Enter the portable bidet – also known as bidet bottle or travel bidet.

If you’re not convinced how wonderful these devices can be, try one. Low cost, and even more usable than your home model because they’re lightweight and require no water supply or electricity. You’ll quickly be persuaded. You might even want to upgrade to a bidet attachment or seat after a short trial period, like I did (now using the excellent Bio Bidet BB-2000 and Brondell Swash 1400).

What is a Portable Bidet?

A bidet is not a toilet. The two appliances are often combined in modern bathrooms, but historically and functionally they’re completely different devices. A toilet is used to capture waste; a bidet is used to help remove it from you. The bidet – whether full-sized model or portable – sprays water on the anus or genitals to remove unwanted material and wash you.

More expensive bidet types can warm your body, dry you afterward, or perform other functions. But all of them feature that same basic ability: removing feces remaining after elimination or in aiding feminine hygiene.

A portable bidet simply does that in a slightly different way than a full-sized home model. Rather than being built-in to a toilet or toilet seat, the portable style is just what the name suggests: a small portable bottle containing a portion of water. They come in two basic types: non-electric and electric.

The non-electric portable is just a hand-squeezable bottle you fill with water and that has a tube and nozzle attached. Another type that is even simpler are just add-on bidet nozzle devices you can insert or screw on to an existing plastic water bottle you might have. One advantage of such add-on is that since you supply the bottle you have your choice of volume. For example, you could put twice the amount of water inside your own bottle than the more common sort of bidet bottle you buy.

The electric type is almost always a battery operated model. They tend to be more expensive but they relieve you from the need to exert hand pressure. Usually those batteries are a pair of ordinary AA or AAA but some models actually use the “watch” type disc batteries and even recharge via a USB connector.

How do Portable Bidets Work?

Non-electric portable bidets operate via mechanical action (you squeeze that bottle). Details aside, you fill the bidet bottle with cool or warm water, hold the bidet in one hand, turn the bottle upside down, place a finger over the built-in “air lock” (most of the time located in the bottom to prevent unwanted leakage and turn over), aim the nozzle where you wish, remove the finger from the “air lock” and squeeze the bottle to start cleaning.

The battery-powered models are just as portable as the squeeze-bottle hand bidets, but perfect for those who might have trouble exerting the needed hand pressure like seniors or those with recent operations. Instead of squeezing the bottle a simple click on a button will suffice.

Do Portable Bidets Really Work?

The answer is a moderately qualified “yes”. Like any product, some work better than others. Some are easier to manipulate, higher quality, or offer special features. Others, less so. I see that obvious truth in the portable bidets I tested.

True, any portable bidet requires a little practice to find the best angle for your usage. A certain level of skill is a must, and some people may justifiably find it isn’t worth the effort. Also, these bottles don’t hold a huge amount of water. For some it will be enough, while others will find it not fully adequate.

Last, some people use these at home, but they’re intended to be operated on the go – around town, on vacation. For home use, there are bidet attachments – some of which are as low as the price of two portable bottles – intended to attach directly under a toilet seat. Or the more advanced fully fledged bidet seats.

So, if a portable turns out not to be a good solution for your bidet needs, don’t despair and don’t give up. Look around and you’re sure to find a model that works for you and your family.

Which Portable Bidets Do You Recommend?

One thing portable bidets all have in common, besides the basic operating method, is low cost. They’re typically a few dollars (hand-squeezable models and nozzle devices) to a few dozen dollars (battery-operated models). Yet, for that low cost, they very often do an admirable job. So, without further ado, let’s dig into some specific models I tested or take a look at which travel bidets sold well in 2019.