apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

I'm going to re-post this since my last request went unanswered because I posted late in the game and that OT has fallen off the main page:

Ok, I'm going to preface this question with a request for kindness in your responses...if you've never used a bidet or Toto washlet before, how do you not screw up and make a total fool of yourself the first time you finally use one (and make sure you get properly clean)?

I recognize them, I can figure out the instructions of the different options, and it seems pretty simple, but fear of not knowing how to properly position myself, especially when you can't actually sit down on a bidet-type, well, frankly is embarrassing and paralyzing at the same time.

Normally, I'm a figure-it-out as you go kind of girl, and I probably could if I had to, but I've never had to as of yet, so tips and stories about your first attempts (esp. humorous ones!) would be much appreciated!

Google "how to use a bidet" and you will find instructions. What you're asking is akin to "How do I wipe my @55?". I doubt anyone really wants to have to explain it to you.

Actually MrGreen, Dr. Oz from the Oprah show says it's best to wipe front to back. (but I already knew that).

VickyA, a lot of women do not know that and they end up with urinary tract infections because they get E. coli and other fecal bacteria in their vaginas.

I've just purchased the overlapping squares headboard and bed in chocolate from West Elm for my son's "big boy" bed. I couldn't bring myself to spend around $1000 for the Nurseryworks bed. I now need some cool bedding and don't want to go down the Dwell bedding route, least of all becuase it's over $300 and really, he's barely two years old and goodness only knows what he'll do to the bedding. I'd love something modern but still somewhat colorful. Any ideas? I'm planning on keeping his room fairly neutral and adding splashes of color, say blue and orange or some other color so it'll grow with him. I'm thinking I'll make a rug out of Flor tiles in coordinating solid colors.

I just saw this in the furniture section of Craigslist. Really nice pieces!
http://newyork.craigslist.org/fct/fur/372358646.html

reef--

Try Company Store Kids, Pottery Barn Kids, or Pottery Barn Teen. Also, Garnet Hill, or if you can wait a few weeks, Target's back-to-school "Dorm Room" stuff is usually pretty fun.

http://www.wikihow.com/Use-a-Bidet

is very useful but still leaves me with many questions as I've never used a bidet either:

how do you stop water getting on your clothes? - all the how-tos seem to presume you're wearing trousers - what if you're wearing a skirt? - this would be bunched up around your waist and I can't see an easy way of standing up to dry yourself whilst still keep the skirt out of the way

How does just water clean you? The bidets that are like mini sinks that you fill with water I can understand - you use soap like you would in a normal bath and use your hands to clean wherever needs it - but I don't think water alone would get you clean unless it was like a pressure hose which would be very uncomfortable!

Why don't they have seats like loos? If they don't need seats why do loos have seats? I can't imagine hovering - it must be terribly tiring for the legs and the higher up you are the harder it must be to direct the water flow to where you want it to go (leading me back to the wet clothes situation again)

reef--

Try Ikea. You can get the duvet and a few covers for a fraction of what you would spend elsewhere. They look great and when you think of potty training accidents, you'll be happy you didn't spend too much.

Violetsrose - thank you for understanding! I have all of those same questions...of course, like you and Mr. Green suggested, I can look up the obvious how-to elsewhere, but that doesn't solve everything nor get to the heart of what I was asking.

The point of me asking the question here as opposed to a how-to board some place else is much more about an understanding that I'm not the only one who feels like an idiot when going to try this for the first time, I know there have to be other people who have felt this way but have conquered the unknown.

Whether it's a paint color that's bold for the individual considering using it, figuring out how a currently un-understood (to a given reader with questions) home technology works, or using a increasingly common bathroom appliance, I'm looking for the support I know I can find here within the AT community. That's why I stuck myself out to ask, "so tips and stories about your first attempts (esp. humorous ones!) would be much appreciated!"

And Mr. Green, it's when the bacteria enter the urethra that a urinary tract infection can develop, not the vagina. Unlike males, the sexual organ and the urethra are not one in the same.

Reef, I agree with dollhouse, and if Ikea's not "fun enough" for what you're looking for (or is too garish), I'd check out Target. With their new collaborations with designers like Isaac Mizrahi and Nick & Nora, as well as the college dorm items P2 talked about, you'll find some pretty good options.

It's also worth having a couple of sets of sheets handy when you have potty-training kids (or other bodily fluids that they still don't yet have the built-in reflexes to direct to the proper receptacle, i.e. puking in the bed instead of the toilet or trash can) for any middle-of-the-night changes that need to happen.

Lastly, can you adopt me? Oh, to have had parents that would buy me an overlapping squares bed from West Elm!

P2, dollhouse and kate-

Thanks for the excellent suggestions! I hadn't thought of Target but that's a great suggestion. I'm sure I'll need several sets when we're ready to potty train too, something I'm not at all looking forward to embarking upon.

Kate- one almost two year old is almost more than I can handle right now, but it would be nice to adopt someone who would appreciate the overlapping squares headboard. My son will probably just get his head stuck in it. Perhaps I shouldn't joke about that...