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Toilet Paper History: How America Convinced the World to Wipe (2009)

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Re: Toilet Paper History: How America Convinced the World to Wipe (2009)

#41

Post by riquito »

ajross wrote: post #34
electic wrote: post #30

This might be TMI but I never understood toilet paper. Think about it. You are taking a piece of paper and just spreading it around. No matter how hard you try it's still there. It's not clean. Gross. In fact, the use of toilet paper has spurred a whole new industry that most other countries don't have...the ointment industry. Washlets or bidets are far cleaner and preferred.

Seems like that same logic would obviate the dish cloth/sponge, dust cloth, mop, and towel too. Since these devices actually work, I suspect you're thesis is kinda wrong. Needless to say, when you wipe with an "clean" cloth, some of the material you want to remove sticks to the cloth and gets removed, leaving less on the surface being cleaned. Some number of repetitions pushes the concentration down below whatever it…

> It works no differently for poop or spilled gravy.

Let's assume you have poop on your hands, would you clean yourself with paper?

Re: Toilet Paper History: How America Convinced the World to Wipe (2009)

#42

Post by electic »

usaphp wrote: post #31
electic wrote: post #30

This might be TMI but I never understood toilet paper. Think about it. You are taking a piece of paper and just spreading it around. No matter how hard you try it's still there. It's not clean. Gross. In fact, the use of toilet paper has spurred a whole new industry that most other countries don't have...the ointment industry. Washlets or bidets are far cleaner and preferred.

But when you use water - don’t you get your hands dirty? At least with paper you have paper to do all the work instead of your fingers?

Your hands do not get dirty because you just wet half the toilet paper. Only half of it really touches you, the other half is what you're holding. Either way, your bum is clean because of the water vs. using dry toilet paper.

But in the end, it doesn't beat a washlet or bidet.

Re: Toilet Paper History: How America Convinced the World to Wipe (2009)

#43

Post by ajross »

riquito wrote: post #41
ajross wrote: post #34

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Seems like that same logic would obviate the dish cloth/sponge, dust cloth, mop, and towel too. Since these devices actually work, I suspect you're thesis is kinda wrong. Needless to say, when you wipe with an "clean" cloth, some of the material you want to remove sticks to the cloth and gets removed, leaving less on the surface being cleaned. Some number of repetitions pushes the concentration down below whatever it…

> It works no differently for poop or spilled gravy. Let's assume you have poop on your hands, would you clean yourself with paper?

(First off, let me just say how hilarious it is that no less than two people are actually downvoting me over a bidet comment. I eagerly await more.)

If I had to, sure. You realize people did this successfully for like... always, right? Sure, detergent and water and abrasion works better, but bidets don't provide two of those three elements.

What you're really wanting to compare is getting shit (just call it shit, OK?) off your hands with only toilet paper or only water, I guess. And if I was really forced to make that choice... honestly, I'd want to see numbers. Toilet paper will 100% absolutely get things visually cleaner than mere washing at household faucet flow rates. Go try it sometime.

Re: Toilet Paper History: How America Convinced the World to Wipe (2009)

#44

Post by mistersquid »

electic wrote: post #30

This might be TMI but I never understood toilet paper. Think about it. You are taking a piece of paper and just spreading it around. No matter how hard you try it's still there. It's not clean. Gross. In fact, the use of toilet paper has spurred a whole new industry that most other countries don't have...the ointment industry. Washlets or bidets are far cleaner and preferred.

Speaking of TMI, one solution (ahem) to spreading feces around is to spit on one side of the toilet paper and then wipe. After several repetitions with fresh paper/saliva, the paper will come back relatively clean and you can then use plain paper to dry.

(I learned to do this from my Asian mom. When I finally did travel to Japan, I greatly preferred their washlets to US-style toilets.)

EDIT: adjective/quantifier, punctuation, adverb

Re: Toilet Paper History: How America Convinced the World to Wipe (2009)

#45

Post by esaym »

sergiotapia wrote: post #26
jacknews wrote: post #6

"The question is, if toilet paper becomes a luxury item, can Americans live without it?" The article itself appears to be part of the marketing machine. I don't at all consider toilet paper a luxury, in fact using water seems far more satisfactory and hygienic. Japanese style washlets and european bidets are the luxury, um, end, of the market. If anything, plain toilet paper is set to be discarded as a rather unhygie…

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00A0RHSJO/ref=oh_aui_deta... $35 and you can install it in about 5 minutes flat. It's terrific, can't go back to TP ever.

The water that comes out of my tap is about 43*F right now so no thanks....

Re: Toilet Paper History: How America Convinced the World to Wipe (2009)

#47

Post by dazc »

eyelidlessness wrote: post #37
usaphp wrote: post #31

Earlier quoted context omitted.

But when you use water - don’t you get your hands dirty? At least with paper you have paper to do all the work instead of your fingers?

My hands get dirty using shit tickets. I hope you know yours do too. You do wash after rubbing a highly porous sheet of paper around in your poops, don't you?

You can use more than one piece at a time though?

Re: Toilet Paper History: How America Convinced the World to Wipe (2009)

#48

Post by soperj »

joecool1029 wrote: post #29
schoen wrote: post #3

Something I find quite strange is how South American countries pervasively discourage people from flushing used toilet paper (instead preferring to have a little wastebasket to collect it and later throw it away in the trash). The usual account of the reason for this is that the plumbing can't handle it -- which you also hear about some old buildings in the U.S. OK, but this norm persists even in buildings that were…

Encountered it in Canada in the maritimes. Anywhere on the coast there were places that just had a pipe going straight into the ocean. Cafes, restaurants, you name it. There were even portable toilets set up with the pipes so they never had to be pumped. I'm guessing they don't want to see tons of toilet paper floating in the ocean I guess, but excrement is not a problem? Maybe someone else has some better insight, f…

Victoria BC dumps right in the ocean too, and there's no one who saves their tp for the dump.

Re: Toilet Paper History: How America Convinced the World to Wipe (2009)

#49

Post by RobertRoberts »

jacknews wrote: post #6

"The question is, if toilet paper becomes a luxury item, can Americans live without it?" The article itself appears to be part of the marketing machine. I don't at all consider toilet paper a luxury, in fact using water seems far more satisfactory and hygienic. Japanese style washlets and european bidets are the luxury, um, end, of the market. If anything, plain toilet paper is set to be discarded as a rather unhygie…

I keep a lotion bottle next to my toilet. Not only is lotion cheap, it's lubricating as it cleans, so it helps make the next wipe cleaner than just using a wet wipe! Lotion ftw.

I visited Japan, they had so many awesome toilets, I had to take videos and photos of all the crazy versions and options in restaurants, public, at home etc... they are awesome.

Also, the standard toilet conserves water by adding a small hand washing sink to the top of the tank, brilliant! Google this, as it's so common sense, I can't understand why it hasn't spread wider. This kind of toilet allows for a tiny extra bathroom, without the need of a sink, and it's still sanitary.

Re: Toilet Paper History: How America Convinced the World to Wipe (2009)

#50

Post by dazc »

ajross wrote: post #34
electic wrote: post #30

This might be TMI but I never understood toilet paper. Think about it. You are taking a piece of paper and just spreading it around. No matter how hard you try it's still there. It's not clean. Gross. In fact, the use of toilet paper has spurred a whole new industry that most other countries don't have...the ointment industry. Washlets or bidets are far cleaner and preferred.

Seems like that same logic would obviate the dish cloth/sponge, dust cloth, mop, and towel too. Since these devices actually work, I suspect you're thesis is kinda wrong. Needless to say, when you wipe with an "clean" cloth, some of the material you want to remove sticks to the cloth and gets removed, leaving less on the surface being cleaned. Some number of repetitions pushes the concentration down below whatever it…

'I'll take no position on the bidet vs. paper debate.'

In the UK bidets are not that common but in Spain, where I live atm, they are.

Now I'll reveal my ignorance by stating I thought one was meant to compliment the other.

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