THREE Squares? What the hell am I supposed to do with three squares of TP?
I feel lucky to be living in Japan, where most new homes and places of business have Washlets.
I’ve always wondered how a bidet works myself. How hard is it to position oneself to get the water to spray in the right place? Wouldn’t you get the back of your shirt wet if you did it wrong? How hard does it spray? Once you’ve washed everything, aren’t you wet all over down south? Is one expected to use the hand to remove stubborn Klingons, and then your hand is all wet? How do you dry? I suppose you have to learn from experience to gain proficiency at the method like anything else. I would probably make a real mess of myself the first time out. I can see myself stepping out of a public restroom with water stains all over my clothes, maybe a wet handprint on my pants leg… I wonder if there would be soggy TP stuck to the bottom of my shoe?
Now that’s enlightenment!
Aren’t squat toilets difficult for many people to use? What if you are elderly, have a cast on your foot, are weak with the flu, have bad knees or hips or ankles, are drunk or have poor balance for another reason? What if you’ve got a bad case of the trots and your #2 is rather, um… splashy?
::high-fives JpnDude::
So let’s say you’re in a restaurant, you go to the toilet, take a shit, and spray yourself with the bidet. Now what? You’re sitting (standing?) there with your ass dripping water and… what’s the next step? That’s what I never understand about this. If you don’t have toiler paper, how do you then dry yourself?
I don’t think the bidet sprays that much water. I think you could probably just air dry.
Actually, when I was in a place like that used the hand method, there was a water faucet (hose? what hose) of questionable cleanliness and working order in the stall with you.
Soap was nowhere to be seen (on either side of the “door”).
Or in Hampshire’s list of goals, #1 was totally foregone. #2 was questionable at best and goal #3 (if any fecal matter should get on hands, remove it) was not even in the picture.
I’m confused. I thought the OP was asking about whether using toilet paper was better than using just your hands. I thought ‘toilet paper is better; how can it not be?’
Then other people mentioned soap and water as additional. What, you mean some people would wipe their arse and then not wash their hands? In that case, toilet paper plus handwashing is better than hands-only plus handwashing, but handwiping plus handwashing is better than the former, because it gets the nasty stuff off your hands, where it might come into contact with your mouth and eyes.
Then bidets came into it. Muh? Wha? You don’t use toilet paper or hands in bidets.
I am nonplussed.
I assumed that they were saying that you would use the soap and water in addition to you hands while wiping–which is what led to the bidet conversations, as it is a tool designed to make that job easier.
I would assume that toilet paper, then bidet with soap and built-in ass drier would be best. (Drier could also be soft towels, if chapping is a problem.) In fact, I’d assume it would all be one setup.
Excellent points, and it made me think of this…
Throughout this thread, there seems to be a presumption that there are only two choices:[ul][li]Sit on a toilet, and then clean with paper or wipes[/li][*]Squat over a hole, and then clean with hand and water[/ul]I don’t agree with those who think hand-and-water to be better, but at least I understand them. What I don’t understand is what they have against sitting on a toilet. Why not sit on a toilet and then wash however you want?
Here’s basically how a bidet works. (video)
Squatting has advantages related to internal/bowel anatomy.
Another article that discusses squatting vs. western toilets: Squatting for the Prevention of Haemorrhoids?
As Anaamika said, they’re readily available. You might have to go to the adult diaper section of the store to find the flushable ones, but even the dinky little Walgreens near my work has 'em.
I wouldn’t mind trying a bidet. I’m sure I’d fail at the logistics the first few times, but it can’t be worse than TP. Especially after a night of red wine or beer.
The bigger issue boils down to this -
what’s worse to you - a slightly soiled asshole area, or getting shit on your hands and then cleaning it off ?
I for one prefer to never have shit soil my hands in any way shape or form.
I really don’t think a simple stream of water would get me clean. I have rather, uh, sticky feces from time to time. I have to scrub rather vigorously sometimes.
Just a little hint… Don’t have kids… :eek:
This reminds about the instructions on how to clean yourself with just a single piece of toilet paper and no water.
You fold the piece in half and tear a little half-circle out at the fold, creating a hole in the center. Keep the little piece! Then stick your middle finger through the hole and clean yourself, the paper will protect the rest of your hand from getting dirty.
After you’ve finished, bunch the tissue around your finger while pulling it out (of the paper…) and thereby clean it.
The little piece you’ve kept is for under your fingernail. Tadaa! 