Every day, the world flushes 270,000 trees down the toilet. If the US switched to bidets, it could save 15 million trees - so why don't Americans use bidets? If you're not familiar with this alternative to toilet paper in many countries, it's a basin separate from the toilet for washing one's nether regions. What countries use bidets? Many households in Europe, Asia, and South America rely on them. And why are bidets popular in Europe, but not America? Colonial American hygiene began with chamber pots and outhouses, and the country eventually progressed to toilets. Overall, however, Americans were skittish about hygiene topics associated with bidets.