A bidet is one of the best apartment bathroom upgrades you can make, and it can be much easier than you might think. From being more environmentally friendly to giving a fresher clean, a bidet presents a variety of benefits. Read on below for the simple steps to add this helpful cleaning accessory to your first apartment bathroom.
Before installation
A freestanding bidet can be difficult to install and may require certain plumbing changes, so the better option for most renters is a bidet toilet seat that attaches to the toilet directly. These accessories are easy to install and remove and can be taken with you when you move to a new apartment.
Before beginning the installation of your bidet toilet seat, you’ll need to turn off the flow of water to the toilet. To do this, reach behind the toilet to the shutoff valve and turn it to the right as far as you can. You’ll then want to remove your existing toilet seat by removing the nuts and bolts that hold it in place. You can save this to put it back on later or replace it with a new one.
Attach the bidet mounting plate
The next step is to attach the bidet mounting plate. This will be screwed in underneath the toilet seat. Place the mounting plate over the holes where you unscrewed the toilet seat and insert the brackets so that they line up with the holes. Insert the bolts that came with your bidet seat through the brackets and tighten them to secure the mounting plate.
Install the bidet and replace the seat
To install your bidet attachment to the mounting plate, simply slide it into position until it clicks. After doing this, look to see if the position of the bidet attachment will work well with your toilet. If not, you may need to adjust the mounting plate by slightly loosening the bolts.
Once your bidet is securely in place and angled how you want it, you’ll want to reinstall the toilet seat or install your new one. This should be pretty simple; just use the nuts and bolts that came with the toilet seat to securely anchor it to the toilet.
Connect the bidet to water
Your bidet attachment obviously won’t work without connecting it to water, so you’ll need to hook it up before it can be used. First, detach the toilet’s water supply line from the base of the tank. This should be a flexible metal hose that’s a foot long or shorter. Attach the T-valve that came with your bidet to the base of the toilet tank; this will let water flow to both the toilet and the bidet.
Attach the water supply line to the lower connection of the T-valve and the bidet’s hose to the upper connection. Attach the other end of the bidet’s hose to the bidet attachment itself, then test all the connections to make sure they’re secure. Finally, use the shutoff valve behind your toilet to turn the water on again. Run the bidet for a second to test for leaks and make sure everything works, and you should be good to go!
