Today’s question asks if bidets splash water everywhere. This is different from the problem of splashing poop everywhere. For that, check out this article.
Anyway, it seems like this could be an issue. After all, it’s not laser-guided technology we’re talking about. Heck, at least half the bidets on the market aren’t electric at all, but work on water pressure alone, so how accurate could they be?
Do bidets splash water? Quality bidets tend not to splash water, especially once the user has practiced a time or two. If water is splashing everywhere, something is wrong, either with the bidet or user technique. Bidets that create a wide gap between the toilet rim and seat can cause splashing.
A gap doesn’t cause splashing, per se, but it can allow water to escape through the opening.
Keep in mind, splashing can be an issue both inside and outside the bidet, so first we’ll cover the difference.
What we’ll do next is go over some tips to reduce splashing water in and outside the toilet both in terms of aiming technique and which bidets to avoid.
Splashing Outside the Bidet
Sometimes using a bidet can result in water landing on the floor. When this happens, it can be anything from a few rogue drops to a small shower that drenches the surrounding floor.
This tends to happen when water escapes between the toilet basin and seat, or up through the seat between the legs.
It’s usually due to a lack of aiming practice on the part of the user or to a faulty bidet design. I suppose certain toilet designs could lead to this problem as well.
Splashing Inside the Bidet
One issue folks have is getting water all over the place INSIDE the toilet. While it doesn’t make a mess on the ground, your entire butt gets a cleaning which probably isn’t what you signed up for. Sometimes it’s one cheek or the other but it’s often the whole butt.
And splashing is only part of the problem. Not only do you have to dry your rear end when you’re done using the toilet, but you’re probably not getting water to the right place—or enough of it to the right place. When water hits the thighs and cheeks, it means less of the water is reaching the area that needs cleaning.
How to Keep Your Bidet from Splashing
Get a Thin Bidet Attachment
This tip is meant to help prevent splashing outside the bidet.
For those who are new to the subject, bidet attachments fit between the rim and seat and are non-electric.
They’re popular because they’re inexpensive, easy to install, and offer great water pressure.
Because they fit between the toilet and rim, attachments create a gap that can result in more water escaping. This isn’t always a problem, because different attachments result in gaps of varying size.
One way to create a smaller gap is to get a thinner attachment, but the method does have limitations.
Pros and Cons
This is a good option for those who notice water escaping out the front of the bidet.
But, there’s definitely a tradeoff between thickness and durability. As you’d imagine, thicker bidets are more durable but they often do create a bigger gap.
Unless bumpers (spacers) are used, the gap is in the rear of the bidet which you wouldn’t think would be too problematic. But folks still report water escaping the toilet when thicker attachments are used even without spacers.
Remove the Bumpers or Get Smaller Ones
Like the above, this one refers to splashing outside the bidet.
Bumpers are often installed underneath the front of the bidet seat to help cancel out the gap in the back.
Not everyone uses them, but they’re common.
Bumpers get rid of the incline and help take the stress off of the bidet attachment, potentially lengthening the life of the bidet.
In doing so, they widen the gap in the front of the toilet allowing more water to escape.
Water escaping out the front is more likely when the frontal spray mode is operated.
Pros and Cons
This may be the best option for those who care less about the life of the bidet, and for those who already have a bidet and don’t want to buy a new one just because it’s thinner.
It’s cheaper to remove the bumpers than to buy a new, thinner bidet.
The attachment may come with a warranty anyway, so there’s a good chance you can replace it if need be.
Getting smaller bumpers is an option, but even the smallest spacers are still on the bulky side meaning water may still escape out the front.
Choose a Bidet Seat Over an Attachment
Bidet seats come in electric and non-electric and either will help solve the raised seat problem.
They offer a couple of benefits in this regard:
Smaller gap between the toilet seat and rim. Bidets seats do usually require that you install a mounting bracket on the back of the rim, which raises the seat a bit, but the gap is much smaller than what you get with attachments.
Bidet seats spray closer to the skin. The nozzles typically extend/retract horizontally and thus move closer to the area being washed. This goes for electric and non-electric seats.
The nozzles on bidet attachments typically extend and retract vertically which means they have to spray a further distance resulting in more room for error.
Bidet seats are often designed in a way that helps prevent splashing. There’s often a dip that extends around the seat/bowl to prevent water from escaping in between. Not all seats are designed this way, so make sure to do your research if you choose a seat over an attachment for this purpose.
Pros and Cons
Seats are great, but they have their downsides. For one, they cost a bit more. You can get a good attachment for about $30 to $50 while a good non-electric seat will usually run you about $80 to $100. Electric seats usually start at $250.
Secondly, some renters prefer a less invasive bidet like an attachment or handheld sprayer to keep from having to tamper with the property.
As mentioned covered in depth in this article, you can install pretty much any bidet that you want in rental properties so long as the installation is reversible. But still, some renters prefer attachments over seats because they don’t want to have to worry about removing and storing the existing seat (something might get lost, etc.).
Adjust Your Body Position and User Settings
Folks often wonder how bidets aim. Some of the more fancy seats allow for digital control of the want position via remote control or the side panel.
But all bidets, even the most high-tech, rely heavily on the user adjusting their body position. Depending on factors like the bidet you choose, your body type, and the user settings that are in place, there will be an ideal combination of variables that works for you.
Stuff like where you sit on the toilet seat, how you position yourself (how far you bend at the waist, whether to spread out, etc.), and the settings you choose will all work together to provide the most accurate cleaning while preventing water from splashing.
So, practice makes perfect. And make sure to check out this article for tips on aiming each type of bidet.
The Frontal Spray May Take Practice
When you switch from posterior to frontal wash mode, it changes the angle and direction of the spray. It may even change the spray pressure on some electric seats when a pre-set feminine wash mode is selected.
Typically, the nozzle either extends further out or there’s an extra nozzle that sprays farther forward—dual nozzles are common with non-electric bidets.
The jet stream in feminine wash mode sprays from back to front but bypasses the butt to prevent causing infections (UTIs, etc.).
In doing so, the water stream can escape through the legs/out of the seat or make its way through any gap between the seat and toilet.
Because it sprays farther forward, it makes sense that water would have more of a chance to leave the toilet and land on the floor.
If this is the issue, you’ll need to work on aiming which largely involves adjusting your body position as described just above. Bidets are only so accurate, so they rely a lot on the user meeting the water halfway—not literally, but you get the idea.
You shouldn’t have to work too hard to get water to the right place, so if problems with accuracy are proving extra difficult to fix, it might be a problem with the bidet design.
Use the Right Pressure Setting
This one applies more to splashing inside the bowl but could result in water getting on the floor.
Changing the water pressure affects the direction of spray and determines how hard the jet stream will hit and how much water will ricochet off the skin.
Pros and Cons
It might prove hard to find a pressure that’s effective while not causing a mess inside the bowl.
Bidets with higher water pressure are more effective overall, and a lot of people prefer strong pressure for reasons of efficacy and comfort. So, if you prefer a stronger pressure, the tradeoff probably won’t be worth it.
If you go with an electric bidet, it’ll probably have a dryer which should go a long way in remedying the problem. This brings us to the next tip.
Get a Bidet with a Dryer to Remedy In-Bowl Splashing
Continuing on the last point, bidet dryers direct warm air at your keister. They’re effective in drying the washed area and surrounding skin of the buttocks. Hence, this is a good option for dealing with splashing inside the bowl when you find your cheeks are getting wet.
Pros and Cons
Dryers are great in that they indirectly solve the problem of inner bowl splashing so you won’t have to make any adjustments at all to the toilet seat, lid, or spray pressure, etc. You simply let the splashing happen and then dry the skin afterward.
On the downside, dryers are limited to electric bidets, so if you want an attachment, non-electric seat, or handheld sprayer this tip won’t be of any use.
Use Toilet Paper or a Dedicated Bidet Towel to Dry Off
Like with a dryer, you can let the bidet splash inside the bowl all it wants and dab the skin dry afterward. Toilet paper and bidet towels are both great alternatives to dryers for those who want to save money short term.
Pros and Cons
If you’re on an especially tight budget now, TP offers a cheap way to dry off until you can afford a bidet with a dryer. A bidet towel probably won’t cost you a dime, because you probably have a face towel laying around somewhere anyway.
On the flipside, toilet paper costs way more in the long run. You can literally spend thousands over a lifetime on toilet paper.
An electric bidet with a dryer will usually cost you at least $300 upfront but it’ll save money long term. The only exception would be bidets with water heaters that drive up the electricity bill. More on that here.
Some find using a bidet towel to be kind of gross. If cleaned regularly, using the practice isn’t any less hygienic than using a bath towel more than once to dry off.
Check the Bidet Installation at the Back of the Rim
When installing a bidet attachment or seat, the mounting plate and/or bracket, or adjustment circles have to be positioned correctly or the jet stream will shoot off-center because one side of the bidet will be farther forward.
If this is the issue, it’s an easy fix. Just loosen the bolts at the back of the rim, set the bidet straight, and tighten everything back down.
Check the Positioning of the Bidet Nozzle(s)
Also, the same issue (the bidet spraying off-center) can happen if/when the holes on the spray wand aren’t positioned correctly. The holes need to be facing up or forward for horizontal and vertical nozzles, respectively.
Like with the above issue, this is an easy fix.
However, I’ve come across cases of crooked spraying when the only culprit seemed to be a bad or defective nozzle design—I.e., not related to how the bidet was installed or whether the holes were rotated to face the right direction.
Conclusion
So, there you have it.
Bidets don’t usually make a mess by splashing water or poop everywhere. It can happen, but it’s not a common complaint. If you notice lots of water escaping the bowl or that your entire backside is wet, you’ll need to make adjustments with your current bidet, your technique, or get a new bidet.
Overall, splashing is not a huge problem—either it’s not that common or people just aren’t that bothered by it.
You’ll always have some amount of splashing—it’s water after all.
Interestingly, simply flushing the toilet results in what’s called “toilet plume” which is the dispersal of (contaminated) water droplets throughout the bathroom every time the commode is flushed with the seat up (and probably with the seat down to some extent).
So, if splashing happens with regular toilet flushing, it’ll happen with bidet use.
You can minimize the problem to the point where it’s unnoticeable by getting a quality bidet, practicing your aim, and using other tips in this article.