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What Did Ancient Romans Do Without Toilet Paper?

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Re: What Did Ancient Romans Do Without Toilet Paper?

#541

Post by washadjeffmad »

Chris2048 wrote: post #494
blarg1 wrote: post #484

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Haven't you ever done a shit that when you wipe there's nothing on the toilet paper?

Nothing visually, I don't consider the paper clean.

I don't understand who would fade for your views on this, and there's no reply explaining so I'll chime in: you're right and I agree.

You can think that you've won the poo lottery by pinching one off that seems to wipe clean, but no one is going to recommend sticking that paper back on the roll or putting it in their pocket to wipe their child's face with later just because they don't see anything on it. That's absurdity, and anyone arguing otherwise knows they wouldn't do the same because they don't actually believe it's clean.

That "clean" paper has enough on it to inoculate a fecal assay, and for some people, that's enough to cause issues. There's also the case of it wiping clean but not being completely cleared yet. Not everyone needs maintenance wipes, so not everyone even knows or understands how unreliable wiping as an indicator is.

The mods of HN are suffering from wipe privilege, and it needs to be addressed.

Re: What Did Ancient Romans Do Without Toilet Paper?

#542

Post by dTal »

Raphmedia wrote: post #500
dominotw wrote: post #495

Earlier quoted context omitted.

No. Not really. flushable bum wipes are not really flushable.

What? You can't say "no" to an entire line of products. Simply make sure that you buy wipes that are flushable AND biodegradable. Flushable simply means that the wipe will make it out of your home. You also need to live in a country where there are rules in place stopping manufacturer from lying on the packets. If they are made of, let's say, viscose rayon which is wood pulp (well, any compatible plant fiber) there's…

How is it possible to design a wipe that 1) does not disintegrate when wet inside its box and 2) disintegrates when wet in a sewage system?

Even Andrex's maximally biodegradable 'flushable washlets' offering contains 2% plastic fibers.

Re: What Did Ancient Romans Do Without Toilet Paper?

#544

Post by jessriedel »

pbhjpbhj wrote: post #409
jessriedel wrote: post #196

Earlier quoted context omitted.

bambax's comment is particularly silly too: "It seems, Americans don't trust one another to sit alone in a toilet". One could just as easily remark that "It seems Europeans must be so childishly shy about normal bodily functions that they must build walls from floor to ceiling in order to pretend that they don't happen". But obviously, both versions are stupid.

Both may be stupid, but perhaps also true of a large enough portion of the population as to provide the reason for those differences?

There are a million possible reasons, some cultural but very many economic or historical accident. In principle it would be possible to try and infer something about culture from this, but it's overwhelmingly obvious that this excercise is indulged in so people can gleefully confirm their existing beliefs.

Re: What Did Ancient Romans Do Without Toilet Paper?

#545

Post by omgbananas »

donatj wrote: post #415
dancek wrote: post #330

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I use things similar to that Squatty Potty and it feels better for me. I discovered this a couple of years ago. Coincidentally we have brand name ones at work, but any stable platform will do--my favorite might be this kids' stool from Ikea: https://m.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/art/60248418/

Having not used such a contraption, it always seems to me that the same thing could be achieved by leaning forward without one?

I lean forward (elbows resting on thighs). I've always done it. I never even thought it was a thing not to lean forward until I saw/heard advertisements for the Squatty Potty.

That, spreading cheeks when sitting down, and a decent diet means almost zero clean up.

Re: What Did Ancient Romans Do Without Toilet Paper?

#546

Post by qwtel »

krageon wrote: post #377
4ad wrote: post #356

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Just like those stupid hand air driers at public facilities. God, how I hate those. Americans have it easy, in general paper towels are available even when the damn air thing is installed. But here in Europe, most often you only get the stupid air machine with no paper towels.

The high end ones take maybe 20s to dry your hands off. Properly drying your hands with paper towels takes at least as long and it wastes paper. What is your problem with an air dryer?

the problem is that you are actively doing something with the paper towel, while you passively wait for the air dryer.

Re: What Did Ancient Romans Do Without Toilet Paper?

#549

Post by deftturtle »

rocho wrote: post #516
Johnny555 wrote: post #455

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"if you had poo on your arm and you wiped it off with toilet paper, would you say its clean?" If you had poo on your arm and rinsed it with a gentle spray of plain water, would you say it's clean? If I had poo on my arm, I'd use soap and water to clean it then rinse well. Of course, if my arm was what was generating the poo, I'd probably be less fastidious about keeping it clean and free of poo. And I'd see a doctor.

> If I had poo on my arm, I'd use soap and water to clean it then rinse well. That is why the only acceptable option is using a bidet, with soap of course. It boggles my mind that some people can withstand even the thought of cleaning themselves with just paper or wet wipes.

Animals don't use toilet paper or bidets.
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