Bidets — What They Are, How They Are Used and What to Stock

A bidet is a low basin for washing after using the toilet. It is standard equipment across southern Europe, the Middle East, parts of Africa and much of Asia, and almost unknown in Britain and North America — which is why half the search traffic for it is people asking what one is.

  • Floor-standing, wall-hung and back-to-wall formats
  • Single or three-hole tapping to suit the market
  • Glaze and body matched to our WC range

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What a bidet is and how it is used

A bidet is a low ceramic basin, roughly the height and footprint of a WC, installed beside the toilet and plumbed with its own tap and waste. It is used for washing after using the toilet, and in the markets where it is standard it is regarded the way a wash basin is — not as a luxury fitting but as ordinary bathroom equipment.

It is used seated or straddled, facing the tap or facing away depending on the fitting. A rim-supply bidet fills like a small basin; a vertical-spray bidet has an upward jet in the base. Both are simply run to a comfortable temperature and used with the hand, then dried with a towel kept for the purpose. There is no mechanism to it, which is part of why the fitting has barely changed in two centuries.

The word is French, for a small horse — from the straddling posture. It is spelled b-i-d-e-t and pronounced "bee-day" in English.

Where a separate fixture will not fit, the same function is served by a bidet shower — a hand-held spray on a flexible hose mounted beside the WC — or by a bidet seat that replaces the WC seat entirely. Both are far more common than the standalone fixture in new construction, simply because bathrooms have got smaller.

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Formats we manufacture

FormatMountingTypical sizeNotes
Floor-standing bidetFloor, back to wall360 x 540 x 400 mm highThe standard fitting. Matches our two-piece WC range.
Wall-hung bidetConcealed frame360 x 540 mmFloor clears completely for cleaning. Needs a rated carrier frame.
Back-to-wall bidetFloor, pan against wall360 x 520 mmHides the trap and supply without a frame.
Bidet shower / health faucetWall bracketHose 1.2 mBy far the largest volume in our African and Middle East orders.
Bidet seatOnto WC panTo suit panReplaces the WC seat where there is no room for a fixture.

Specifying a bidet

  • Allow 200 mm each side — Same clearance rule as a WC. A bidet crammed against a wall cannot be straddled and cannot be cleaned around.
  • Decide the tapping before ordering — One tap hole, three tap holes or no hole at all for a wall-mounted mixer. This is moulded in, not drilled later, so it has to be right on the order.
  • It needs hot and cold — A bidet run cold only will not be used. This is the most common plumbing omission on the fixture.
  • Match the WC range — Bidet and WC sit side by side and are read as a pair. A near-match in glaze tone or profile looks worse than an obvious contrast.
  • Waste is 32 mm, like a basin — Not the 110 mm soil connection a WC needs — a bidet discharges to waste, not to soil.
  • Check the market — Italy mandates one in every bathroom. Nigeria and Ghana buy bidet showers almost exclusively. Know which before loading a container.

अक्सर पूछे जाने वाले प्रश्न

What is a bidet?

A low ceramic basin installed beside the toilet, with its own tap and waste, used for washing after using the toilet. It is standard bathroom equipment in southern Europe, the Middle East and much of Asia and Africa.

How do you use a bidet?

Sit or straddle it, run the water to a comfortable temperature, wash, and dry with the towel kept for that purpose. A rim-supply bidet fills like a small basin; a vertical-spray bidet has an upward jet in the base. There is no mechanism to operate.

How do bidets work?

They are plumbed exactly like a wash basin — hot and cold supply to a tap, and a 32 mm waste. Nothing is powered or pressurised beyond normal mains supply, which is why the fixture has barely changed in two hundred years.

How do you spell bidet, and how is it pronounced?

B-i-d-e-t, pronounced "bee-day". The word is French for a small horse, from the straddling posture.

What is the difference between a bidet and a bidet shower?

A bidet is a separate ceramic fixture with its own floor space and plumbing. A bidet shower is a hand-held spray on a hose mounted beside the WC. The shower needs no floor space and costs a fraction as much, which is why it dominates in new construction.

How much space does a bidet need?

Roughly the footprint of a WC — about 360 x 540 mm — plus 200 mm clearance each side and 600 mm in front. If the bathroom cannot give that, specify a bidet shower or a bidet seat instead.

Add bidets to your container

Tell us the market and the tapping and we will quote bidets matched to the WC range you already stock.

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