The presence or the lack of bidets in the bathrooms all over the world comes from a social and cultural question. The approach to intimate cleaning between people’s is really different, and this is one of the principal causes of the lack of bidets in most of the bathroom of the world.

Although the bidet was invented in France, it’s hard to find one in its apartments (just 40% of houses have one). It’s generally diffused in South Europe, but less than Italy. In Spain, for example, there’s a bidet in old apartments, but it’s usually removed in the restructured ones on it’s not installed in the new ones.

Different situation in UK, where the diffusion of bidet it’s almost null. It’s really hard to find one in Britain’s bathrooms and young people don’t even know what it is. In fact they are usually amazed when they see one in Italy.

Same situation in the North-East Europe countries. Also there the diffusion of bidet is so low. In Germany, and in Scandinavian countries, there are no traces of it.

People from United States don’t know what a bidet is, and the ones who know connect it to something culturally negative: the first approach of Americans to the bidet bo back to the Second world war, when militaries frequented the European brothels. Also in Africa  it’s impossible to find a bidet, even in the most luxurious hotels.

Bidets can be found in Argentina, Brasil, Middle East, and Asia: in the Japanese culture in fact, the intimate hygiene is considered really important.

So, the diffusion of bidets in the world is variegated, and it’s extremely curious to see that what Italians consider indispensable, the other populations don’t even know.

Image:  sanitari IO sospesi

Image source: Ceramica Flaminia