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One of the first things I was worried about when getting a bidet was how loud it’ll be. Most of us want to stay quiet when we’re in the bathroom, especially if there’s no fan. I was pleasantly surprised after installing my bidet because it’s not even close to the sound level of a flushing toilet.
Bidets aren’t loud because they range between 10 to 50 decibels, depending on the water pressure and cleaning settings. The front cleaning setting is typically quieter than the backside cleaning nozzle. The self-cleaning mechanism on a bidet can be as quiet as 5 to 30 decibels.
I monitored the decibels on each level of every setting on my bidet to produce the following results:
| Cleaning Setting | Low Setting | Medium Setting | High Setting |
| Primary (Backside) | 10 dB | 30 dB | 60 dB |
| Secondary (Frontside) | 10 dB | 25 dB | 50 dB |
| Self-Cleaning Mechanism | 5 dB | 15 dB | 30 dB |
Keep in mind that you’ll likely never use a bidet’s highest setting, especially if you have good water pressure. Bidets are typically used at the middle setting (15 to 30 decibels).
How Loud Is a Bidet?
Bidets aren’t too noisy, but they can be about as loud as a sink. A bidet’s sound levels are directly tied to the water pressure. If there’s a lot of water pressure (from high settings or clogs), your bidet will be much noisier than the lower settings.
According to the noise chart provided by the Hearing Health Foundation, the aforementioned 10 dB to 60 dB range is between the sound of a ticking watch to casual office noises. You can almost always balance the sounds with fans, white noise makers, and flushing toilets.
Remember, using a front-cleaning bidet will be slightly quieter than the backside cleaning nozzle. The difference is small, but it could be enough to help you decide if you want to install a bidet in your bathroom.
Note: The decibel tests above were performed on a toilet bidet attachment. Standalone bidets are a bit louder, but the increase is practically negligible. You can check your bidet’s sound output by using a decibel meter or trying a sound meter app on your smartphone if you don’t have a noise monitoring system.
How to Use a Bidet Quietly
Try these suggestions to use a bidet quietly:
- Reduce the water pressure to the lower or middle setting. It’s best to wait a little longer than to blast the bidet at its highest setting. Not only will it be much quieter, but the middle settle isn’t nearly as harsh on those with sensitive skin.
- Get a non-electric bidet since they don’t create as much pressure or heat. Bidets get warm with water heat tanks, tankless hookups, electrical hookups, and more. You’ll have to get a tankless bidet if you want a non-electric model with warm water.
- Use a tankless bidet because they don’t gurgle. These tanks rarely make noises, but when they do, they sound a lot like drinking water jugs. There’s a massive bubbly, gurgly sound that’s fairly distinct compared to anything else in the bathroom.
- Adjust your water pressure meter throughout your house. Yuzumag claims most bidets use between 10 to 100 PSI of water pressure. The higher the PSI, the louder the bidet will be. You can close the spigot halfway or reduce your home’s water pressure if your bidet is too loud on its lowest setting (which is very unlikely).
- Turn on the bathroom fan or use a portable white noise maker. I have a tower fan right outside of my bathroom to quiet the bidet noise, though it’s unnecessary since they’re relatively quiet. Your bidet is far from the loudest thing in your bathroom, so I wouldn’t overthink it too much.
Bidets aren’t too loud, but it can be a little annoying to let everyone know what’s going on when you run the water. In my experience, bidet attachments are about as loud as a trickling sink. You could flush the toilet and use the bidet at the same time to dampen the sound.
Why Does Your Bidet Sound Louder Than Usual?
Your bidet sounds louder than usual because the water pressure is increased, your water softener is going bad, or there’s a leak. Plumbing leaks can be very loud since they spit tons of air and water through the couplings and other hose attachments.
Here’s a checklist of what could be causing your bidet to be too loud:
- Major plumbing leaks will be very loud coming through the bidet. Standalone bidets use special plumbing that can leak, much like a toilet, sink, or shower. These leaks can create hissing sounds. You can fix them by turning off the water and using silicone sealant after adding new hoses and valves.
- You’re using the bidet on the highest setting with too much PSI if it sounds too noisy. Bidets use water pressure the same as sinks. Turning the sink to a higher setting will make it louder, so you should expect the same results from your bidet. Try a lower setting and let it clean for a few more seconds than usual.
- Your bidet might need to be replaced. Bidets last a long time, but they’re prone to bacteria, mold, rust, and so on. Cleaning your bidet regularly will prevent these problems from shortening your bidet’s longevity.
- A clogged bidet nozzle will make it sound a lot louder. Bidet nozzles clog from high mineral content and debris buildup. Make sure you use your bidet’s self-cleaning switch frequently. This tool prevents the minerals and gross debris from building up too much pressure that could increase the bidet’s sound levels.
The noise coming out of a bidet can take some getting used to. However, you’ll enjoy the cleanliness and the lack of toilet paper (though you should still use a sheet of toilet paper to dry the water left behind by the bidet). There are more than enough ways to make a bidet sound quiet, so why not give them a try?
