Bidets are one of those concepts that you really need to experience to appreciate. In the U.S., bidets are not nearly as common as they are elsewhere in the world. Most of our bathrooms simply aren’t built for an extra fixture. To combat this, companies like Tushy have built toilet seats that can be adapted to an existing toilet with minimal effort. I’ve spent the last two weeks testing out the Tushy Ace, and I’ve learned quite a bit about them and I wanted to share.
This isn’t the first time I’ve used a bidet, mind you. But after a break, it’s great to refresh my memory as to why they’re pretty awesome. The Tushy Ace is the crème de la crème of Tushy’s bidet toilet seats, and it’s got some great features. Most of its features aren’t unique to the Tushy Ace, but Tushy puts a nice package together and makes all these features work really well. So without further ado, here are five things I love about bidets that you might not have known they can do.
They’re really easy to install
I’ve outlined this before, so I’ll just summarize things here. Aside from a couple of factors, installing the Tushy Ace is the same as installing any ordinary toilet seat. You take off the old seat and the Tushy Ace comes with all the hardware you need to install it, including plugs that fit right into the holes already in your toilet. What Tushy does differently is that the plugs and rubber stoppers screw in from the top, while most toilet seats screw in from the bottom. Screwing in from the top is so much nicer; more toilet seats need to do this.
Then comes the part that’s a little more complicated. Turn off the water connecting to your toilet tank and flush the toilet to drain the tank. Disconnect the hose that runs to the tank, and install the Y-++adapter that’s included in the kit. Attach the included hose to the inlet on the bidet, and you can turn the water back on.
Power is a little more difficult. The Tushy Ace needs to be plugged in. I used an extension cord and some channeling to get power to the toilet. Otherwise, you may want to contact an electrician to install an outlet near the toilet for a cleaner, more professional look. Once you’ve got all that set up, you’re good to go!
Warm toilet seat
This one is one of the nicer aspects of a good bidet. There’s nothing quite like sitting down on a warm toilet seat on a cold morning. Prior to my bidet experience, the only times I would sit down on a warm toilet seat came because someone else had just used it. That was decidedly not awesome but taken by themselves, warm toilet seats are quite nice. You just need to train yourself to move past the connotation.
The Tushy Ace goes a bit further by allowing you to set the temperature of the toilet seat. It does this with a series of five pips across the top of the remote. If you want your seat to be a little more toasty, you can turn it up. If you’re burning your britches, you can crank that puppy back down. Similarly, the Tushy Ace allows you to adjust the warmth of the water you use to spray things down. Both the seat temp and water temp use those same pips to show you what temperature you’re using. If you have multiple users in the house, they can all easily adjust the temperature on the fly, or behind the fly as the case may be.
A spray that moves
Some might think of bidets and feel there’s a certain amount of bottom “adjustment” needed to get the aim correct. Not all bums are created equal after all. But the Tushy Ace (and many other bidets) allow you to aim the stream just right to hit all the spots needed. Indeed, like the Tushy Ace, most bidets allow you to oscillate the spray to cover a greater area.
The importance of your ability to aim the spray can’t be overstated. Depending on your positioning, you might find the spray to be way off. That makes angle adjustment necessary and like the warmth adjustment above, the Tushy Ace uses those five pips to show you your preferred angle, so multiple users can adjust things as they like when using the bidet.
Dry your behind
Better bidets won’t just spray water, they’ll also blow warm air to dry you off once you’ve completed the activity. This adds additional time on the seat, of course. Some bidets have a full five-minute wash/dry cycle and sometimes you just don’t have that kind of time. In the event you don’t, you can use a little toilet paper to pat things dry before you stand up, but isn’t the point of a bidet to try and save toilet paper?
Indeed, I’ve noticed that of my two bathrooms, the one without the bidet goes through a lot more toilet paper than the other. Of course, the bidet isn’t the only variable here, but it definitely makes a difference. Regardless, if you are not in a hurry, sit back (literally) and let the air flow do its job. You won’t regret it.
Remote control
Finally, one particularly nice feature I believe every bidet should have is the remote control. Many bidets have an arm that sticks off to the side for controlling things. Wireless remotes are much more convenient to use. The buttons on the Tushy Ace remote could be more reactive — sometimes they miss presses, but otherwise, I have no complaints.
To prevent losing the remote, it comes with a magnetic base with double-sided tape that you can stick basically anywhere. Then you just snap the remote in place and you’re good to go. In the event you lose the remote, there are still controls on the side of the bidet for washing the back and front and drying, so the bidet is still usable.
I really love having a bidet and the Tushy Ace is a solid choice. I’d like to see a better interface on the remote. I need to keep the owner’s manual in the bathroom to figure out what all the controls are. While they are labeled with words, what’s not labeled is that you have to double press “Bum” for an oscillating spray. There’s also no indicator on the remote how long a cycle will take. Other bidets with digital screens can give you a lot more information in the remote.
So these are five things you may not have known a bidet can do, and maybe it’ll tip the scales and get you to pick one up. If you’re already shopping for one, these are some things you should look for in a quality bidet. Whatever the case, just remember as I’ve said to my kids time and again, “Hosing it off is better than wiping it off.”
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