Few concerns cause more consternation during mass evacuations than toilet issues. North Americans, however, can benefit from perspective. Cleansing the anus with water is a habit most Westerners find repulsive, yet much of the rest of the world finds the use of toilet paper incomprehensibly unsanitary.
Toilet paper was first manufactured in England in 1857. It was kept under the counter at finer stores and referred to as "curl papers." Toilet rolls did not reach the market until 1928, and soft paper was not used until 1932.
Even in the 1930s and 1940s most people in America and Britain still used torn up squares of newspaper.
Since the average Western person's lifetime consumption of toilet paper requires the felling of twenty-two trees, toilet hygiene with water is an earth-friendly skill.
The main thing most Westerners need to know about coping without toilet paper is that after-toilet cleaning requires either lots of water, and the fingers may be required to remove larger bits. It usually is not possible to clean with water over a pedestal toilet, because of splashing.
The sanitary wipes you use to clean your hands should not be applied to the anus. Chamomile-scented wipes in particular can cause allergic reactions, and prepackaged moist cleansing cloths in general cause sensitivity, itching, and inflammation of the bottom. You are better off with newspaper than with most prepackaged cleansing wipes. Cleansing wipes may also compound any irritation caused by eating a lot of tomatoes, oranges, or spicy foods.
Some doctors believe that washing with water reduces risk of yeast and fungal infections. The process of cleaning is not complete, however, until the hands are washed with soap and water (or cleansing wipes) before leaving the lavatory.
So what do you need to be fully prepared for emergency interruptions in toilet services? Here are some suggestions.
1. Store all the toilet paper you have room for.
2. Use newspaper torn into squares (the black and white sections, don't use pages that have color photographs or the Sunday comics), but don't use newspaper if you have an allergy to soy.
3. Stored water you would otherwise use for flushing is OK for washing your bottom. Don't use standing water from outdoors for washing your body unless you are able to purify it first. Use prepackaged cleaning wipes for hands only.
4. For itch around the anus, stock a sorbolene product like Blue Lizard Sorbolene Cream and Moisturizer.
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