Very similar article by the same author a year ago:
https://www.sapiens.org/column/curiosities/ancient-roman-bat...
There was even a HN discussion about it: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16757044
What Ancient Romans Used Instead of Toilet Paper
161–170 of 216 posts
Re: What Ancient Romans Used Instead of Toilet Paper
#162Earlier quoted context omitted.
As an Indian, I too had this WTF moment. It makes me wonder why paper is still used in the western world. Makes one wonder if there is a TP lobby out there ? We used to make jokes what if a TP user have diarrhea, how many trees will that be ? If a bird shits on your hand will you use paper or water to clean it ? Its just that simple to comprehend. Just use water damn it. Cheap, hygienic, no left overs and green too !
> green Well, increased water consumption has a lot of ecological problems as well. Plus most of us westerners would probably balk at using cold water, so we'd waste a lot of energy heating it up too.
Water consumption is not an ecological problem everywhere.
Re: What Ancient Romans Used Instead of Toilet Paper
#163I have read the glowing endorsements of bidets on reddit and HN for a long time. I've researched after-market bidets that would be suitable for my bathroom. I've bookmarked a few that seem suitable and have good reviews. But there is one thing which stops me. I'm not sure of the exact details. Even in this thread, I don't know the brass tacks of using one. Do I turn on the sprayer and that is that? Or do I mechanical…
There are lots of instructions just a Google click away. But for a short answer: 1. Just water, the pressure is more than sufficient. Hell, it's too much sometimes. 2. You can get models that air dry, but even the good ones aren't too quick, so it's pretty common to use a few squares of TP to dry. 3. Depends on you. If you habitually sit off-center you might actually get a wet cheek. Otherwise it's eerily spot-on. 4.…
By "Neo" do you mean the "Luxe Bidet Neo"? The one where you attach it to an existing toilet?
Re: What Ancient Romans Used Instead of Toilet Paper
#164Funny story, as a Venezuelan and having toilet paper shortages I was forced to go water and soap. Never comming back, not even with all the toilet paper in the world The feeling is shared with alot of friends (we joke about this as a way to keep the good mood agains the crisis) but a lot of people have realized that toilet paper is not the correct way plus a huge waste of money (we have to pay around 0.5$ per roll no…
Forgive my ignorance, but how does ‘water and soap’ work?
I can immediately see the application of a tersorium, but not water and soap.
Re: What Ancient Romans Used Instead of Toilet Paper
#165Funny story, as a Venezuelan and having toilet paper shortages I was forced to go water and soap. Never comming back, not even with all the toilet paper in the world The feeling is shared with alot of friends (we joke about this as a way to keep the good mood agains the crisis) but a lot of people have realized that toilet paper is not the correct way plus a huge waste of money (we have to pay around 0.5$ per roll no…
Forgive my ignorance, but how does ‘water and soap’ work? I can immediately see the application of a tersorium, but not water and soap.
Just shower after you do your business, you can imagine the rest.
Re: What Ancient Romans Used Instead of Toilet Paper
#166Americans don't have a high ground here. The first time I used a modern bidet was eye-opening. It eliminates the funk. It's environmentally friendly. It's easier on the bum, if you have hemmaroids (I don't, but this is the report from friends and family that do suffer). And it just feels refreshing. The toilet paper is only needed to sanity check cleanliness and dry out. The American squeamishness over the bidet is i…
OK I've seen the bidet crowd grow for years. Never used one but how does it actually remove all the filth? If I got shit on my arm or something I wouldn't be satisfied squirting some water on it - I'd scrub scrub scrub. I just can't see how it does as good a job. Any input?
Also - how do you prevent the bidet from becoming a fecal squirtgun? It sits inside the toilet no? Aren't you in effect washing off with everyone's shit mixed in?
Re: What Ancient Romans Used Instead of Toilet Paper
#167I have read the glowing endorsements of bidets on reddit and HN for a long time. I've researched after-market bidets that would be suitable for my bathroom. I've bookmarked a few that seem suitable and have good reviews. But there is one thing which stops me. I'm not sure of the exact details. Even in this thread, I don't know the brass tacks of using one. Do I turn on the sprayer and that is that? Or do I mechanical…
Yeah, if you just spray and pray you’re going to have a bad time. The way I was taught as a Middle Eastern man was: first use toilet paper at least three times to remove the majority of the material. Secondly, hold the spray hose or the bottle in your right hand and point downwards towards your perineum from the FRONT of your legs. Use your left hand to lift your junk and have two fingers down there. Now pour water o…
...so you have to use your hands to clean shit out of your ass? This does not sound like a good thing.
Re: What Ancient Romans Used Instead of Toilet Paper
#168Americans don't have a high ground here. The first time I used a modern bidet was eye-opening. It eliminates the funk. It's environmentally friendly. It's easier on the bum, if you have hemmaroids (I don't, but this is the report from friends and family that do suffer). And it just feels refreshing. The toilet paper is only needed to sanity check cleanliness and dry out. The American squeamishness over the bidet is i…
OK I've seen the bidet crowd grow for years. Never used one but how does it actually remove all the filth? If I got shit on my arm or something I wouldn't be satisfied squirting some water on it - I'd scrub scrub scrub. I just can't see how it does as good a job. Any input? Also - how do you prevent the bidet from becoming a fecal squirtgun? It sits inside the toilet no? Aren't you in effect washing off with everyone…
If you had shit on your arm you'd just scrub it without water?
Filipino uses a system called tabo, or sometimes a hand hose bidet (I call it the bum gun). If the pressure of bum gun is strong enough, well, it's like a pressure gun. You shoot it at 45 degrees angle (cause 90 hurts lol).
If the pressure is not strong enough, then use it like tabo. Tabo is a water scoop. You water your hand, you water your butt, then you soap both of them, and wash it out. It's a shower but just for your butt.
This sounds a little bit weird and disgusting but it is the cleanest since it's like a shower. Nothing beats a soap and scrub.
If there's tissues, take a tissue, pat down your butt so it's dry, put it in the bin.
Hope that explains it!
Re: What Ancient Romans Used Instead of Toilet Paper
#169Earlier quoted context omitted.
Yeah, if you just spray and pray you’re going to have a bad time. The way I was taught as a Middle Eastern man was: first use toilet paper at least three times to remove the majority of the material. Secondly, hold the spray hose or the bottle in your right hand and point downwards towards your perineum from the FRONT of your legs. Use your left hand to lift your junk and have two fingers down there. Now pour water o…
...so you have to use your hands to clean shit out of your ass? This does not sound like a good thing.
They wash their hands. What's so gross about them going extra lengths to cleanse themselves? Its not like they're going to then ignore their very hands, considering for many, its a religious law to be clean.
It seems like bidet fear but 10x. For no good reason.
Re: What Ancient Romans Used Instead of Toilet Paper
#170I have read the glowing endorsements of bidets on reddit and HN for a long time. I've researched after-market bidets that would be suitable for my bathroom. I've bookmarked a few that seem suitable and have good reviews. But there is one thing which stops me. I'm not sure of the exact details. Even in this thread, I don't know the brass tacks of using one. Do I turn on the sprayer and that is that? Or do I mechanical…
I grew up using bidets and as an adult moved to a bidet-less country. I've installed handheld bidet sprays in all bathrooms in my house and they work great.
Here's a pretty affordable one: https://www.amazon.com/Abedoe-Upgraded-Handheld-Sprayer-Oper...