Here’s a prediction. Five years from now, many Americans will not be using toilet paper to wipe their rear ends. When I first heard about this, I was grossed out. Several friends of mine in Miami bought expensive self- cleaning toilets a few years ago for thousands of dollars just to get a better wipe. They have never stopped raving about the spa toilets since.

I just couldn’t imagine how these new types of toilets worked. I would ask my friends all kinds of stupid questions and I would only get reassurances that it was better than toilet paper.

Apparently, I’m going to find out. The Brondell FreshSpa has just been introduced at $60. The new gadget attaches itself to an existing toilet so that it can turn itself into a hygienic bidet in minutes. Instead of spending thousands of dollars, many more of us will opt for the one well under $100 for the same spa experience.

The FreshSpa website says the “bidet provides personalized wash settings for maximum comfort. The easy to use controls allow for adjustable water pressure – from a gentle wash to a concentrated stream while the wash nozzle has 3 separate angled positions ensuring accurate coverage for all types of users.”

The Brondell FreshSpa’s website also said the bidet dramatically reduces the amount of toilet paper we all use. It could be as high as a 75 to 100% reduction in toilet paper. That has a significant environmental impact. There is good news on the water front. The Brondell bidet attachments and bidet seats also use less water than the toilet paper production process. The unit is available online at http://www.Brondell.com and most Home Depot stores.

The WOW factor? 34 million rolls of toilet paper are used in the United States each day and each roll is 1.5 pounds of wood—so 54 million trees per year are cut down to keep up with the need for toilet paper.

For that reason alone many of us will be upgrading to self-cleaning toilets. Have a good spritz!