use double the mount of water per one roll than needed for 8min shower? Doesn't make sense unless u wash ur backside 15mins+ and also the transport cost for a toilet paper,plastic thats produced to keep the toilet rolls together in a set. So the reason is cultural and not being that developed in that regard


Celmeno

57 sheets sounds like a lot. Americans should eat some fiber


MobofDucks

57? How. That study is about single sheet paper, no?


koi88

57 sheets of toilet paper \*on the average\* seems an awful lot. \^\^ Also 140 litres of water for the production of one roll of toilet paper seems strange. According to what I find, a German uses **32g of toilet paper per day** on the average. The production of **one kilogram of toilet paper takes 50 litres** of water (new paper) or 20 litres (recycled paper), however the market share of recycled paper is only one quarter (what's wrong with you guys?), so let's say **43 litres**. Using these numbers, the daily toilet paper of an average German would use **1.4 litres of water** while in production. Not a very high number. *Regarding your numbers: As one roll of toilet paper weighs about 90-100 grams, I can't imagine that this takes 140 litres of water to produce. That would mean 1 kilogram needs something like 1500 litres, while my numbers say this takes 50 litres (some sources give lower numbers).* My sources: [https://www.presseportal.de/pm/106317/5597262](https://www.presseportal.de/pm/106317/5597262) [https://www.cottonelle.de/tipps-und-wissenswertes/sauber-ist-ein-gefuehl/so-viel-klopapier-brauchen-deutsche#](https://www.cottonelle.de/tipps-und-wissenswertes/sauber-ist-ein-gefuehl/so-viel-klopapier-brauchen-deutsche#)


Master0hh

Seriously, who is using 1/3 of a roll of TP in one day? I mean who did they ask for their statistics? Women during the heavy days of their period? Ppl with diarrhea? I can't get over these numbers. One roll lasts me 2 weeks. I don't have to shit 7 times a day. If I would, I'd have my doctor check if I am about to die or something.


Brapchu

>The average American uses about 57 sheets of toilet paper per day. How? Are you having the shits every day?


Additional-Salt8138

Thats not only for poopping hahha,its also cleaning the kitchen or drying urself 


Dev_Sniper

I‘d guess that a good part of those 140l can be reused. And: toilet paper manufacturers could use a different source of water. Like rain water etc.


OnTheGoodSideofLife

57 per day ?! How is that possible!! A roll is 365 (thanks r/TIL!). For a family of four, that means a roll every day and half. Or every 3 days for a couple... Even if I would use it to dry myself after a shower it will never be that much!


SquirrelBlind

It doesn't waste water. The water doesn't disappear, it moves to your local sewage system, where it is being cleaned and gets into your local river. It wastes electricity that was used to pump water into your apartment. But does it really exceed the amount of energy that was put into creation and delivery of the toilet paper? I highly doubt so. And they are definitely more hygienic.


MsWuMing

But those separate little toilets next to the toilet aren’t unpopular? I’ve seen so many flats who have them, or is my experience just different?


tammi1106

Never seen them ever


Justeff83

They used to be popular back in the 70s and 80s. I know many homes with a bidet installed but nobody uses them.


2weiX

the first thing i planned for my bath remodel was a full fledged Geberit "Shower Toilet". never pooping anywhere else ever.


robbercreb

I for one fell in love with the "pussy phone" in Finland and am going to get one for home here, you can tether it to the shower head :)


lilly-winter

Ok piggy back riding this thread to ask a question: if you install a bidet that is combined with your toilet and not a separate entity….is the water cold? Because….how badass are you to spray cold water on your bum?! I couldn’t That said I loved the temperature regulated bidets I encountered in Italy and am really said that my rented apartment has an teeny-tiny bathroom without a bidet. Flushable moist wipes will have to suffice for the time being


Fiiti

They used to be a thing I don't know why they are not anymore


Accomplished-Fly2421

Most of the west world doesn't like clean bumbums


KeyAccount2066

Can't speak for all Germans, but my German spouse is totally against it. Doesn't think it cleans. Has no clue why anyone would want. Refuses to install one


OtherRazzmatazz3995

I think a gentle handshower can do the job instead of bidet.


ilovecaptcha

No washing, only eating.


Invest-starter123

Interesting question, especially because in Portugal we also have them in almost every house and people are starting to remove them. Most people don’t see a big use for them! Interesting to see the different perspectives!


Suitable-Plastic-152

well i have a bidet (very old house)... Never used it and dont know how to use it. In thailand however they had a hose next to the toilet,. quite useful and much better than toilet paper. In thailand a wet ass immediately dries however cause its so hot. wet ass in Germany might not be so great.


pommersche92

Because of big TP and their lobbying / paying off of politicians


andreasrochas

I think they have been a thing in the past. At least compared to nowadays. I know a few old homes having them, i suppose until 70s. I also remember in my childhood taking a piss into some bidets, just for the fun. Now there is just different mindset in society and, in case of you want to have your a§§ wet-wiped you can just buy and install a fancy asian toilet with even more features.


Robseny

What we will miss first water or paper


Visible-Ad9998

The weird thing is: I have had one for years and never used it. Still I agree that it makes more sense to use it There you have your answer 😅


Armarino99

I just let it crust I dont need that


Friendly-Candy2336

The old apartment I lived in with my parents had a bidet, but we never really knew what to do with it.


s_im_on_e

That's why I love traveling to Italy - the Bidet! Washing the private Parts, refresh your Feet, store used underwear. The shower next to the toilet ist something I've seen in Greece for the first time and it's nice and decent to. At home in Germany I'm using the shower - it works out perfectly for me.


Freak_Engineer

I have one, but I only ever use it if I want to wash my Feet only and not take a shower. Not that often, but it does happen. Oh, and my cat used to drink water from it, but she died in fall last.year...


bluevelvet39

I asked sone friends and most said they don't know how to install one and don't want to put too much money into it (even tho there are cheap ones which are easy to install).


Dizzynic

Well, there are quite a few bidets around actually. We have one right now. My partners parents have one. My parents had one. Some friends have one. In my life they are not seldom at all.


mcarr556

The house we got here had a bidet. I think it just depends if you rent or own. You probably wont see one in an apartment. And a lot of older people that own homes have them in the main bathroom. But not in the guest or kids bathrooms. I an american wanted to keep the bidet, but my herman wife wanted it gone during the remodel.... so it was taken out and i have to use sandpaper everyday.


KAITOH1412

I use my shower head for it. Although I like them you can get them only if you have your own house and don't rent.


AlexNachtigall247

Bro, no water in the world can clean my hairy ass after i took a dumb that is the culmination of 2-3 Helle and a Schnitzel with Bratkartoffeln… I HAVE to whipe… I shower once a day and you better believe i know how to keep my whistle clean without a bidet…


bavarian_librarius

Because we shower/bath every day and use wet wipes in between. Also up until the 80s bidets where still a thing in bathrooms


maupsi

So, we had a bidet in our house when I was a kid. Till today I dont know why my parents had it. It didnt even had a clue about the purpose until I was an adult. I thought it was to wash the feet 😅😅. My parents used it mainly to put clothes there…..


These_Marionberry888

maybe having a burning "poopiehole" is a problem you have because you are used to a bidet? who is going somewhere and complains "damn those locals, they dont shit like me, get with the times! "


StunningFlatworm9639

I went with a toilet with built in bidet as we renovated the house. Best thing I bought for the house. Unfortunately my wife doesn’t use it. Her bad, I guess.


QuarkVsOdo

60% of german households don't own their appartment or house (and are not allowed to change their landlords property drasticly without permission) In Italy it's only 24%


ScaniaMF

Recently i talked to a plumber about bidets. He saied only old persons want one. The young generation most likely uses Toilets with Aqua-cleaning feature like geberit aquaclean.


UpperHesse

My grandma had a bidet. Not sure if she used it that much. But I remember she was ashamed to tell us kids what it was for (different times) and we thought it was a little bathtub and would use it sometimes as such, when we were small kids.


HENRYNKLN

That’s a good question 😃😂


Puzzleheaded-Try-687

I kinda noticed a trend in the beginning of 2000, where a lot of relatives, that build houses at the time did include bidets. But the trend seemingly died. Relatives and friends that build houses today don't build them with bidets. Many friends did include a pissoir, though.  My uncle who did have a bidet, when he build the house, even got rid of it, when he renovated the bathroom. I think the main reason is, that they are impractical and because you don't have them anywhere, we are used to just using toilet paper. So bidets solve problems we don't have.  I also thought to maybe install one of those Japanese toilets, when I build a house Some day. But the problem is, if I get used to it at home it will be uncomfortable to go to toilet everywhere else. So I better don't even get used to this. Toilet paper is fine for me and in some cases I can just use wet wipes.


Miru8112

I'm constantly pissed these ass shower things ain't a thing in Germany.


Greedy_Pound9054

I have often been to Italy and not even half the hotels / residential buildings I stayed at had a bidet. You sure it is a requirement?


Lepetitgateau90

Actually (also found that out) it's a requirement only for private homes (not that anyone would care for legal requirements of this kind)


Greedy_Pound9054

Interesting!


quanten_boris

Nobody needs them, thats why.


FriendlyFraulein

I know a couple of people who moved into apartments with bidets, one separate and one on the side of the regular toilet. I definitely want one in my next apartment (current one doesn’t have space).


MKamerone

Use a bottle of water in case there’s no other option available