How To Not Use Toilet Paper

So, this is awkward:

For the average western traveller, fully accustomed to a toilet paper lifestyle, an empty toilet whorl can be a major crusade for alarm. Only what about visiting an entire country which doesn't use toilet paper?

"What exercise you mean they don't utilise toilet paper?!"

You lot may exist surprised to acquire that most people on this planet exercise not employ toilet paper at all. In fact, a whole bunch of people on this planet think you're weird and unhygienic for using toilet newspaper. This is particularly true across Asia, a continent which has largely eschewed newspaper in favour of water-based cleaning methods. For the first-time traveller, stepping off the aeroplane in India without so much as a scrap of toilet paper in their haversack, this can be a piddling daunting, disruptive and potentially messy.

There are lots of different methods for cleaning yourself with water, and of form they all vary beyond different places, cultures and religions. Y'all can find more detail in our individual country guides, merely we wanted to requite an overview of the different h2o methods here. GoGo Guano like to divide these methods into three(ish) groups, or what we telephone call the 3 tier water-based system.

And then what exactly is the three tier h2o-based organization?

– Tier i: the "bucket in a bucket"
– Tier ii: the bum-gun
– Tier 3: the wash-dry-toilet

Lets get into the details..

Tier 1: the bucket in a saucepan

Things are pretty bones here on tier 1. There is a hole in the ground. It might exist a very fancy hole, with porcelain and tread showing you where to put your feet, similar this:

Or information technology might be, well, just a hole in the ground inside a corrugated iron shack. Like this:

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When it comes down to business organization, it doesn't actually affair how fancy the hole is. You use all squat toilets in basically the aforementioned way:

Loosen wearable on the lower half of the trunk. Every bit yous squat down, y'all want to bunch your wearing apparel around your knees, then your apparel don't bear upon the flooring.
When you lot squat, splay your feet slightly, so your toes are wider than your heels. Take your anxiety adequately wide apart, to reduce the risk of weeing on your own feet. If yous're flexible enough yous want full contact betwixt your thighs and calves. This will be easier to maintain than if yous're hovering and doing a half squat.

GoGo-Girl demonstrates using a squat toilet
Do your concern. You may fifty-fifty find that, like most people effectually the world, the squatting position actually makes information technology easier to empty your bowels.
Make clean upwardly time! Hither's where things become fun. See that big bucket of water in the corner?

The "bucket in a saucepan" – Provided past Nick Rogen, writer of the excellent travel blog A Life Unfiltered.

Information technology might be a cut in one-half plastic container, or part of a barrel. It probably has a smaller plastic container, such as a picayune jug floating in it. You lot want to utilise that jug to pour water where necessary, then apply your left hand to wipe away any residual. Between each wipe, clean your paw again by pouring on some water. Never contaminate the jug or bucket past touching it with the same mitt you used to wipe yourself with. You tin also use the water jug to thoroughly 'flush' your deposit downward the toilet pigsty if needed.
Wash your hands. If yous're going to use your mitt for cleaning, you probably want to exercise as the locals practise and stick rigidly to the "left hand for cleaning, right manus for eating" rule. If yous're not likely to call back to exercise that, nosotros recommend you conduct your ain bar of soap in waterproof soap box with you everywhere. You generally won't find lather at very bones toilets, so if you lot bring your own you at least can have a proper manus launder afterwards.
If you did bring your ain toilet paper to the squat toilet party, you'll demand to consider both how you'll attain round to wipe yourself, and the very important question of what you'll exercise with your used toilet newspaper. Some people tend to twist up onto the ball of one foot whilst squatting, then you lot tin can reach around to clean yourself, others have super long arms or simply achieve between their legs. Try out dissimilar methods. If the squat toilet has a affluent, you definitely don't want to put whatsoever toilet paper in information technology. If it's literally but a pit in the ground then at least there's no risk of toilet paper blocking up the plumbing, although it however seems more environmentally friendly to dispose of it in other ways. There's often a bin for used toilet newspaper if enough backpackers laissez passer through this toilet. These bins are generally uncovered and non necessarily emptied regularly. You can be a considerate toilet user by hiding the used side of the toilet paper equally you put in in the bin.

Tier ii: the bum gun

You volition likely meet these across Asia, in guesthouses, cafes and restaurants. This is an average bum gun:

They commonly back-trail western style sit down toilets, every bit an alternative to toilet paper. Bum guns can be a very useful and constructive method of cleaning yourself. When yous squeeze the trigger, a high-pressure jet of water comes out which can exist directed where you demand it. Bum guns are pretty aseptic, as you're not using your hands to clean (whether with toilet paper or without!) They too solve that tricky problem of where to put your used toilet newspaper.

gogoguano_gogogirl_bumgun

GoGo-Girl demonstrates using the bum gun

Bum guns don't dry you, and then some people dry out themselves with toilet paper afterwards. Exist certain to put your toilet newspaper in the bin, non the toilet. I would always assume you can't flush your toilet paper if at that place's a bum gun nowadays; don't exist that guy that blocks up the plumbing because they assumed information technology would just be fine and no-ane would know. One major advantage of learning to use the bum gun is that any toilet paper y'all put in the bin is clean. This tin be pretty beneficial in a hot, boiling climate. If there's no toilet paper bin, you can air dry.

Bonus Tier ii.5: the integrated bidet

A surprise late entry to this listing, the integrated bidet is commonly found in Turkey.

flossysbidettoiletturkey

This clever system combines the familiarity of a western manner, sit down-down flush toilet, with the hygienic benefits of the bum gun. GoGo Guano have not found 1 of these in Turkey even so, just we think the idea sounds fab. We conducted an in-depth interview with a young man bathroom backpacker equally he passed through Turkey:

GoGo Guano: [In response to being sent the in a higher place picture show without whatever preamble or explanation] "How exercise you lot utilise it?"

Bathroom backpacker: "You sit down."

GGG "Does it piece of work!? Exercise you reach bum cleanliness?"

BB: "the efficiency depends on the h2o pressure level, there'due south a value to control the forcefulness. You have to wiggle around a chip"

So there you go. Expect to hear more about the integrated bidet when GoGo Guano visit Turkey!

Tier 3: the launder dry toilet

These are commonly found in Japan, and scattered across affluent Asian cities such as the modern part of Bangkok. Wash dry toilets are, quite literally, toilets that launder and dry your bum later on you lot use them. You just sit back and press a push button. Some of these high-quality toilets even permit you adjust the seat temperature before you lot sit down down. They also have separate water jets gear up to dissimilar angles depending on what area needs cleaning, and the water pressure is adjustable. GoGo Guano haven't been to Nihon yet, but nosotros're pretty certain that later on using Japanese toilet applied science all western toilets will seem totally primitive and disappointing.

Something else to consider when toileting in Nippon is that privacy is highly valued. Japanese public toilets ofttimes accept background noise options (such as flushing noises or other water sounds) that y'all play whilst you practice your business and then no i can hear you. We've heard tales of public toilet embarrassment, when travellers have not pressed the "flushing noise" button earlier using the toilet, just to take locals become out of their mode to turn on the background noise, least they hear someone else pee.

Nosotros've also heard that hand washing later using the bath is non considered as mandatory in Japan. Think about it; when y'all use a wash dry toilet, at no point exercise you lot bear on anything gross. You only touch buttons and door handles which have been touched past other people with as clean easily. Using a flake of paper to clean yourself can seem pretty gross to someone who'south grown up with a wash-dry toilet.

Some of our GoGo invitee experts are heading to Nihon in Spring 2017, so expect updates, pictures and insider cognition then! Retrieve to check out our individual country guides for more detailed data.