Skip to main content

5 things you didn’t know a bidet could do

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.

Recommended Videos

They’re really easy to install

The Tushy Ace bidet includes controls on the seat in case you misplace the remote.
Adam Doud/Digtial Trends

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

The Tushy Ace has a sprayer that you can aim.
Adam Doud/Digital Trends

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

The Tushy Ace comes with a remote control.
Adam Doud/Digital Trends

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.”

Topics
Adam Doud
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Adam had been writing in the tech space for nearly a decade. When not hosting the Benefit of the Doud podcast, he can be…
7 things we wish Amazon Alexa could do
Amazon Echo 4th Gen smart speaker on a table.

Launched in 2013, Amazon Alexa quickly became one of the most recognizable voice assistants for smart homes the world over. It's built into the core engineering of many popular Amazon products, like the Echo and Echo Show, along with industry-leading third-party hardware from the likes of Sonos, Ecobee, FitBit, and more. First- or third-party, one thing is for sure: Alexa continues to dominate the digital land of savvy voice assistants.

With just a wake word and a follow-up command, Alexa can perform a number of impressive feats, such as powering on/off your smart lights, streaming your favorite music, checking the news, searching the web, setting timers and reminders, and more. With seemingly no shortage of capabilities, it's hard to imagine Alexa not being able to do something. But, like anything tech, there's always room for additions and modifications.

Read more
7 things you didn’t know security cameras could do
swann digital ecosystem provides powerful home security tools smart camera

Security cameras are often thought of as one-dimensional devices. They keep an eye out for suspicious activity around your home, but security cameras are capable of significantly more than just the bare minimum of motion detection.

While smart cameras excel at home defense, they do much more than simply alert you to activity around your home. Here are seven things you didn't know security cameras could do.

Read more
7 things you didn’t know robot vacuums could do
iRobot Roomba 692 Robot Vacuum.

Smart vacuum cleaners like the iRobot Roomba i7+ or the Roborock S6 MaxV are best known for their ability to automatically clean your home, but did you realize that robot vacuums can do much more than that? Yes, the expectation to clean our homes is there. However, you may be surprised by the technology packed into today's bots.

Depending on the model, your robot vacuum could be jam-packed with other features that give it utility far beyond a cleaning appliance. Here are seven things you didn't know robot vacuums could do.
Robot vacuums can spot clean specific areas
While a whole-room cleaning is recommended at least once a week, you might only have a specific place that's dirty. For example, maybe you had rice for dinner one night and there are little grains all around the kitchen table. The iRobot Roomba i7+ is just one of the many that can do this.

Read more