Do You Need to Wipe After Using a Bidet? We Gave Our Advice

More and more people have chosen to get on the bidet bandwagon recently, but they have many questions coming out of their minds regarding using a bidet. One of the common questions is, “do you wipe after using a bidet?”

do you wipe after using a bidet

In general, you don’t have to wipe after using a bidet, but it can save you some time by dring off your butt quicker. On top of it, the answers vary according to different types of bidets.

Do you need to wipe after using a bidet?

After investigating this issue carefully, we think we have to answer this question according to different factors. You may need to choose other solutions under different circumstances.

Which kind of bidet are you using?

There are a few different types of bidets in the market.

In Europe, standalone bidets are not uncommon. After using the toilet, you should move your body to the bidet and wash your butt. It could get you completely clean as long as the water stream could provide enough pressure.

But the bits of poo may accumulate at the bottom of the bidet as it is similar to a mini sink, so it can’t flush the content away. If you want to avoid it, you could wipe it before using a bidet.

For those using a bidet seat or bidet attachment, the water pressure could also take away the bulk of the mess. Most of the electric bidet toilet seats have adjustable water pressure. You could switch to a high-pressure setting whenever anything is leaving on your butt. 

Some entry-level bidet seats use a water reservoir design, so they will run out of warm water if you use them for too long.

The nozzles of bidet attachments can’t move automatically, so that you may have to change your body position every so often to make it clean you more thoroughly.

Using a bidet sprayer, you can control the water stream direction anywhere you want. This way would clean out all the stool left on your skin.

Some also choose to use a travel bidet. Usually, the pressure is high enough to clean the stool, but you may need to fill it with water twice.

Hence, you may notice that you don’t need to wipe after using a bidet if you are worried that any residues will remain on your butt as long as the bidet could provide enough water pressure. 

Health condition matters

It is kind of weird to talk about this, but your health conditions will affect the form of stool.  In some cases, we need to use more water and a broader spray area of nozzles to get us clean.

Nowadays, more advanced bidet seats are able to provide wider spray so that even if your stool is mushy and watery, they can do the trick. This is also not an issue for people who use a handheld bidet.

This could be problematic for people who use a bidet attachment or standalone bidet. You could adapt to it by moving your body on your own. However, it could not be an option for the elderly or people with mobility issues.

You don’t have to wipe after using a bidet, even if you have a mushy stool, but it could be a hassle for those with mobility problems.

Are you in a hurry?

As you know, bidets will leave you wet, and if you don’t dry your butt, it will cause a significant amount of issues

A lot of people decide to wipe after using a bidet because they don’t have time to airdry their butt. In fact, you don’t need to “wipe” your butt as there are no residues left. Instead, using a bit of toilet paper or towel to dab could get the job done already.

This is truly beneficial for people who are short of time and can still save you a lot of TP in the long run compared to using toilet paper to wipe without using a bidet.

How do you dry your butt after using a bidet?

how to dry after using a bidet

In the above section, we mentioned that you might wipe after using a bidet to boost the process of drying your butt. We want to show you more ways to dry your rear in this section.

Air dry

If you have time, you could always choose to air dry your butt regardless of which type of bidet you are using. You could get rid of the toilet paper, and it is very environmentally friendly.

It will not take too much time for those who live in hot climates. A myriad of people likes to stay in the bathroom for longer to get a moment of break. 

However, using air to dry off could cause trouble while you hurry or have someone waiting to use the bathroom next to you. It would also be a hassle for someone who lives in a cold climate as your butt may not be able to bear the cold in such a long time.

Use toilet paper

As we said, you can use toilet paper to dab your butt to absorb the excessive water. Take one or two sheets and fold them in half to apply on your rear to prevent unnecessary paper tearing. 

Some people decide to buy a bidet since it could save a lot of toilet paper expenses. Don’t be overwhelmed; using one or two sheets after a bidet will not cost you a lot. 

At the same time, you could save yourself some time, and the time is priceless, right?

Use a reusable towel.

Using a reusable towel could be an option as long as you don’t mind cleaning it every time you use a bidet. This is applicable for using the bathroom at home. 

Most bidets could clean your private parts and butt thoroughly, so the only thing the reusable towel does is dry off. An excellent way to use it is to prepare a few of them. 

Use the bidet dryer

To offer you a hands-free experience, some electric bidet seats come with a dryer. After using a bidet, you can wait for a while and let the embedded dryer dry yourself. The aim is to eliminate the need for wiping or dabbing after using a bidet.

Nonetheless, after doing a few tests on a variety of bidets, we find they can’t work as they plan to do. The power of these dryers is usually not so strong, making you have to wait for a few minutes to let it dry. Some luxury bidets could get the job done well, but you have to pay a lot more upfront.

Should you wipe after using a bidet? Conclusion

Technically no. You don’t need to wipe after using a bidet.

Most bidets could make you clean, and there would not be debris and residues remaining on your skin. If you constantly worry about this problem, you take a few wiping tests whenever you get your new bidet.

There is a case that we think wiping after using a bidet is necessary. For those using a non-electric bidet and can’t move their body freely, it is possible that the water stream can’t wash off all the stools precisely, especially when the stool is mushy.

If you are in a hurry, dab with one or two sheets of toilet paper is always a way to let you dry off quicker.

Avatar photo

Kevin Chow is an enthusiast of home improvement. He is an engineer and likes to test all the tech gadgets on the market. He starts to use bidet seats after his journey to Japan and he had tried a few brands.