Key takeaways
- Bidets only use 16 ounces of water per wash on average.
- The amount of water a bidet uses is small compared to showering, handwashing, or flushing a toilet.
- Manufacturing toilet paper is both water- and resource-intensive.
- On a macro scale, bidets may help save water overall by lowering demand for toilet paper production while still providing an effective clean.
Using a bidet helps make your bathroom more sustainable by reducing the amount of toilet paper that you use. Toilet paper can be costly for the environment, often relying on trees from old growth forests, like the Canadian boreal, for manufacturing.
But washing with a bidet requires water, which is an important environmental resource, too.
How much water does a bidet use? On average, about an eighth of a gallon per wash, according to Popular Science. In other words, not very much at all, especially compared to the amount of water required to make toilet paper or to flush a toilet.
Do bidets use a lot of water?
Compared to other bathroom activities, a bidet uses a small amount of water.
Let’s take a look at some common uses of water in the bathroom compared to
bidets.
| Bathroom activity | Average amount of water used | |
| Washing with a bidet | 16 ounces | |
| Ten minute shower with a standard 2.5 gpm showerhead | 25 gallons | |
| Flushing your toilet | 1.28–1.6 gallons of water, or more for older toilets | |
| Washing your hands for one minute with a standard 2.2 gpm faucet | 2.2 gallons |
How much water does it take to make toilet paper?
The amount of water it takes to make toilet paper can vary depending on many factors. For example, toilet paper made from recycled materials uses significantly less water than products made from 100 percent forest fiber.
Toilet paper made from harvested treesis more resource heavy. Before it can be made into toilet paper, wood undergoes a water-intensive process to remove lignin, a hard and rigid biomaterial. This is essential for transforming wood pulp into a soft and gentle material. This is essential to getting toilet paper soft and gentle.The New York Times estimates that it can take as much as six gallons of water to make a double roll of toilet paper. Using a bidet can cut back or even eliminate the need for toilet paper, conserving water used in the manufacturing process.
Can you reduce the amount of water your bidet uses?
There are things you can do to use less water when you wash with a bidet. However, since bidets use such a small amount of water, there are ways to make more of an impact, like using a water-saving showerhead or installing a toilet with an efficient flushing system.
How much water your bidet uses comes down to a few different things, including the type of bidet you have, how long you wash for, and the amount of pressure you wash with. For example, electronic bidet toilet seats often include auto mode, a function that initiates a timed seats often include auto mode, a function that initiates a timed wash cycle. (Our Swash 1400’s auto mode lasts 90 seconds). Using auto mode—or simply running your bidet longer—will use a bit more water. The same is true if you prefer a stronger wash.
If you want to use less water, turn the wash pressure down on your bidet or shorten the amount of time that you wash. Or you can get a water-saving bidet that uses specialized nozzles to optimize pressure while conserving resources.
Do bidets use toilet water?
No, bidets do not use the water from your toilet tank or bowl. The water a bidet uses comes from your fresh water supply.
Here’s how it works: There is a connection on the wall behind your toilet called the water supply valve. This delivers clean water to your toilet through a supply line for flushing. Bidets come with a T-Valve, an easy-to-install adapter that diverts the clean, incoming water to your bidet before it ever reaches your toilet.
Bidets save water when compared to traditional toilet paper.
Washing with a bidet uses water, but only a small amount, especially compared to other things you need water for, like showering or flushing your toilet. If you look at the big picture, washing with a bidet might actually help conserve water by reducing the amount of toilet paper you use and the water it would take to manufacture it.