The shower is a source of water for people who prefer using water rather than other methods of cleansing after defecation or urination. The shower is an alternative for the traditional sources of water for this action, such as the bidet, copper pot or bucket and mug, being more hygienic and compact. There is no contact between the spray of water and the used water drainage.
Usage
The user typically grasps the faucet in the righthand and uses the thumb or forefinger to aim a spray of water at the anus or genitals to assist cleansing after using the toilet.
Prevalence
The bidet shower is common in all predominantly Islamic countries and in most parts of Asia where water is considered essential for anal cleansing. This includes India, Nepal, Pakistan, Egypt, China, Iran, Maldives, Bangladesh, Brazil, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Singapore, Vietnam and Cambodia. In those countries it is commonly installed in Western-style toilet installations. In Thailand, it is common in both Western-style toilets and squat toilet installations. It is so ubiquitous that Thai parliamentarians were outraged on learning that the toilets in their new parliament building were not equipped with bidet showers. The bidet shower is similar in intent, if not method of use, to the Japanese washlet-style toilet seats, or so-called "electronic bidets". Bidet showers are used by Muslims in Muslim countries and all parts of the Arab world as well as in Asia in order to cleanse themselves with water after using the toilet. Here, water is commonly used instead of, or together with, toilet paper for cleaning after defecation. The bidet is common in predominantly Catholic countries where water is considered essential for anal cleansing, In Europe, the bidet shower is used for example in Finland and Estonia. Bidets are more common bathroom fixtures in many southern European countries. The average American uses 50 pounds of toilet paper each year; every roll is estimated to require 37 gallons of water to produce and an additional 1.6 gallons to flush down the toilet. Given the environmental impact of toilet paper and wet wipes, bidets are growing in popularity.
