# Going without toilet paper: Meet the adults switching to a reusable cloth **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [January 29, 2014, 2:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/going-without-toilet-paper-meet-the-adults-switching-to-a-reusable-cloth/680033 "2014-01-29T14:28:57Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![SerafinaPekala](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecae2f/32.png) [@SerafinaPekala](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SerafinaPekala)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2014, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/going-without-toilet-paper-meet-the-adults-switching-to-a-reusable-cloth/680033/21 "2014-01-29T20:21:04Z")
Backing up to the bidet thing … how do you dry off then? In a public place you would still need the TP right? And if someone’s using the bidet at MY house (when I get one), how do I keep the guests from patting their fannies dry on my hand towels? First World Problem I know.:rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![purplehorseshoe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/purplehorseshoe/32/2996_2.png) [@purplehorseshoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/purplehorseshoe)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2014, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/going-without-toilet-paper-meet-the-adults-switching-to-a-reusable-cloth/680033/22 "2014-01-29T20:22:47Z")
> [@thelurkinghorror](#): > > I heard about a public toilet in UK or somewhere that graciously gives you… 3 sheets of TP. Sometimes I’m lucky to use only 10x that… If that’s not an exaggeration then might I recommend using wet wipes instead? I fear for your heiney’s health. > [@thelurkinghorror](#): > > … Any smell at all? Fucking liars… Quite possibly, it’s that they’re being lied TO (by others) instead. Am I the only person to have known someone to go through the “I don’t have to shower daily and I don’t stink at all!” phase? (_Spoiler alert_: yes, yes you do stink, you stinky little stinkety-stink.) > [@thelurkinghorror](#): > > …I am sure someone knowledgeable could do a cost analysis of how much water they’re wasting washing these… True dat. Between the energy used to clean/purify the water in the first place, the energy to heat it, the energy to re-clean/purify after washing … oy vey. ETA: I see what **SerafinaPekala** did there … \Heh. Heh. “Backing up.” Heh." \ ---
**Author:** ![doorhinge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a5b964/32.png) [@doorhinge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/doorhinge)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2014, 8:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/going-without-toilet-paper-meet-the-adults-switching-to-a-reusable-cloth/680033/23 "2014-01-29T20:24:45Z")
Maybe they should bring back the Roman sponge stick? > **[So what's with the sponge-stick?](http://flavias.blogspot.com/2008/10/so-whats-with-sponge-stick.html)** > > subligaria = underpants Recently there has been a lot of excitement (OK, a little excitement) about a new literary competition for scho... ---
**Author:** ![Sicks\_Ate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/258eb7/32.png) [@Sicks\_Ate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sicks_Ate)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2014, 8:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/going-without-toilet-paper-meet-the-adults-switching-to-a-reusable-cloth/680033/24 "2014-01-29T20:34:36Z")
> [@SerafinaPekala](#): > > Backing up to the bidet thing … I believe that’s how it’s done, yes. Edit, aww, **purplehorseshoe** already did it. Well, me too so there. ---
**Author:** ![SerafinaPekala](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecae2f/32.png) [@SerafinaPekala](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SerafinaPekala)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2014, 8:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/going-without-toilet-paper-meet-the-adults-switching-to-a-reusable-cloth/680033/25 "2014-01-29T20:36:36Z")
yeh… heheheh… moar bidet jokes anyone? Theres a reason we’ve evolved to using disposable things imho. Are these “butt cloth” women still using those nasty [Diva Cups](http://www.amazon.com/Diva-Cup-Model-1-Pre-Childbirth/product-reviews/B000FAG6X0/ref=dp_top_cm_cr_acr_txt?showViewpoints=1) I wonder? Scroll down to T S Johnson’s 2006 Amazon review of the thing if you dont already know what this contraption is. Just dont read it out loud at the restaurant please. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2014, 8:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/going-without-toilet-paper-meet-the-adults-switching-to-a-reusable-cloth/680033/26 "2014-01-29T20:45:30Z")
> [@SerafinaPekala](#): > > yeh… heheheh… moar bidet jokes anyone? _sings_ Ah, bidets are here again! _sings_ ---
**Author:** ![Amateur\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/59ef9b/32.png) [@Amateur\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amateur_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2014, 8:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/going-without-toilet-paper-meet-the-adults-switching-to-a-reusable-cloth/680033/27 "2014-01-29T20:50:08Z")
'Appy bidet to you / 'appy bidet to you / 'appy bidet dear pooper / and you smell like one, too! ---
**Author:** ![SerafinaPekala](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecae2f/32.png) [@SerafinaPekala](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SerafinaPekala)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2014, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/going-without-toilet-paper-meet-the-adults-switching-to-a-reusable-cloth/680033/28 "2014-01-29T20:52:24Z")
+1 and +2. Very clever bees you are! ---
**Author:** ![Yllaria](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yllaria/32/3452_2.png) [@Yllaria](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yllaria)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2014, 9:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/going-without-toilet-paper-meet-the-adults-switching-to-a-reusable-cloth/680033/29 "2014-01-29T21:48:57Z")
> [@SerafinaPekala](#): > > Not sure Id want my face associated with that thing but whatever works for them. > > Actually, if a person is eating right, there shouldnt even be that much to wipe away, so it might be a non-(t)issue. Meanwhile we use the cheap 1-ply toilet paper and havent had any plumping problems. I’ve had some plumping problems. But I blame the chocolate. ---
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2014, 9:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/going-without-toilet-paper-meet-the-adults-switching-to-a-reusable-cloth/680033/30 "2014-01-29T21:55:34Z")
> [@purplehorseshoe](#): > > If that’s not an exaggeration then might I recommend using wet wipes instead? I fear for your heiney’s health. If you have never had diarrhea or a particularly bad one, then that’s luck. As it is, I prefer not to have skidmarks. > [@doorhinge](#): > > Maybe they should bring back the Roman sponge stick? I prefer the three seashells. ---
**Author:** ![SerafinaPekala](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecae2f/32.png) [@SerafinaPekala](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SerafinaPekala)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2014, 9:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/going-without-toilet-paper-meet-the-adults-switching-to-a-reusable-cloth/680033/31 "2014-01-29T21:56:53Z")
O jeez :smack: My goofy accent again! Meant to say “plumbing” of course! ---
**Author:** ![EmilyG](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/emilyg/32/364_2.png) [@EmilyG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EmilyG)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2014, 9:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/going-without-toilet-paper-meet-the-adults-switching-to-a-reusable-cloth/680033/32 "2014-01-29T21:59:52Z")
There must be a lot of poop in their washing machine. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2014, 10:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/going-without-toilet-paper-meet-the-adults-switching-to-a-reusable-cloth/680033/33 "2014-01-29T22:51:24Z")
> [@Amateur\_Barbarian](#): > > We all have a “vertical bidet,” too. Just sayin’. You mean a shower? How can you use a shower as a bidet without stripping off completely, or getting your clothes wet? ---
**Author:** ![Sateryn76](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e4f/32.png) [@Sateryn76](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sateryn76)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2014, 10:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/going-without-toilet-paper-meet-the-adults-switching-to-a-reusable-cloth/680033/34 "2014-01-29T22:59:12Z")
Ditto that. Don’t bidets leave you all wet? And if you have your pants around your knees, don’t they get splashed? Do you have to take them off? Seriously. ---
**Author:** ![monstro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba9def/32.png) [@monstro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/monstro)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2014, 11:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/going-without-toilet-paper-meet-the-adults-switching-to-a-reusable-cloth/680033/35 "2014-01-29T23:10:04Z")
> [@purplehorseshoe](#): > > If that’s not an exaggeration then might I recommend using wet wipes instead? I fear for your heiney’s health. [Wet wipes are bad for sewage systems, apparently.](http://nymag.com/news/intelligencer/flushable-wipes-2013-10/) ---
**Author:** ![GaryM](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/garym/32/241_2.png) [@GaryM](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GaryM)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2014, 12:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/going-without-toilet-paper-meet-the-adults-switching-to-a-reusable-cloth/680033/36 "2014-01-30T00:10:35Z")
> [@Sateryn76](#): > > Ditto that. Don’t bidets leave you all wet? And if you have your pants around your knees, don’t they get splashed? Do you have to take them off? > > Seriously. OK, serious post here. My bidet is a separate fixture, not part of the toilet. Three or four squares on the toilet to remove any Klingons, then lots of warm water on the bidet followed by another four squares or so. Depending on diet, maybe a few more squares here or there. ---
**Author:** ![TBG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c89c15/32.png) [@TBG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TBG)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2014, 12:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/going-without-toilet-paper-meet-the-adults-switching-to-a-reusable-cloth/680033/37 "2014-01-30T00:23:11Z")
> [@Los\_Anconfused](#): > > \*In a HuffPost Live discussion, bloggers Angela Davis, Kathleen Quiring and Makala Earley explain why they’ve decided to go paperless, revealing that it’s not as messy or unhygienic as it may sound. > > ‘It is definitely possible,’ insists Mikala, who says she and her husband stopped using toilet paper about a year ago. ‘It is almost seen as a necessity [and] it doesn’t have to be, and it’s been a lot of fun to learn how to do it this way.’\* > [LINK](http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-2547585/Could-YOU-live-without-toilet-paper-Meet-women-choose-wipe-reusable-piece-cloth-instead.html) [http://postimg.org/image/687f22o2f/](http://postimg.org/image/687f22o2f/) ---
**Author:** ![GrandWino](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grandwino/32/67_2.png) [@GrandWino](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GrandWino)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2014, 12:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/going-without-toilet-paper-meet-the-adults-switching-to-a-reusable-cloth/680033/38 "2014-01-30T00:37:40Z")
I’ve heard there are parts of the world where people just use the fingers of one hand to clean up their business and then rinsed them clean in bowl of water. I forget where, but it was someplace that I expected to be more developed than that. India, maybe? ---
**Author:** ![Amateur\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/59ef9b/32.png) [@Amateur\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amateur_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2014, 1:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/going-without-toilet-paper-meet-the-adults-switching-to-a-reusable-cloth/680033/39 "2014-01-30T01:00:30Z")
> [@Mangetout](#): > > You mean a shower? How can you use a shower as a bidet without stripping off completely, or getting your clothes wet? It’s all in the timing, if you catch my drift. Adjust your personal cycle so that you take your dumps just before you shower. I have never, ever understood people who shower, dress and then go park on the can. ---
**Author:** ![bengangmo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/50afbb/32.png) [@bengangmo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bengangmo)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2014, 1:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/going-without-toilet-paper-meet-the-adults-switching-to-a-reusable-cloth/680033/40 "2014-01-30T01:42:56Z")
It’s common in these parts to see a hose and no paper. Have also seen just a bucket of water with no hose. Hose is pretty easy to use once you’ve done it once or twice…just point into the bowl, turn on, squirt the backside till clean then turn off. No splashing or anything. If you have paper can dry off, but round here it doesn’t really matter - the temperature never drops below 25C so you don’t really care (or I don’t) and the amount of water left over is no worse than drying your hands on your pants after washing them (something else I will do) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/going-without-toilet-paper-meet-the-adults-switching-to-a-reusable-cloth/680033.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/going-without-toilet-paper-meet-the-adults-switching-to-a-reusable-cloth/680033.md?page=3)