Moments of significance can separate our lives into a “before” and “after.” For me, one such example is life before I introduced a bidet into my home, and then every moment that’s come since. Now I cannot imagine life without a bidet toilet seat, and I mourn the absence of the innovation on every business trip I take or any other reason that keeps me from my personal bathroom. (When it gets to the point where you’re installing a bidet in the guest bathroom at your in-laws’ house, you know something existential has shifted.) These devices have changed my life, and for the better.
Though bidets date all the way back to 18th-century France, and the bidet seat attachments have been popular for decades in Japan, the fixture may still be new to many Americans. However, bidets are finally growing in popularity stateside as an increasing number of folks realize that our standard-issue bathroom habits are sort of, well, gross. A bidet’s pressurized water is highly preferable to simply smearing oneself over and over again with wadded clumps of paper.
It was my honor—seriously—to test the latest bidet-industry innovations, including a simple toilet seat add-on and an all-new modern masterpiece of all-in-one toilet technology. Call it a modern marvel, call it “buttmaxxing”—whatever you call it, count me in (especially if the bidet in question includes advanced features like a heated seat and precision oscillation).
Looking for more ideas to boost your bathroom performance? Check out our guides to the best shower water filters, best electric toothbrushes, and best eco-friendly cleaning products.
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Best Bidet for Most People
For functionality, simplicity and effectiveness, the Brondell Swash 1400 is best-in-class, offering everything a novice bidet enthusiast could possibly desire, and at an attractive price point, no less.
I found the Swash to perform its functions perfectly: a warmed seat, an adjustable nozzle, a persistent but not invasive flow rate, and an effective deodorizing option. The simple design is approachable and the included remote control is intuitive to use from the very first go. You can program two users, which is nice for those who have particular preferences. The Swash’s drying capability is also prompt and effective.
Put plainly, the Swash is so comfortable and inviting that after I finished testing bidets for this feature, it’s the one I re-installed for personal use.
Best High-End Bidet Seat
The S7A is the flagship model from Toto, the Japanese bidet maker that invented the bidet seat attachment. You could easily mistake the S7A for a regular toilet seat—at least until the lid lifts and the nightlight clicks on, when the device senses your presence in the bathroom.
The controls work in the same intuitive way as other Toto washlets, with buttons to adjust the position, intensity, and angle of the sprayer. There is also a button to make the spray oscillate. The slim, 4-inch remote allows preprogramming for four people. If there's any weak point on the S7A—and this bidet is nearly perfect—it's that the drying fan seems a little weaker than on the previous model (the S550e), perhaps due to design compromises made when shaving down the height.
With the S7A, Toto also improved what was already a great system for pre-misting the bowl to lessen the required cleaning. The bidet uses the company's system for making electrolyzed water (called Ewater+) which uses a mild electrical charge to turn the chloride in municipal tap water into a slightly alkaline substance that is an effective cleaner. It's a wildly effective tool; when I swapped a Toto that uses Ewater+ for another bidet in my testing, I was amazed at the difference. You could likely get away with not scrubbing this bowl for months at a time—not the case for other manufacturers.
If you've got the money for the best bidet on the market right now, the S7A is a great buy. Given Toto's impressive track record of reliability (I had my previous washlet for a decade), it's a solid investment.—Martin Cizmar
Best Bidet for Water-Pressure Enthusiasts
While some want a comfortable, gentle cleanse from their bidet, others prefer a more strident approach. A friend put me on to the Bio Bidet BB-2000, which is ranked highest in terms of—gulp—“enema function,” or the bidet’s ability to essentially hydro flush one’s backend with sheer water-pressure strength.
The BB-2000 seat features Bio Bidet’s patented vortex wash technology, which shoots a corkscrew-helix stream of warm water with sniperlike accuracy at the target in question. Engaged at full pressure, the BB-2000 offers quite frankly astonishing deep-cleaning ability—and perhaps may even aid with constipation.
In addition to packing unmatched water pressure, the BB-2000 leaves no luxury feature behind: You’ll get a warmer, a dryer, an adjustable nozzle, a night-light, a deodorizer, and an auto-raising seat lid. It’s a comfortable seat, though there was a slight learning curve with the remote. Is the BB-2000 for everyone? No. But if you want thoroughness and intensity from your bidet, you’ve met your match.
Best Fully Installed Bidet Toilet (if Money Is No Object)
Until I met the Toto Aurora Washlet+ S7A with Integravity System, I considered toilets as nodes of function: dependable, sure, but hardly exciting, and not the sort of thing you’d consider a prized possession. That’s all since changed.
The Aurora is sleek, stylish, whisper-quiet, and fully integrated with technological capabilities. It integrates seamlessly with Toto’s S7A bidet, providing automatic seat lifting and lowering and auto-flush. When paired together, these functions let you use your toilet without ever touching a button. I found the nozzle, heated seat, air dry, and oscillation capabilities to be outstanding. You can also pair oscillation with a pulse action on the S7A for a noticeably more thorough experience.
But like a cosmic star or a great work of art, the Aurora’s birth was not without chaos. Installing this toilet in my house, which has old pipes, required me to hire a plumber, get specific parts (I needed a 10-inch rough in, not the standard 12-inch), and install a new electrical outlet (to be fair, I would have needed to do this for any electric bidet in my upstairs bathroom). But the hassle was worth it.
My plumber called this the widest toilet he’d ever seen, yet it’s also contoured to fit into narrow spaces. The bowl appears small upon first glance, but it’s all you need thanks to the innovative Integravity System, which cleans and refreshes the toilet each time you flush. Toto calls this “dual phase cleaning,” which uses the time between flushing and rinsing to ensure the bowl sparkles after every use. It also only uses one gallon of water per flush, which is well below the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) standard of 1.6 gallons per flush. Ultimately, the price of this toilet is high, and you’ll likely want professional help to install it—but I’d still say it’s worth the cost and effort.
Best Value Bidet
After a decade of happily using Toto washlets, I was pleasantly surprised to love this bidet Kohler. The PureWash E820 (formerly known as the C3 455) looks sleek and is several hundred bucks cheaper than Totos, and it has many of the same extra features, including backup buttons on the seat itself and a UV sanitization light, which doubles as a game changer for using the bathroom in the wee hours. The sprayer and dryer work well and will leave you feeling fresh and clean after use. The seat is comfortable and sturdy, and the minimalist design with almost no branding allows it to blend in anywhere. Installation is easy, and some may find the included stainless steel splitter you use to attach the bidet and toilet to your water supply more trustworthy than the plastic splitters included with the Toto.
There are some negatives. For starters, the controls aren't intuitive. There are five water settings controlled by one button—I could never tell whether I was making the water hotter or cooler. The placement of the hose and power plug in the middle of the right side of the seat instead of the back is also awkward, and the magnet on the remote isn't strong, so you may worry about it falling off.—Martin Cizmar
A Must-Have Bidet Accessory for Tight Spaces
WIRED's Martin Cizmar replaced the old-fashioned round toilet at his former 80-year-old house with a modern elongated toilet when he started testing bidets for WIRED. In order to fit a longer seat in the same space, he ended up with a taller tank that sits snug to the wall. If you're installing an elongated toilet in an older home, chances are you will be making the same decision. And if you are, please save yourself hours of headache by buying this short hose extension by Anjoes.
You probably need to order it on Amazon because if your local hardware stores are anything like his, they don't have this simple hose in the right size for a bidet. The THU9090R hose has male and female ends of the same size. It screws onto the inflow valve coming out of the bottom of your toilet tank and offers the same connection 8 inches away, giving you some space to maneuver when connecting the T-shaped splitter that will divert water to your bidet seat.
Other Bidets We Like
I'll continue to test more bidets as they find their way into my bathroom, but not every one of them deserves a spot above. Given the current competition, these don’t quite make the grade.
Brondell Swash SE400 for $280: I liked but did not love the Brondell Swash SE400, which is Brondell’s entry-level unit. The side-arm control felt uncomfortably placed, and compared to the recommended Brondell Swash 1400, this unit didn’t feel as luxurious or intuitive to use. It was, however, easy to install, and the jet stream of warm water did the trick. If you’re looking for an option in the $200 range, this would be a fine choice.
Brondell Swash Thinline T22 for $598: This is the thinnest of Brondell’s products and was designed for light commercial or public use. If you’re looking to add a bidet to your office, bar, or restaurant (a fine choice that suggests care and luxury), this is a great option. But for home, I didn’t feel it resulted in a better or more attenuated experience.
Toto Washlet G5A for $2,999: The Toto Washlet G5 is undeniably luxe. The seat is nice and warm, I’ve never had to press the flush button because it automatically does the job (and never when I’m still in the seat), and it opens automatically when I walk in front of it. You can adjust the strength of the water jet, move its position, and even customize the temperature. Better yet, you can set user profiles so that you don’t have to make all these adjustments for each use (I did have to ask Toto for clarification on how to assign these because the manual wasn’t all that clear: choose your settings then press and hold the User icon for five seconds.) It’s easy to clean (no gross gaps like on traditional toilets), and I like the night-light for those late-night bathroom trips. It’s a gorgeous—if not superexpensive—addition to any space, but it lacks the new Integravity System the Aurora Washlet+ S7A features for next-level bowl cleaning.—Julian Chokkattu
SmartBidet SB-3000 for $390: The SmartBidet's SB-3000 lacks an auto lift seat, is loudest bidet I've tested, and—despite the noise—has the least effective fan. I love the design of the controller that hangs with the help of a magnetic block, and having quick controls on the side is always nice, but the controller's prompts are not especially intuitive and something about a “turbo” mode for a bidet sprayer is disconcerting.—Martin Cizmar
Toto C5 for $390: This is the successor to the C200, which is what I happily used for a decade. The C5 has a great reputation—other sites have named it the best bidet—with a strong record of reliability. But after testing the new class of bidet seats on the market, I was left underwhelmed. For $400 or more, you’re getting only the most basic features. The pre-mist function wasn't effective, and my toilet required far more cleaning. Without a night-light, I had to fully turn on my bathroom lights to pee in the middle of the night. The C5 is a fine classic bidet, but you can do better these days.—Martin Cizmar
Alpha UX Pearl for $499: This bidet will get you clean, but you might want to turn the pressure down. The default spray on the Alpha UX Pearl was so intense that WIRED reviewer Parker Hall thought it might actually be a colonic machine. Turned down, though, the bidet seat works fantastically. It features multiple heat settings, front and rear wash, and adjustable nozzle position. It has a night-light and it comes with a wireless remote and wall mount, rather than a side-mounted controller, for a sleeker install.—Martin Cizmar
Moen 5-Series Electronic Bidet Seat for $717: This Moen electric bidet came with a thick manual, but after watching a YouTube video, the installation was pretty easy and took less than 20 minutes. The seat does not automatically lift up, but that's the only feature it's missing. It has it all—temperature controls for the seat, water, and dryer, allowing you to opt for a cool, lukewarm, or warm experience. There's also a night-light, along with varying water pressures and nozzle positions. And if your remote dies at the worst time, backup buttons on the side of the seat have you covered. The highest water pressure setting is a little choppy, and my wife and I both wish we could adjust the nozzle a tiny bit more, but we've been thoroughly happy not relying on toilet paper anymore. You can wall-mount the remote holster, which cradles the remote with a bit of magnetism to keep it in place. The remote is super-intuitive to use, with beeps that change the tone to indicate when you reach the highest or lowest setting. It does bear mentioning that the bidet beeps when you sit down. I've seen some customers complain about this, but I've been using it for a year now and barely even register the sound. —Julian Chokkattu
Tushy Aura for $599: Tushy made its name with the cheap nonelectric bidet featured below but has since rolled out a collection of traditional electric bidets. The Aura is the top of the Tushy line and includes an instant heater so you never run out of warm water. It also features a night-light and a lid that automatically raises upon sensing you in the room and closes after you leave. The remote is intuitive to use, and the seat also has backup controls, along with a conspicuous digital display that shows the water temperature. The biggest differences between the Aura and pricier electric models are the lack of adjustments to the spray (you can move it back and forward and make it stronger or weaker) and the very loud, yet not powerful drying fan.—Martin Cizmar
Tushy Classic 3.0 for $129: The Tushy is minimal in both its setup and features. It doesn’t require hot water or an electrical connection, so it’s a great choice for anyone who doesn't have an outlet in the bathroom. Even with simple controls—it has a single knob for water pressure—it’s a great bidet that packs a lot of water power. It comes with a few different colors and knob finishes to best fit your bathroom (though I’d be shocked if anyone found the blue or pink a perfect match to their toilet). Since it’s nonelectric, there's no warm air dryer. After a year of use, WIRED reviewer Nena Farrell says the Tushy is showing some cracks on the rotating flanges inside of the housing (which you’d only see if you removed it), and the foam cushion surrounding those flanges is falling out. But it still works great.—Martin Cizmar
Bidets to Avoid
Not every bidet is a winner. Stick with our recommendations above.
Duravit SensoWash Arcova for $470: I found the Duravit SensoWash to be disappointing. The seat itself felt uncomfortable, and there was a noticeable delay in producing a full stream of warm water, resulting in an initial blast of uncomfortable coldness. Also, the SensoWash’s warm-air function seemed to primarily result in a wafting motion of air from the bottom of the bowl straight up to my nose, the less about which is said, the better.
Brondell Swash BL97 for $300: When WIRED reviewer Nena Farrell tried this entry-level electric model from Brondell, she was not a fan. The seat is tiny, and the water is weak and slow-reacting compared to bidets like the Tushy. The BL97 hose also fit poorly on her toilet and caused a leak. It does, however, have a warm seat, and the controls work well, albeit slowly. —Martin Cizmar
Brondell Thinline T44 for $600: Nena also tried this bidet, which she originally recommended for its thin profile and easy installation, but the hardware is thin and snapped after only a few months of use. You can get our top pick Brondell Swash 1400 for a lower price or the Tushy for something nearly as discreet and easy to install. —Martin Cizmar
FAQs
What Kind of Bidet Should You Buy?
Pick the right shape and size. Most American home toilets come in one of two standard sizes: round or elongated. A round toilet bowl is 16.5 inches long while an elongated bowl is about 18.5. Bidets on this list will fit one but not the other. Measure twice, buy once. Most bidets we reviewed are attachments that take the place of an existing toilet’s seat, but there are also toilets with built-in bidet seats (like the Toto Aurora Washlet+ S7A). If you go with a full new toilet system, make sure to measure the distance between your toilet bowl and the back of your bathroom wall. This distance, known as the “rough in,” may differ among newer and older homes, potentially requiring an additional attachment. When in doubt, call a plumber to answer your questions and help with a full toilet-swap installation. But FWIW, most of the bidet seats I tested proved no more difficult to install than a garden hose.
Electric or just a sprayer? The bidet seats are attachments to the top of your toilet that connect to the tank and an AC outlet—except for the Tushy Classic, a sprayer that mounts below your existing seat and taps into your water lines. You must have a shock-blocking GFCI-protected outlet within a few feet of the toilet to use these seats safely (I needed to install a new electrical outlet to test these bidets), unless you’re using the Tushy Classic, which does not require electricity but also doesn't heat the water, which may feel shockingly cold. The cheaper electric bidets we've used typically start with a quick burst of room-temperature water that quickly gives way to warm water. The best bidets—typically with a price to match—start by spraying warm water and will allow you to control the temperature within a few degrees. Most electric bidets also have fans that will help dry you off, but you'll probably still want to have a few squares of toilet paper handy for drying.
What's your budget? You can get an attachment that fits on your current seat and taps into the cold water line filling your toilet for about $100. The complete Toto Aurora system inches closer to $3,000—and that’s before install. The sweet spot tends to be at a price point between $500 and $1,000, where you get a sturdy seat with nice features and a steady stream of warm water.
How to Install Your Bidet
Bidet installation is often one of the least technical home-upgrade projects you’ll undertake—with a few caveats. First, it’s important to note whether or not you’re working with a modern (say 1980s or later) toilet. If your home is old, this may not be the case. For one of the toilets in my house, I had to widen drill holes in order to attach and secure bidet seats to the bowl.
But if your toilet is newer and situated a few inches from the wall, installation can typically happen in fewer than 15 minutes. Always follow your model's instruction manual, but you're essentially disconnecting the water hose that feeds your toilet tank and attaching a splitter that sends some of the water to the seat and the rest to the tank. In the case of Toto and our other top picks, the seat heats that water. If your toilet sits snugly against the wall, it will be a tougher job. (This short YouTube video takes you through the complete process on a Toto.) Then, it’s a matter of removing the bolts that attach the seat to the toilet and affixing the new plastic mounting plate. The bidet will click on and off this plate. That's it!
Installing these toilet-top bidets is a job anyone can do, but it’s one that most people would probably prefer to not do regularly. That just means you want to choose wisely.
If you're worried about your electricity bill, you can always plug your bidet into a smart plug and shut off power to the whole thing when you’re not using it. This might eliminate certain features, though, like a heated seat right when you plop down, which, I assure you, is a considerable selling point for enjoying these devices.
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