The best bidet for a classy toilet upgrade
Bidets aren’t unusual in Asia, Europe, and the Middle East, but they’ve been a foreign topic of conversation in the United States until recently. Thankfully, we’ve all learned a few lessons about the pros of a gentle water spray to cleanse our most sensitive parts in the midst of a toilet paper shortage. Bidets feature safeguards that ensure only clean water touches the body, and they’re less abrasive than traditional toilet paper. Trust us, if you haven’t experienced the fresh clean sensation of a bidet, you’re in for a clean (and sanitary) treat.
Whether you’re ready to install a bidet/toilet combo or transform your existing toilet, there’s a model that will do the job. You don’t necessarily need to spend a bundle (though you can). What you do need is a little research (like what we’ve got) to figure out exactly which model you need.
How We Picked These Products
Methodology
Bidets upgrade one of the most intimate spaces of the home. We asked a series of questions to determine which ones belonged on our list.
Performance: Does the bidet do what it’s supposed to do? Can different users get the same results? Is it durable? If it doesn’t get you clean, it didn’t make the list.
Installation: Do you need a professional, or can DIYers handle it? Does the bidet come with all the necessary hardware? Installation isn’t always a cinch, but it should be doable.
Ease of operation: Do you need an advanced degree to wash your hiney? The answer had to be no to this one to make it onto our list. You shouldn’t have to study to use the toilet, er, bidet.
The Best Bidets: Reviews and Recommendations
Best overall: Toto Washlet S550E
Toto
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Why it made the cut: The Toto Washlet S550E installs onto an existing toilet yet provides premium cleaning and comfort, making it one of the best bidets on the market.
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Toto bidets set the standards that other brands emulate. The Toto Washlet provides control over just about every bidet variable. A heated seat, nightlight, air dryer, auto lid, air deodorizer, and warm spray water are all included. You may not need an air deodorizer, but with the S550E, your toilet smells fresh and clean after every use. Not bad. Not bad at all.
A remote control gives you power over all of it. You can adjust the wand angle, water temperature, water pressure, or set the water to oscillate. The nozzle automatically self-cleans after each use. That doesn’t mean you don’t ever need to manually clean it every now and then, but it’s constantly getting rinsed. This model has a memory feature for up to two users. Toto includes a pre-mist feature as part of the ewater design that wets the inside of the bowl to prevent debris from sticking.
This Toto is pricey. And, if the toilet placement in the bathroom is just right, the automatic lid may open and close every time someone enters the bathroom.
Best toilet combo: WOODBRIDGE B-0960S B0960S Smart Bidet
Woodbridge
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Why it made the cut: The Woodbridge gets the top spot among bidet toilet combos for its sleek outward appearance and highly efficient (and luxurious) inward performance.
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The WOODBRIDGE B-0960S B0960S Smart Bidet brings pretty much everything you could want from a bidet toilet combo to the bathroom. It offers a sleek, tankless design and a remote control. Every screw and fastener has a cover, so all you see is a sleek, sophisticated toilet. You don’t even have to flush yourself. The sensor automatically flushes when you exit.
The seat has adjustable heat and a dryer finishes off the job. The Woodbridge even has a built-in air purifier that draws air in and over a carbon filter to get rid of odors. A high-tech spray nozzle offers an oscillate or massage setting, too. It’s all controlled with a touchscreen remote control that you can hold in your hand or mount to the wall.
However, this sophisticated bidet isn’t the easiest to install, and the company doesn’t offer the best customer service. Some reviewers have also had trouble with water volume when flushing.
Best with dryer: Brondell Swash 1400 Luxury Bidet Toilet Seat
Brondell
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Why it made the cut: The Brondwell’s memory features and heat adjustability put it at the top of the pack when it comes to bidets with dryers.
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The Brondell bidet fits onto an existing toilet and comes in either an elongated or round design. The air dryer on this model offers warm, comfortable heat that’s fully adjustable using the remote control. The remote lets you set memory settings, so with the touch of a button, the bidet is set specifically for you. A heated seat keeps the rest of you warm.
Two stainless-steel nozzles do the rinsing, and they get sterilized after each use. A removable deodorizer freshens the bathroom, and a gently closing lid means no more slamming.
There are a couple of cons with this model. A few users have had problems with the plastic in the seat breaking down after a year or two. Others have found that the unit has trouble maintaining the water temperature, especially in winter.
Best electric bidet: Bio Bidet Bliss
Bio Bidet
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Why it made the cut: The Bio Bidet Bliss adds a little extra with different streams for each gender and high-tech touchscreen controls.
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The Bio Bidet Bliss gets the best electric bidet for how its combination of features works together. There’s one worth mentioning right upfront—the three stream options: posterior wash, feminine wash, and vortex wash. The posterior and feminine wash come out of different openings and angles to clean different parts of the anatomy. The vortex wash uses extra water for added cleaning power.
The Bliss nozzle self cleans, but it does it from the inside out. First, it rinses the inside of the nozzle before running water over the outside to finish the job. While this model has a remote control on which you can access and adjust every feature, it also has onboard manual controls for the main functions. The Bliss is an excellent option for those who don’t want to mess with settings every time they go to the bathroom. The Bliss tops off the features with a heated seat, warm water, air dryer, and built-in nightlight.
Where it doesn’t seem to function as well is the heated seat. Some users have found that it doesn’t get very warm or stay very warm.
Best budget: LUXE Bidet Neo 120
Luxe
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Why it made the cut: The LUXE made the cut for the simplicity of the installation and design and the impressive performance, which is all you really need from a budget bidet.
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The LUXE Bidet Neo 120 attaches to your existing toilet seat with an easy installation process. (You may need some additional hardware based on the toilet seat shape and design.) The LUXE attaches underneath an existing toilet seat.
Manual controls on the attached control box run the show. This model only has two dials. One controls water pressure, and the other turns on the bidet and turns on the self-clean feature. However, there’s variation in water pressure because the pressure starts at the house pressure. If you have high water pressure in your home, you’ll automatically get more pressure with this model.
On the downside, there’s no heated water—room temperature and cold are all you get. And, as we pointed out earlier, you might have to install additional bumpers on the seat to get it to flush.
Also consider: Soft Spa Electronic Bidet Toilet Seat
Soft Spa
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Why it made the cut: The Soft Spa Electronic Bidet Toilet Seat offers an array of customizable features to suit any user, and it provides the option of a hands-free nozzle clean.
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If you’re looking for a way to save money on toilet paper and cut down on its negative environmental impacts, Soft Spa 9500 gives you everything you could want from a bidet toilet seat without being too cumbersome in your bathroom. It comes with 12 remote-controlled features, ranging from adjustable seat and drying temperatures to a night light (making it easier to use if you stumble in in the middle of the night). You can adjust the water temperature and pressure to your own liking, and the bidet also offers a gentle mode. The self-cleaning wand and deodorizer feature keep you fresh and mess-free.
Fluidmaster reports that installation takes less than half an hour. The model comes with the bidet seat and lid, remote control, supply lines, and everything you need besides a wrench and flathead screwdriver. The provided T-valve taps directly into your water line to channel water both to your bidet seat and the toilet tank. The four-foot electrical cord can be used with a temporary extension cord—if you opt to do this, Fluidmaster recommends you only use a three-prong grounded extension cord rated for 15 amps. The bidet has a GFCI plug, so it can be used with or without a GFCI outlet, according to Fluidmaster.
Things to Consider Before Buying a Bidet
Types of bidets
Water temperature and pressure
It’s pretty easy to see why your tushy benefits from adjustable water temperature and pressure. Some models allow you to adjust both each time you use the bidet, while with others, you have to use whatever pressure you get throughout the rest of the house.
Nozzle angles
Bidets with an adjustable nozzle angle let you customize the angle to your backside. Bidet newbies might have trouble making adjustments while using the bidet, so you might want to forgo this feature if this will be your first bidet.
Extra features
Get ready for a little luxury with a heated seat, remote control, or a drying fan. All three of these extras make the bathroom experience feel more like a spa than your home throne. Of course, they’ll add to the price and might take some time to learn to use, especially if they’re controlled by a touchscreen remote.
FAQs
Q: Are bidets sanitary?
Bidets are very sanitary, but they take some getting used to. The bidet does the washing, so there’s no getting debris on your hand or ripping through toilet paper. Many bidets have self-cleaning features that rinse the nozzle after each use. They still need to be cleaned regularly, but for the most part, they clean themselves.
Q: How do you dry after using a bidet?
You dry after using a bidet with either the bidet’s heated dryer or with toilet paper. However, you’ll need much less toilet paper to dab off after using a bidet.
Q: How to pronounce bidet?
Phonetically, bidet is pronounced bi-dae, (dae sounds like day). The word bidet comes from the French word bider, which means to trot. That pretty much describes what people must have looked like when using the first bidets.
Final thoughts
The Toto Washlet S550E provides pretty much everything you need or could ever want from a bidet. Toto bidets also have a distinction as some of the best bidets on the market, a reputation with which we fully agree. If you don’t have thousands to drop on a bidet, LUXE Bidet Neo 120 can keep you clean for a fraction of the cost.
