Very green (if you drip dry)
Pros: Energy efficient, easy to install
Cons: Always a bit of a shock, doesn't eliminate TP use all together
Ever since the Huddler debate of whether or not bidets are greener than toilet paper, I've been interested in the technology. When I came across the Brondell Swash Ecoseat at West Coast Green, it gave me a chance to see the seat itself and consider the environmental impact of making toilet paper.
The Swash Ecoseat from Brondell is definitely a basic bidet seat (as bidet seats go). That means it's quite energy efficient (it only takes something like 4 AA batteries). Of course...energy efficiency in this case is both a pro and a con. Yes, fabulous by "green" factor. It doesn't use tons of energy. But...it also means the seat doesn't have a lot of fancy features like a warm air dryer or a heated seat. While those features certainly aren't necessary, I could imagine how they'd be nice. They also might help save you a tad bit more toilet paper...
When it comes to the actually washing, it's pretty impressive to see how much water the "cleaning wands" put out. As some of you may have seen, we did a little experiment at the Huddler HQ to see how much spray power the Swash Ecoseat has. I do like that there are three spray levels (although truth be told, I can't tell the difference all that much).
When the water actually starts spraying, it's always something of a surprise. First, you hear some water dripping (cleaning the wands I think)...and then...there you are with some rather cool water spraying you down. On cold days, it's a little too cold...
Okay, so when it comes to TP savings, the Swash Ecoseat is decent. Ladies, if you want to get the full effect of toilet paper reduction, you will indeed have to drip dry (which some people may not be too keen on). That's where the fancy features of something like the Swash 800 might come in handy.
All in all, I like the Ecoseat. I'd certainly like to test out something with a few more bells and whistles, but as far as a basic bidet, this one certainly does the trick and toilet paper savings (and the associated decrease in carbon emissions, water consumption, etc) is decent.
