Just a heads up, if you buy something through our links, we may get a small share of the sale. It’s one of the ways we keep the lights on here. Click here for more.Whether it’s the metric system, celsius or universal healthcare, we Americans are used to shunning the way Europeans do things. But why don’t more Americans use bidets? And – more importantly – should we? Our bathroom habits may be deeply entrenched, but perhaps it’s time we decide if we really are on the right side of this bathroom battle. While humans have been using water to clean themselves up “down there” for millennia, the earliest recognizable bidet didn’t appear until the 17th century. Much like the Etch-a-Sketch, we can thank the French for this invention. And it’s not just Europeans who have embraced their use. Bidets are prevalent in many Islamic, Hindu, and Catholic communities, where religious customs have long encouraged their spread. Many Asian countries, like South Korea and Japan, have overwhelmingly adopted them. And if you find yourself longing for that Tuscan villa you saw on House Hunters International, you should know that bidets are mandatory in countries like Italy and Portugal. Bidet in the USA Early bidets were merely porcelain bowls of water set into chairs, but bidets have come a long way from their humble origins. Some top bidets even offer perks like heated seats, unlimited warm water, auto flushing and air dryers. Why, then, have we been so slow to adopt them…Why Americans don’t use bidets – and why they should start