To Bidet, or not to Bidet? That is the question.

When I heard about the number of trees that had been killed in my lifetime to wipe my own booty, I thought I would cry. Quickly however,  I realized that I would need some toilet paper to blow my nose, and needed to reconsider.

Americans use 36.5 billion rolls of toilet paper every year, representing the pulping of some 15 million trees. “This also involves 473,587,500,000 gallons of water to produce the paper and 253,000 tons of chlorine for bleaching. That manufacturing requires about 17.3 terawatts of electricity annually."


To make it personal, that means the process of making a single roll of toilet paper requires 37 gallons of water, 1.3 kilowatt/hours (KWh) of electricity and some 1.5 pounds of wood. ONE ROLL OF TOILET PAPER!!!!! http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/earth-talks-bidets/

Since Jamie and I are attempting to live an ethical life with more of a positive impact on the lives of others than a negative one on the earth, I knew we had to find an alternative. Then I remembered my younger years traipsing across Europe. In Europe, Japan, and parts of South America, bidet's sit beside toilets.

 Not to be mistaken for interesting water fountains, water features, or children's play area, bidets are intended to sit on while a small squirt of water cleans your privates after you potty.

Frowned upon or laughed at, bidets don't seem to tickle the fancy or dirty privates of most North Americans.

Thankfully, however, the tide is turning as more Americans realize the impact on the environment and on their wallets. What was once considered one of those weird things European's do, is now becoming a great idea, and its affordable too!

When we decided to take the plunge to see if we could afford it on our small budget, we went to Amazon.com. What we found was a bidet attachment for only $36.27 with FREE shipping.

The Luxe Bidet MB110 Fresh Water Spray Non-Electric Mechanical Bidet Toilet Seat Attachment was just what the European doctor ordered! To order your own, click HERE. 

We ordered it and Jamie installed it. Unfortunately she decided to test it while sitting directly in front of the spray, but afterwards, we had solid evidence that it was doing what it was intended to do. 

Being the brave and experienced world traveler I am, I gave it a go first and immediately had a pleasant reminder of my days in Europe when I was just plain pooped after a day of sightseeing. 

Now incredibly fresh and thrilled, but not willing to just air dry, I used our next addition to this potty party.....the family cloth. In lieu (or loo?) of toilet paper, we had ordered 100 percent organic cotton on Ebay for $12 a yard. I then cut it into generous and cozy strips. After using the bidet, the family cloth is only necessary to pat oneself dry. 

Jamie and I have been debating if a cloth can be reused by the same individual after an innocent tinkle and sprinkle before it goes into the wash.   We still have not come to a determination. In the meantime, once used, the cloth goes into a bucket filled with a water and vinegar to be washed at a later time. Hopefully when we hang them on the clothesline to dry, the neighbors will not abscond with our 100 percent organic booty. 

I shared our wonderful news with our daughter, and once we picked her up off the floor after an unfortunate fainting spell, we promised to keep a roll or two of toilet paper in the house just for her.