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I Said It Once, I'll Say It Again: Every Home Should Have a Bidet

Get that shower-fresh feeling—all day long!

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a bidet toilet seat installed on a standard toilet, designed to improve hygiene with a gentle water cleaning system.
Good Housekeeping / Jillian Sollazzo

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As director of the Good Housekeeping Institute Home Improvement & Outdoor Lab, people often ask me, “what’s the one product I need to add to my home?” It’s a tough one, like asking a parent which kid is their favorite. But at some point during my response, the conversation inevitably turns to bidets.

Our top picks:

I truly believe that replacing your regular toilet seat with a bidet seat is a life-changer, since it delivers an infinitely better cleansing experience than plain toilet paper. And it’s not just me: Virtually every one of our consumer testers who lives with a bidet in their home swears they'll never be a toilet paper-only household ever again.

Over the last five years, our experts have tested more than 20 bidets. Evaluations start in the Lab, where we assess factors like the quality of construction, ease of installation, and durability. Then we send the bidet seats into the homes of consumer testers, who provide long-term feedback on how well they clean, how convenient they are, and more.

Based on that combination of testing feedback, these are the best bidets for every budget. Find the one that’s right for you—then tell me I’m not wrong!

1
Best Overall

TOTO Washlet

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Washlet
1
Best Overall

TOTO Washlet

Credit: Good Housekeeping, Dan DiClerico

Pros

  • Adjustable water temperature
  • Sleek profile
  • Self-cleaning features

Cons

  • On the pricier side
  • Harder to clean than a standard toilet seat

WHY WE LOVE IT: Toto invented the bidet toilet seat in 1980 and it's still leading the way. In recent years, our experts have tested several iterations of the brand’s flagship model, the Washlet. Its easy installation and feature-rich performance make it our hands-down favorite.

PERFORMANCE: I installed the Washlet on my Toto Drake toilet about three years ago. The process took less than 30 minutes, and the seat is as stable and secure as the day I put it in. Another tester retrofitted the Washlet to a non-Toto brand toilet (Swiss Madison) and said it fits perfectly—proof that the Washlet can work with other toilets.

The cleansing performance was exceptional, with the ability to adjust the angle of the spray, as well as the temperature and intensity of the water.

COMFORT: The Washlet has a streamlined profile compared with other bidets we’ve tested. Besides looking better, we found it easier to sit on since your body isn't pitched forward, the way it is with bulkier bidet seats. Testers also praised the Washlet's heated seat and night-light, though one said there was a learning curve with working the remote control.

MAINTENANCE: We liked that the Washlet’s seamless seat design minimizes gaps and crevices for dirt and grime to collect. The pre-mist feature also helped keep waste from sticking to the bowl. Although, the underside of the Washlet catches a lot of splash and spray, so the unit is harder to keep clean compared with a standard toilet seat.

TESTER NOTES: Installing the Washlet has been nothing short of life-changing (my 12-year-old son won’t use any other toilet, at least if he can help it). Besides the superior cleansing experience, the Washlet has reduced our toilet paper needs, which is better for the planet and has translated into real money savings over time, helping to offset the bidet's high price tag.

Another GH tester has been equally pleased, noting that "the seat always stays at a comfortable temperature—warm but never too hot. All in all, it’s been a fantastic upgrade that’s made our bathroom experience noticeably nicer."

RELATED: The Best Toilets

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Electric Bidet Seat

Pros

  • Good value
  • Built-in night light
  • Self-cleansing nozzle

Cons

  • Not as comfortable as lower-profile models

WHY WE LOVE IT: While bidet seats used to be strictly for luxury bathrooms, their prices have come down dramatically in recent years. Case in point: the BioBidet Electric Bidet Seat, which comes with a lot of the bells and whistles of a fully-featured premium bidet seat.

PERFORMANCE: Our experts like the fact that you can adjust the temperature of the water and seat, and the BioBidet even features an automatic LED light, helpful for finding your way in the dark.

COMFORT: Compared with the top-of-line Toto, you'll give up a few creature comforts with the BioBidet, including a lid that automatically opens and closes. Plus, it's a bit bulkier at the back of the seat, which might affect overall comfort, though most users said they got used to it in time.

MAINTENANCE: The self-cleaning nozzle is a nice touch. Before and after each use, the nozzle runs through a sterilization process inside its housing located at the back of the seat, so you don't have to worry about compromised hygiene.

TESTER NOTES: Some consumer testers said the side-mounted control panel is not as convenient as a handheld remote control, and it takes up a few more inches of space, which might be an issue in a tight bathroom.

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Classic 3.0 Bidet Toilet Seat Attachment
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Credit: Good Housekeeping

Pros

  • Affordable
  • Knob is easy to use and nozzle washes itself after use
  • Easy installation

Cons

  • No warm settings or customizable controls

WHY WE LOVE IT: Bidet seat attachments, like the Tushy Classic 3.0, are another affordable way to experience the pleasure and performance of fresh-water cleansing. If you’re curious about bidets but don’t want to spend hundreds of dollars on the upgrade (not counting the potential added cost of adding an outlet), the non-electric Tushy is one to consider.

PERFORMANCE: The Classic 3.0 took home a past Good Housekeeping Home Reno Award in large part because of its super simple installation. While the overall experience was not the same as with an electric bidet, Tushy’s beefy knobs made it easy to go from a gentle spritz to a powerful wash.

COMFORT: There may not be any warm settings or customizable controls, but the Tushy is an ideal budget-friendly pick to level up your bathroom experience. Testers liked being able to adjust the angle of the spray to their specific body type.

MAINTENANCE: Our experts appreciated that the nozzle rinses itself for optimal bathroom hygiene. As an attachment, there's less surface area to clean, making overall maintenance easier compared with a full bidet seat.

TESTER NOTES: Regarding ease of installation, "it lived up to the '10 minutes or less' promise," one tester told us. "Great for renters," added another.

PureWash E860 Dual-Wand Elongated Bidet Toilet Seat

Pros

  • Front wand delivers better cleansing for females
  • Special child mode is safe for young users
  • Pre-mist minimizes sticking on bowl

Cons

  • Doesn't come with an automatic lid

WHY WE LOVE IT: In all my years as a bidet advocate, it sometimes seems that the message resonates more with men. Could it be that bidets are more of a guy thing? The R&D team at Kohler gave more credence to that hunch with their launch this year of the PureWash E860 Dual-Wand Elongated Bidet Toilet Seat, calling it the “first-to-market solution with both front and rear bidet wands, designed to support women’s health and wellness through every stage of life.”

PERFORMANCE: The PureWash E860 has all the features of a premium bidet, including adjustable water and seat temperature, warm-air drying, and a motion-activated LED light.

Olivia Lipski, Good Housekeeping’s Senior Reviews Writer & Analyst, installed the PureWash at her home so she could test out the unique front wand feature (she has another bidet at home with only the standard rear wash mode, which allowed for comparative analysis). Her verdict was clear: “The front wand is actually really amazing and succeeds in achieving a better clean than any of the other bidets that I've tested.”

With a young daughter at home, Lipski also appreciates the child mode, with its soft, gentle wash designed for sensitive bottoms (get them started early, I say!). The massage mode is another unique feature that delivers a “spa-like experience,” Lipski added.

MAINTENANCE: Our engineers in the Lab noted the PureWash's auto-mist feature that we've found helps prevent waste and spray from sticking to the bowl. The self-cleansing wand uses UV light to help clean the rear wand.

TESTER NOTES: Lipski praised the whole-family design of the PureWash E860. “Easy to operate and easy to find the right position for your body, whatever your gender and age,” she said. Her only complaint was that the lid on the bidet does not open and close automatically.

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SensoWash Classic Bidet Seat

Pros

  • Sleek design, especially when paired with a wall-mounted toilet
  • Self-cleansing bidet head and wand
  • Excellent customer support

Cons

  • Expensive

WHY WE LOVE IT: One minor quibble we hear from testers of bidet seats is that they look a bit bulky, compared with the slim profile of a standard toilet seat. Here’s where the Duravit SensoWash Classic earns praise from testers and our design experts alike. Designed by French industrial architect Phillipe Starck, the bidet seat (dubbed a “toilet shower”) has clean lines and an elegant shape, especially when it’s paired when a wall-mounted toilet from Duravit. The high design drives up the price, but if there's room in the budget, the SensoWash Classic is worth the splurge for its combination of style and performance.

PERFORMANCE: Boston-based contractor Marc Savatsky installed the SensoWash Classic as part of our 2025 Home Reno Awards. He was impressed by the bevy of smart features, including its built-in odor extractor and intuitive remote control. "The sleek design will elevate any bathroom," he said, adding that the toilet is "incredibly easy to clean" and offers "an abundance of features and functionalities."

COMFORT: As with all wall-mounted toilets, the height of the bidet seat can be adjusted to your specific needs, from a 17-inch comfort height for those with mobility issues to a standard 15 inches if you prefer to be lower to the ground.

MAINTENANCE: The bidet head and wand are both self-cleaning, limiting the frequency with which they need to be wiped down by hand. Both components are replaceable, should they become worn or discolored over time.

TESTER NOTES: Customer support is especially important with newer technologies, and in this respect Savatsky was just as appreciative of Duravit, calling the service "easily accessible in case of any issues, ensuring a seamless experience for homeowners seeking assistance."

How we test bidets

an expert at the good housekeeping institute installs a bidet seat as part of a review

Our analysts start by surveying the current marketplace to identify the bidet seats you’re most likely to find at home centers, bath showrooms, plumbing supply stores, and online. They also keep up with the latest trends by attending trade shows and industry events, including the Kitchen & Bath Industry Show (KBIS).

Over the last five years, we've tested 20 bidet seats. We also brought our decades of toilet testing to bear by focusing on brands that have proven the most reliable and top-performing. We included some newer brands that offer promising features or innovations too.

Hands-on testing focused on the following factors:

✔️ Installation: Testers consider the quality of the mounting hardware used to fasten the bidet seat or bidet attachment to the toilet, as well as how easy the manual is to follow. Keep in mind that electric bidets require an outlet for power, so if there's not one near your toilet, you'll need to hire an electrician to put one it, at an average cost of $300, according to Angi, the home services website.

✔️ Cleansing performance: Testers award extra points for bidets with adjustable water pressure and temperature, as well as air drying, though these features cost more.

✔️ Ease of use: Whether the bidet comes with a remote control or side-panel, testers assess the intuitiveness of the display, as well as any advanced settings, such as energy-saving mode or personal programming.

✔️ Maintenance: A self-cleansing nozzle delivers added sanitization and a pre-mist feature helps prevent stains from forming on the toilet bowl.

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What to look for in the best bidet

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All the models included in our roundup are top performers, but to figure out which one is the best fit for your bathroom, consider these questions:

✔️ Bidet seat or bidet attachment? A bidet seat is designed to replace your existing toilet seat, while a bidet attachment works in conjunction with the seat. Full seats offer the most variety, including electric or manual operation and the full bevy of features. Bidet attachments tend to be the most affordable choice and they're almost always manual, so they're suited to toilets that don't have a nearby electrical outlet.

✔️ Automatic or manual? Most bidet seats are powered by electricity, which means they work with the press of a button. While that offers maximum convenience, it means you need a GFCI-rated outlet within a few feet of the toilet. If an outlet isn’t present, expect to pay an electrician several hundred dollars to put one in. Manual bidets come with a handle or paddle that you tilt down to spray water. They’re less expensive and eliminate the need for an outlet and a cord. But our testers said the overall experience is less luxurious.

Automatic bidets are the most fully featured, including heated seats, night-lights, and air drying. They usually come with adjustable water temperature too, which most of our consumer testers said is worth the splurge. Cold water cleansing is plenty effective, but testers preferred the warm-water experience, especially when it's cold outside.

✔️ Round or elongated? These are the two main toilet bowl shapes. If you're going with a full bidet seat, make sure the model you choose corresponds to the shape of your toilet bowl. If you’re starting from scratch, our tests have found elongated bowls to be a bit more comfortable, while rounded bowls are more space-efficient.

Our engineers also point out that if you have a one-piece toilet, with little to no space between the toilet and tank, some bidet seats won’t fit. Measure the gap between the bowl and tank and check that it meets your bidet’s minimum requirements.

How do you install a bidet?

an expert tests a bidet attachment
Philip Friedman

It depends on whether you’re putting in a full bidet seat or a bidet attachment. For a full bidet seat, step one is removing the existing seat by unscrewing the seat bolts that anchor it to the toilet.

Then shut off the water to the toilet by turning the valve on the supply line. Install the new connector valve that comes with the bidet seat to the supply line. Secure the bidet seat to the toilet using the provided seat bolts. Finally, connect the bidet to the water supply line and turn the water back on. If it’s an electric bidet seat, plug in the unit and you’re good to go.

To install a bidet attachment, remove the existing toilet seat, then secure the attachment to the toilet with the provided mounting plate. Put the toilet seat back on, as pictured. Most bidet attachments connect to the water supply line in the same manner as a bidet seat.

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Why trust Good Housekeeping?

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The Home Improvement & Outdoor Lab provides expert reviews and advice on all things home-related, including bidet seats and other bathroom fixtures.

Dan DiClerico has tested and written about bathroom fixtures, including toilets and bidets, for more than 25 years. In his role as director of Home Improvement & Outdoor, DiClerico oversaw the latest round of bidet testing in Lab, as well as the in-home, survey-based consumer testing that allows us to evaluate these devices under real-world conditions. He has also installed several top picks from this roundup in homes of his own.

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