Microbial contamination of hands with or without the use of electric toilet seats with water spray (bidets) after defecation

Objective: Electric toilet seats with water spray (bidets) are gaining in popularity all over the world. However, the extent of reduction in microbial contamination of hands with the use of bidets after defecation is not known. Methods: The microbe contamination of hands with and without the use of bidets after defecation with the participation of 32 nursing students was studied. Double gloves were worn on the dominant hand and four layers of toilet paper were used to wipe the buttocks after defecation and the microbe contamination of the second glove (outer glove) of the double gloves was examined. The volunteers were free to select flow volume, wash time of the bidet and even the type of bidet for use was left up the individual. Results: Without the use of a bidet, the average value ± standard deviation of the number of microbe attached to the gloves was 39,449.3 ± 77,768.3 colony forming units (cfu) / glove; however, it was 4,146.9 ± 11,427.7 cfu / glove when a bidet was used.The number of microbe adhering to gloves was significantly reduced when a bidet was used (p Conclusion: It was discovered that reduction of microbe contamination of hands was possible with the use of bidets after defecation.