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Original poster

AIBU to wonder why bidets are common in Italy but not England?

187 replies

Tonyritundo · 30/04/2026 23:39

Why are bidets mandatory in Italy but barely any English people have them?

OP posts:
Tableforjoan · 01/05/2026 17:59

RampantIvy · 01/05/2026 17:57

The ridiculous fastidiousness of some mumsnetters never fails to amaze me.

How do you cope when not at home?

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With what?

When I’m on holiday I also towel wrap dry.. Even when camping 😅

If there is a sink in the bathroom A splash can still be had. Obviously camping I cannot splash after a pee.

RampantIvy · 01/05/2026 17:57

Tableforjoan · 01/05/2026 14:22

I’ve always wondered about the drying part. As toilet roll on a wet bottom just falls apart.

But then I’ve also just read people actually dry their bottoms after a shower. I go for a wrap and air dry so my towel never touches my actual ass hole.

That would certainly lead to more washing in my home if everyone needed a bottom towel.

Though I do admit I give the front a little splash from the sink and pat dry with toilet roll.

The ridiculous fastidiousness of some mumsnetters never fails to amaze me.

How do you cope when not at home?

QuintadosMalvados · 01/05/2026 17:51

RampantIvy · 01/05/2026 07:21

This is why I dislike rainfall showers. I prefer showers where you can remove the shower head from the wall and direct it to my nether regions.

I also find bidets useful for washing feet.

Agree. My heart sinks a bit when in a hotel/someone else's home and the showerhead is non-removable.

F* off with your fancy 'rainfall' shower if it doesn't thoroughly give the parts that need most attention a proper going over!! Lol.
I'd rather have a cheap shower with detachable showerhead any day.

Some have a separate hose at the bottom, though, don't they?

To be honest, I'd be fair happier skipping the daily shower if I had a bidet.

appleberryhandcream · 01/05/2026 17:39

TwoBagsOfCompost · 01/05/2026 08:38

We always had a bidet growing up (Greece), it was NEVER used as a bidet as apart from the bath we also had a walk in shower we could easily hop in for quick washes when we needed to. So it was agreed that the bidet was only to be used for soaking whites or for putting your foot on it to paint your toe nails etc 😂

Here in the UK my house currently only has a shower over bath and as I like washing myself after toilet, I constantly find myself wishing I had a bidet 😭

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Is it not just as easy to hop in for a quick shower in the shower over the bath, as it is a stand alone shower?

what’s the difference?

tootyflooty · 01/05/2026 17:12

We had the bathroom redone in our house in Italy about 6 years ago, and the old bathroom had a bidet, we didn't have one in the refit. However when we did have one, my daughter used it as a pool for her barbies, and we occasionally used it for feet washing, never washed a bum in it 😂

RobertaFirmino · 01/05/2026 17:08

RaraRachael · 01/05/2026 14:00

I have never in 60+ years encountered anyone smelling of wee on a hot summer's day 😅

I have encountered such people many times. I live in Hull though.

kalokagathos · 01/05/2026 17:03

We’ve had them put in in both bathrooms-they’re great

LindorDoubleChoc · 01/05/2026 16:43

That's a very good point from LovinglyCrafted Water is going to be a much more precious resource in hot countries. Maybe people can't afford to bath or shower everyday, maybe there are restrictions on water use.

GasPanic · 01/05/2026 15:32

Maybe its due to the drains.

In some places you aren't allowed to put toilet paper down the drains because it blocks the sewers up and you have to put it in a basket beside the toilet.

The less "used" the toilet paper the less nasty the basket is going to be.

LovinglyCrafted · 01/05/2026 15:13

I think it’s a combination of things: hot weather, not taking baths as much as we do in the UK and - I say this as an Italian born in England - Italians LOVE talking bums. They shove things up them more, suppositories over tablets, and generally seem more butt focused than we are in the UK. Where I am from in the extreme south of Italy we get African temperatures, frequent droughts, and water is very limited in the summer.

haggisaggis · 01/05/2026 14:38

About 30 years ago I had to visit a Scottish paper mill and asked to use their ladies loo. There was a row of cubicles each with a toilet and a bidet. To this day I have no idea why.

Tableforjoan · 01/05/2026 14:22

I’ve always wondered about the drying part. As toilet roll on a wet bottom just falls apart.

But then I’ve also just read people actually dry their bottoms after a shower. I go for a wrap and air dry so my towel never touches my actual ass hole.

That would certainly lead to more washing in my home if everyone needed a bottom towel.

Though I do admit I give the front a little splash from the sink and pat dry with toilet roll.

Beenwhereyouareagain · 01/05/2026 14:20

GoodWater · 01/05/2026 06:50

Just FYI this is definitely against water regs.

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Oh my goodness. I'm in the US, so had no idea.

NatalieNatalieNatalie · 01/05/2026 14:19

I used to live in a hot country where bidets were the norm. A good wash when on my period was amazing, and it’s genuinely one of the things I miss most about living there. Not with soap, and I wasn’t swelling water up my foof, just had a good rinse. Man, I miss that now I’m perimenopausal and have flooding issues!

TheStudioWasFilled · 01/05/2026 14:11

Greyblankie · 01/05/2026 08:19

Im confused by bidets, don’t you end up coming out the bathroom with a wet arse? I assume you dry yoursen with bogroll but surely you’d still feel wet?

You have dedicated towels so you grab one before using the bidet.

igelkott2026 · 01/05/2026 14:11

RaraRachael · 01/05/2026 14:00

I have never in 60+ years encountered anyone smelling of wee on a hot summer's day 😅

Me neither (in 50+ years). Sweaty men who take their shirts off smell of meat, like a butchers, though - yuck. Sorry not the point of the thread!

igelkott2026 · 01/05/2026 14:09

UK houses are too small and so the bathrooms are too small as well.

Alternative is Wype ;)

Ablondiebutagoody · 01/05/2026 14:04

Sponge on a stick. Like the Romans

RampantIvy · 01/05/2026 14:03

RaraRachael · 01/05/2026 14:00

I have never in 60+ years encountered anyone smelling of wee on a hot summer's day 😅

Neither have I. It makes wonder where that poster lives.

RaraRachael · 01/05/2026 14:00

I have never in 60+ years encountered anyone smelling of wee on a hot summer's day 😅

Sidebeforeself · 01/05/2026 14:00

LindorDoubleChoc · 01/05/2026 05:59

I'd love to have one. British people are surprisingly squeamish/prudish about them.

Yes, I don’t know why but when I see one it turns my stomach.

mochimoons · 01/05/2026 13:58

I would install one if we had the space but we'd have to re-do our whole bathroom layout. Although I have been in lots of Italian bathrooms that are smaller they are just designed to fit them in from the get go.

It's 100% more hygenic than just using toilet paper which is quite disgusting if you think about it.

Villanousvillans · 01/05/2026 13:33

CraftyNavySeal · 01/05/2026 07:39

Because it’s a hotter country and so even more noticeable when people don’t clean themselves properly.

In the summer here you can definitely notice people smelling of wee, so to everyone who thinks toilet paper is enough you are wrong!

People smelling of wee? Are you for real?

tartyflette · 01/05/2026 13:27

I really wanted a bidet when we had the bathroom done in our house but there wasn’t room, so the plumber suggested a ‘washlet’ (shower toilet) which has a separate shower function, controlled with a remote. It’s great. You can set up to four individual user preferences on it.
It has an anal wash setting and a vaginal wash setting.
TMI probably but it really works and I wouldn't be without it.

horlickstablets · 01/05/2026 13:26

CoffeeCantata · 01/05/2026 13:05

I'd love a bidet - I like to be clean after using the loo.

But this has always confused me, and I'm so British I've been to shy to ask. Yes, what ARE you supposed to do to dry yourself? I always use loo paper, but it's messy and...obviously not the right way.

Are you seriously suggesting that everyone who uses the bidet uses a fresh flannel each time? I wouldn't countenance re-using one, personally. Surely you don't????🤑

So..you'd have to have disposal bin full of these flannels, and wash how many every day on a hot wash?

Genuine question - I've always wondered how it works.

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If I’ve washed with soap and water then yes I would reuse it, it’s like reusing a normal towel and it’s only for me. It’s not dirty because I’ve just washed and I’m only patting dry
But even if I washed it every day, it’s only the same as the flannel I use to take my makeup/cleanser off with, that’s a new one every day and it doesn’t take up much room