I was dubious about installing a bidet attachment in my rental bathroom for several reasons, but chief among them was potential embarrassment. Do my husband and I really want everyone who uses our bathroom to think about us routinely hydro-massaging our rear ends? It’s the same reason I have a little vintage stool in the bathroom instead of a more utilitarian Squatty Potty — I don’t love that these bathroom additions effectively announce to guests, “Hey, we just wanted to make sure you know that we poop here!”But when my husband excitedly declared that he had ordered a bidet attachment, I decided to try to get on board. And OMG, have I gotten on board.The bidet is a life-changing innovation. I have never felt cleaner, and I don’t know how we lived so long without it. A visit to Japan cemented my fondness for these transcendent appliances, and I cannot imagine the horror of enduring a 48-hour bout of food poisoning without it (but that’s a story for another day).The thing is, bidet seats and attachments are, by nature, pretty close to the action, which conjures all sorts of horrible imagery about what’s getting on them while you’re getting clean. Don’t panic, though. According to Steve Scheer, president of bidet manufacturer Brondell (which makes the upgrade pick in Wirecutter’s guide to the best bidets and washlets), just because a bidet is cleaning your bum, that doesn’t mean it’s any dirtier than the toilet. “The bidet nozzle shoots up and away from itself,” he explains, “so there is no need to worry about the nozzle specifically getting dirty.”That said, just like for your toilet, you should be giving your bidet seat or attachment a quick clean approximately once a week. If you add the task to your routine toilet wipe-down, it shouldn’t take you more than five minutes to do.“Bidets are more complex than the average toilet seat,” notes staff writer Doug Mahoney in our guide to the best bidet seats and washlets, “so it’s no surprise that they have more nooks and crannies where gunk can develop.” Luckily, the cleaning process is similar to cleaning other appliances in your bathroom.As always, be sure not to mix bleach with any products containing ammonia or acids. If you’re cleaning your toilet bowl with bleach, you should rinse it clean with water and let it dry completely before using another cleanser. I usually like to wait 24 hours, just to be safe.Here’s what we recommend.