The primary use of a bidet is to clean off the private parts of a person after he or she has used the toilet. A bidet can feature a vertical jet for an easier wash process (sprayed stream of water) and can come in various shapes and sizes. It is considered to be the primary method of cleaning oneself around the world with standalone bidets most commonly found throughout Europe.

The reason Americans do not use bidets is founded in the continuation of tradition rather than a rational reasoning. The bidet originated in France in the 1700s and was adopted by many, but not the English due to unfriendly relations of the time. American colonists took with them the traditions and habits of the English, which excluded the use of bidets. As such, there maintains a sense of unfamiliarity Americans have with bidets that ultimately is the cause of their lack of use.