Geberit: Bidets: yesterday and today

Throughout history, whatever mankind has used for hygienic procedures after a visit to the toilet: rocks, paper, silk cloth, sea sponge, etc.p., But at all times and in all civilizations, water has been the only truly effective way to keep any part of the body clean. Nowadays the bidet has become a symbol of cleanliness and personal hygiene. In one century it has evolved from a simple ceramic bowl to a high-tech electronic device.

Geberit AquaClean Mera Classic wall-hung, rimless bidet toilet, complete with lid with smooth lowering and automatic opening system, microlift, seat with quick-adjustable heating.

From Ancient Rome to French horsewomen

Small up to 25 cm deep marble basins, which archeologists often find at the excavations of private houses in ancient Greek and Roman cities, can be called the prototype of the first bidets. They used to be installed in small spaces near the toilets. Of course, such a luxury could afford only rich townspeople. Visitors to public Roman toilets were satisfied with using a soaked sea sponge.

With the advent of the “Dark Ages”, when any kind of hygiene was not welcome, the tradition of ablution after a visit to the toilet was forgotten. They only began to be restored with the advent of the Renaissance 15th-16th centuries . Around these times, metal or ceramic pots of small size appeared in the homes of the nobility in France. For comfortable sitting they were made narrowed in the middle and enclosed in a wooden frame with four legs. This design and method of seating “on top” were very similar to a child’s horse, which in French was called a bidet bidet – “pony” . The water in such a bidet was poured from a jug or some other container.

Already by XVII century bidets have extended in France and the Southern Europe, and by XVIII century and the American nobility became addicted to hygienic procedures with use of such subject of interior: one of them is known on living rooms of count N.p. The Sheremetev Palace in Ostankino.

European standard

Only at the beginning of the XX century did bidets move from bedrooms to toilets, and from ceramic or metal basins they became fully fledged fixtures: they had hot and cold water supplies, a drain in the drainpipe. They also started to put the bowl on a plinth that was the same height as the WC bowl.

Due to the lack of faucets, the water was premixed in the pan before bathing. And only with the mass spread of faucets bidets have become almost modern: the faucets were placed on the rim of the bowl, and the water is fed by a fountain from a special sprinkler. In modern models with a special floating mixer head you can smoothly adjust the water temperature, pressure and direction of the jet.

In southern European countries it became standard for the location of the bidet next to the toilet. It repeatedly led to the embarrassment of Soviet tourists, who, staying in European hotels, did not know what to use the “second toilet bowl” for.

In our time, the bidets have become a required item in the range for any European manufacturer producing sanitary ware. They borrowed all the technology that appeared in the toilets. For example,

the first wall-hung toilets

appeared in the 1980s. In fact, right away, wall-hung bidets were also designed, so that they didn’t look superfluous next to the wall-hung toilets.

Today, the development of toilets and bidets goes hand in hand. So, a famous German manufacturer of sanitary ware Keramag, which is a part of Geberit Group, in each collection of bathroom equipment, furniture and accessories includes bidet models made in the same style.

But even now the spread of the bidet is heavily influenced by local cultural traditions. For example, in Southern Europe Italy, France, Spain and Portugal , as well as in Latin America they are almost ubiquitous in Argentina and Uruguay, there are bidets in the homes of about 90% of residents , while in Scandinavia, by contrast, they are still rare.

From the medical world to the mass consumer

For people with an inventive streak of thought, having a toilet and a bidet side by side was bound to inspire them to try combining the two sanitary fixtures in one product. In the 1960s, the first hybrid models appeared in Switzerland. At first, it was intended for people with disabilities and the elderly who had difficulty using toilet paper for personal hygiene. So these devices began to be marketed primarily as medical devices – to hospitals and nursing homes.

For example, the American Arnold Cohen designed a special insert for his father who, because of an illness, could not use toilet paper. A built-in hygienic shower washed the sitting person with a stream of heated water and then dried with a stream of warm air.

In 1964, Cohen patented his invention and put it into production. But in the U.S., his novelty product, called the American Sitzbath, was not a great success. Sellers simply did not know how to sell such a specific and delicate product, and potential users blushed with embarrassment when trying to explain to them the benefits of a flush. As a result, the patent was sold to Japanese manufacturers.

In Japan, which had its own centuries-old tradition of toilet culture, European toilets and bidets did not take root for a long time. Up to the end of the XX century, even in large cities it was possible to find Asian-type toilets for squatting with a hygienic shower. Since the 1980s, however, the idea of combining the two sanitary fixtures into one product has never occurred to anyone., After the development of the electronically-controlled models, hybrid bidet toilets began to grow in popularity. As a result, at least 75% of Japanese apartments and up to 60% of urban residences in South Korea are now equipped with such systems.

A new standard in hygiene

European manufacturers of sanitary ware were also able to attract hybrid models that combine the functions of a toilet bowl and bidet not only for medical institutions, but also for the average consumer.

For example, Geberit, the European market leader in sanitary ware, in collaboration with renowned industrial designer Christoph Beling, has developed the Geberit AquaClean Mera Comfort wall-hung toilet with bidet function. It’s a combination of many innovative technologies.

First of all, thanks to built-in motion sensors, when the user approaches, the lid is lifted and the seat heating is activated. A dim backlight is turned on under the unit the user can choose from seven color options , so that at night you can avoid using bright lights in the toilet. When a person sits down, the low-noise odor extraction system is automatically activated. It draws air from the pan through a ceramic filter, and frees the toilet bowl of impurities.

For flushing, the user can activate the integrated hygienic shower by pressing the buttons on the side of the toilet or on the remote control. It extends to the desired length and washes the body with water heated to a comfortable temperature. Effective cleaning is achieved with patented WhirlSpray technology – two swirling jets. And the jets are specially aerated air bubbles are added , which reduces water consumption and makes the process of washing softer and more comfortable. After completing the ablutions, a hair dryer is switched on, which dries the user’s body with warm air.

For the female audience, the design includes an additional retractable nozzle located at a special angle. It’s a so-called ladies’ shower for washing even more delicate areas of the body. Its location and mode of operation make it ultra hygienic, which means it is protected from all possible contaminants and ensures maximum cleanliness.

It should be noted that instead of a traditional flush, the AquaClean Mera uses the innovative TurboFlush technology. Thanks to the asymmetrical geometry of the basin the water is whirled in a whirlpool joint which reduces splashing and noise and improves the efficiency of the shower.

When installed with non-contact flush actuation systems such as the Sigma 80, there is no need to press a button – the flush actuates with a wave of the hand.

Hygiene and ecology

So, after a long way of development, the bidet has become a smart electronic device, very comfortable in everyday use. Users who try these bidets for the first time quickly get used to cleaning with water, so that those who use the bidet regularly often experience discomfort after toilet paper.

But the bidet is not only a hygiene aspect, but also an ecological one. Every year about 10,000 hectares of forest are cut down for toilet paper production. The growing popularity of bidets and bidet toilets, which use water and electricity very economically, could save vast tracts of forests from being wiped out. Leaving forests to our descendants – isn’t that a worthy excuse to skip toilet paper in favor of water hygiene??