Job Discussion Forums

sqwerl · Joined: 01 Jun 2005 Posts: 72 Location: Buenos Aires

I had been looking at rentals in Argentina online and I keep seeing these little sink looking things sitting next to the toilet.There was always a real sink in there...
It looks ot have knobs and whatnot.
Is it some sort of urinal??lol.I would hate to pee in someone's sink next week!

amy1982 · Joined: 09 Dec 2004 Posts: 192 Location: Buenos Aires

is it short? cuz if it is, it is called a bidet (sp? "bid-ay")

you use it to, um... lol... clean yourself in certain areas that would be easier to reach if you sat on it Shocked

i don't know if it is because argentines (and others) don't want to take a full shower everyday when they could just sit or because they are extra hygienic about that sort of thing or if it is for "special occasions"... at any rate, i don't recommend peeing in it.

when i was in spain, there was one directly across from my toilet and i would soak my feet in it. (that was before i knew what it was for, thankfully, i wasn't sharing a bathroom!)

JonnytheMann · Joined: 01 Dec 2004 Posts: 337 Location: USA

She's right ... it's a bidet.

I was just talking about them with my Argentine partner a few days ago, and he said they use them to be extra hygenic. Sometimes toliet paper just isn't enough to get yourself truly clean.

I've never used a bidet, but I guess I will try to get used to it once I get to Argentina.

matttheboy · Joined: 01 Jul 2003 Posts: 854 Location: Valparaiso, Chile

They're common all over europe and used to be in england but less so now.

Hypothetical question:

If you had sh it on your hand, would you simply wipe it off with paper?

In asian countries the people think we're (as in westerners) disgustingly dirty for using paper and there's normally a little hose pipe to clean yourself next to the toilet!

JonnytheMann · Joined: 01 Dec 2004 Posts: 337 Location: USA

guillebaires · Posted: Tue Jun 14, 2005 8:05 pm Post subject:

Don't worry jonny, you can choose between cold and hot water...
Cool

snielz · Joined: 05 Apr 2005 Posts: 165 Location: Buenos Aires

What a funny picture to imagine.

I�ve had one of those taking up valuable space in my tiny bathroom for a month now and didn�t really bother investigating. I just lay my dirty clothes in it or grow some nice flowers in it. Though Matt does have a point...maybe I should put it to good use.

amy1982 · Joined: 09 Dec 2004 Posts: 192 Location: Buenos Aires

that's a very nice looking bathroom

nomadamericana · Joined: 18 Dec 2004 Posts: 146 Location: Minneapolis, MN

I like them... they are soothing (LOL)... I didn't use them for about the first 4 months I lived in argentina.... but then I tried it and it was quite nice... and you can use the warm.... ok... I'll stop talking now!

ElNota · Joined: 28 Mar 2005 Posts: 123 Location: Buenos Aires

My general understanding is that bidets are used primarily in countries where a daily shower is not the rule. The great majority of Americans take at least one shower per day and so they aren't really necessary.

However, if you shower daily and use a bidet, then you are super clean!

Also, I know that some people have a propensity for problems in that area... such as hemorrhoids and diaper rash. For them it is more a necesity than a luxury. In the states I know people who use baby wipes rather than toilet paper as a solution in this case.

Me, I shower every morning and again after I work out, so I havent ever had a problem.

guillebaires · Posted: Sat Jun 18, 2005 7:34 pm Post subject:

ElNota · Joined: 28 Mar 2005 Posts: 123 Location: Buenos Aires

snielz · Joined: 05 Apr 2005 Posts: 165 Location: Buenos Aires

I used the bidet the other day for the first time, thanks to this forum. It was good, I�m glad its there. My warm water wasn�t warm though. My hot water in the apartment is heated by gas, so is the heat. Is this the case with everyone. I have been taking semi-cold showers for a month until this week, when I figured out I could get the shower painfully hot if I just barely turn it on. This is no small development since it has been cold and grey here for a week.

JonnytheMann · Joined: 01 Dec 2004 Posts: 337 Location: USA

I think we should all write some poems about our love for bidets!

nomadamericana · Joined: 18 Dec 2004 Posts: 146 Location: Minneapolis, MN

For warm water... in the houses I lived in you had to light the thing with a match first. I too took cold showers until I figured out how to turn on the calafon... (or is it calafacion... I forget).