Somebody posted about bidets on HN last time this discussion popped up. I bought two and installed them in my house. WOW! Much to my surprise, they are vastly superior to toilet paper.

It really surprised me while visiting USA the first time that they weren't available. They are pretty standard in my home country (Argentina) and every house has one.

Even if you don't avail yourself of the U.S.S. Enterprise style command console allowing you to finely tune how and where your bum is washed, Japan just does toilet business better. Want a clean seat to park your ass on? The American way is to use a toilet seat shaped piece of what feels like thin wax paper, which is guaranteed to slide off the seat and stick to your skin. In Japan, you hold a piece of TP under a nozzle and it sprays a bit of sanitizer, which you then use to wipe the seat. Marvellous.

I never bother with the seat cover paper. Instead, I always carry a tiny 1oz (30g) spray can of Lysol disinfectant to wipe like you describe.

I am thinking of a bidet, possibly this one: https://www.amazon.com/Luxe-Bidet-Neo-120-Non-Electric/dp/B0...

We poop almost every day, so it makes sense to try to make the experience pleasant. Some day when I own a place, I'll probably get one of those amazing Japanese toilets. Or at least an $800 seat: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B009IJ2NBI?ref=emc_b_5_t

I can vouch for the luxe. Life changing. And it's a good conversation piece :)

Yes, that's true. It's alternatively called a bidet shower/spray[1] among other things and as an Asian, I feel using it is way more hygienic than using TP.

[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bidet_shower

I guess most Muslims use them as well because washing with water is commanded in Islam. In case there was no water, Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) would command his followers to use pebbles.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Islamic_toilet_etiquette

Coming to India, I have been to a lot of toilets in different places and it's hard to find the ones _with_ a toilet roll. The only place I remember I couldn't find a hand shower was the Delhi airport. I was disgusted. In fact most households use the 'Indian seats' with a lota (vessel pot) instead of the commode toilet. Many have both including my house. Funnily, I'm actually currently relieving myself.

*While on the toilet, one must remain silent. Talking, answering greetings or greeting others is strongly discouraged.[4]

Haha I was gonna mention that. I'm still not sure if this counts -- probably does. I'll consult a scholar. Because there are similar things which are allowed under Islam. For instance, a Muslim is advised (not commanded) to make ablutions before picking up the Qur'an. But I have a Qur'an app on my phone which made me wonder if I was supposed to make ablutions before opening the app. A scholar of Islam told me that I'm not. He quoted a ruling which reasoned that the purpose of a mobile phone is not just reading the Qur'an; which is also comparable to a book containing Quranic verse - you don't have to be in a state of purity before picking up that book.

> I'm still not sure if this counts -- probably does.

Why do you think it does not count?

Maybe because while reading you're not required to open your mouth and physically speak. That's just my reasoning. Islamic rulings are based on the Qur'an and the Traditions of the Prophet (pbuh). There are about a million traditions on a variety of topics. The scholars keep them in mind while giving a ruling. So, I'm in no position to give a ruling on this. A Google search on the topic tells you that it's not, but none of the answers are satisfying for me so I think I'll have to visit a scholar and ask him/her.

I was about to comment this, nice link! I did not know it was advised to face away from qiblah.

In Argentina and some other South American countries bidets are standard and found in almost every bathroom. They're usually not integrated into the toilet as the Japanese type, they're a separate fixture, but serve the same purpose. You still need toilet paper though, at the very least to dry yourself up after using the bidet, but common usage is to wipe first, then use the bidet to finish the job.

Bidet Toilet Seats, all the way.