Dry butt

 

This is kinda a weird question, but I wonder if you have an idea. I use a sprayer as a sort-of bidet as is common in SE Asia, but it leaves my butt wet, which makes my pants wet, etc.

Not a weird question at all—half of Southeast Asia has quietly engineered around this, and everyone figures it out by trial and error.

What’s happening is simple: the sprayer cleans well, but it also leaves a fair amount of water on the skin, and fabric will happily wick that moisture the moment you dress.

A few practical ways people deal with it:

The most common solution is just to use a bit of toilet paper (or tissue) after spraying, not for cleaning but for drying. You don’t need much—just a gentle pat. It’s surprisingly effective because most of the water is sitting on the surface.

Another approach is a brief pause—give it 20–30 seconds before pulling your clothes up. In a warm climate like Cambodia, evaporation actually does a fair bit of the work for you if you let it.

Some people also adjust the spraying technique—using a slightly lower pressure or angling the spray so it’s more targeted reduces the amount of splashback and excess water.

If you want something a bit more “engineered,” you can keep a small dedicated cloth or towel nearby (used only for drying, and changed regularly). That’s essentially how traditional bidet users in Europe handle it, just in a more formalized way.

And one small detail that makes a difference: leaning slightly forward or staying seated a moment longer lets water drip off instead of running outward where clothing will pick it up.

You’re not missing anything obvious—this is just one of those small practical gaps between “very clean” and “now how do I not walk around damp.”

I'm old and a little obese and so find it difficult to reach back to pat the water/

That makes perfect sense—and it’s not a small detail, it changes what’s practical. Reaching back comfortably is something people take for granted until it isn’t.

In your situation, the goal isn’t “better technique,” it’s less reaching and less effort altogether.

One simple adjustment is to let gravity do more of the work. If you stay seated a bit longer after spraying and lean slightly forward, a surprising amount of water will drip away on its own. Even an extra 30–60 seconds can make a noticeable difference, especially in warm air.

Another very practical trick is placing tissue or a folded bit of toilet paper on the seat area before you sit down (toward the back). After spraying, you can shift your weight slightly and let that absorb moisture without having to reach much at all. It’s a bit of a workaround, but people with limited mobility use variations of this all the time.

If you’re open to a small setup change, a long-handled “bottom wiper” aid (they’re real medical devices, not as odd as they sound) can extend your reach without strain. They’re designed exactly for people who have trouble twisting or reaching.

A different angle entirely is to reduce how much drying is needed. Using lower pressure on the sprayer or a more controlled angle can cut down on excess water. Some people also do a quick “final rinse” from slightly farther away, which leaves less pooling.

And if your setup allows it, the most comfortable long-term solution is a toilet seat with a built-in bidet and air dryer. That eliminates the reaching issue almost completely, though I realize that depends on what’s available where you are.

You’re dealing with a very real mechanical limitation, not doing anything wrong. The trick is just shifting the process so your body doesn’t have to do the hard part.

I recently installed a new toilet as the old one's mechanism had broken and fixing it was more expensive than the new one. When they installed it I had them build it up so it's much higher and hence easier to stand out of it (I no longer need to use a grab bar to pull up). Other advantages are it is about twenty percent bigger, great for avoiding splash out of it when standing, and, most important, the flush mechanism works differently. It sucks down and pushes water all along the sides from above.

That actually sounds like a very smart upgrade—you’ve quietly solved several problems at once. The extra height alone is a big deal for stability and energy, and the improved flush pattern is one of those things you don’t appreciate until you have it.

What you’re still left with is really just the last inch of the problem: drying without having to twist or reach.

Given what you’ve described, a couple of options fit your setup particularly well:

One is to take advantage of the larger bowl and your ability to sit comfortably. After spraying, just remain seated a bit longer and lean slightly forward. With that newer “washdown” style flush shaping the bowl, water tends to run downward more cleanly anyway, so you’ll get less lingering moisture than with older designs. In your climate, even a short pause helps a lot.

Another is a variation that avoids reaching altogether: drop a folded pad of toilet paper into position before you sit, toward the back of the seat opening. After spraying, you can shift your weight slightly or just settle back onto it for a moment. It acts like a blotter without requiring your arm to go anywhere awkward. Not elegant, but very effective.

If you want something a bit more mechanical (and frankly easier long-term), those long-handled wiping aids are designed exactly for this situation—no twisting, minimal shoulder movement. They’re commonly used after hip or back surgery, but they’re just as useful in everyday life.

Given that you’ve already upgraded the toilet thoughtfully, the “final form” solution—if you ever feel like tinkering again—would be a bidet attachment with a warm air dryer. That removes the problem almost entirely. Not always easy to source locally, but sometimes available online.

What I like about what you’ve done is that you’ve reduced strain at the biggest point of effort—standing up. This remaining issue is smaller and more solvable with little tricks or tools, rather than brute effort.

Out of curiosity—does the sprayer you’re using have fairly high pressure, or is it more gentle? That sometimes makes a bigger difference than people expect.

Yea I saw one at the business class lounge in Tokyo airport. Unbelievably complicated. When I checked into it, it was several thousand dollars. While I can afford that, it completely goes against the grain for this purpose.

I know exactly the type you saw—the full Japanese “command center” seat. They can feel like you need a pilot’s license just to get a rinse. And yes, the top-end ones can cost as much as a decent used car, which is… a lot for what is, at heart, a very simple human need.

The good news is you don’t need anything remotely that elaborate to solve your problem.

There’s a very middle ground: simple bidet seats or attachments that mount under your existing toilet seat. Many of them have just one or two knobs—water pressure and position—and some add a basic air dryer. No control panels, no music, no heated everything. Just rinse and dry. Those tend to be far more in the “sensible tool” category rather than “luxury appliance.”

Given your setup, the key feature—if you ever go that route—is the dryer, not all the extras. That’s what removes the need to reach at all. Even then, some people still do a quick light pat with paper at the end, but it’s minimal.

But honestly, your instinct is sound. You’ve already improved things in a practical, well-thought-out way. If spending thousands feels wrong for the purpose, it probably is wrong for you.

So it really comes down to this:

• If you want to keep things simple and low-cost: the “sit a bit longer + absorbent paper placed in advance” trick is probably your best low-effort solution.

• If you want to reduce the issue further without going extravagant: a basic bidet attachment with a dryer (nothing fancy) is the sweet spot.

You’re approaching this exactly like an engineer, by the way—fix the biggest inefficiencies first, then decide if the remaining friction is worth solving further.

If you’d like, I can sketch what a very simple, non-ridiculous setup would look like—something that wouldn’t offend your sense of proportion.

I don't use paper towels or tissues or such for environmental reasons. Cloth can be washed.

That’s a very coherent approach—and it actually pairs quite well with the way you’re already thinking about this.

In your case, I’d lean into a simple, repeatable cloth system that requires almost no reaching.

One method that works well is to keep a small stack of soft cloths within easy reach at the side or slightly forward of the toilet—positioned so you can pick one up without twisting. After spraying, instead of reaching back, you can bring the cloth forward between your legs and give a gentle pat from underneath. That movement usually requires much less shoulder rotation and is easier on balance.

Another variation—especially given your larger, higher toilet—is to place a folded cloth on the seat opening before you sit, toward the rear. After spraying, you can shift your weight slightly or just settle back for a moment and let it absorb moisture. No reaching at all. Then drop it into a small covered bin or bucket for washing later.

A couple of small refinements make this work smoothly:

• Use distinct, dedicated cloths (different color or texture) so there’s no confusion with anything else in the house.

• Keep a lidded container or bucket nearby for used ones—keeps things tidy and odor-free until laundry.

• Wash them in a regular cycle with hot water and detergent; they don’t need anything exotic.

Since you’re in a warm climate, you might find that combining this with just a short pause after spraying reduces how much drying is needed at all—so the cloth is doing a quick finish rather than all the work.

What you’re really doing here is converting the process from “reach and wipe” into “minimal movement + absorb,” which fits your situation much better.

If you don’t mind me asking—would reaching from the front be comfortable for you, or is that also a bit awkward? That helps narrow down whether the “cloth in hand” or the “pre-placed cloth” approach would suit you better.

I think you make a little too much of the cleanliness aspect. The sprayer will leave my butt clean, all this is for is to dry it. Of course for aesthetic reasons one wants to be sure it isn't subsequently used for something else, but that's not hard to avoid.

You’re quite right, and that’s a useful correction. If the sprayer is doing the actual cleaning—and it generally does—then this is simply a drying problem, not a hygiene problem. That simplifies things a lot.

In that case, you can think in terms of absorbency and convenience only, not careful handling.

Given your preferences and the mobility issue, the most straightforward setup would be something like this:

Keep a few small, very absorbent cloths (microfiber works especially well, or thin cotton) within easy reach—ideally positioned so you can grab one without twisting. After spraying, just bring it up from the front and give a brief pat. Because you’re only dealing with clean water, it really is just like drying your hands—quick and undramatic.

If reaching even from the front is a bit awkward some days, then the pre-placed cloth idea becomes almost effortless: set it on the seat opening before you sit, and after spraying, just shift slightly or sit back for a moment. It does the job with essentially no movement at all.

You can also make the process easier by reducing how much water needs drying in the first place. A slightly gentler spray or a more controlled angle often leaves much less residual water, so the cloth is just finishing, not doing the bulk of the work.

What you’ve done with the toilet—raising it, increasing size, improving the flush—suggests you prefer practical, low-fuss solutions. This is very much in that same spirit: a small, dedicated drying cloth used in a simple, mechanical way, with no need to turn it into a ritual about cleanliness.

It’s really just the equivalent of keeping a towel by a sink—only adapted to a different bit of anatomy.