To wipe without toilet paper, use water with your hand (like a bidet or "bum gun"), wet wipes, cloths, tissues, or soft leaves/moss, always ensuring thorough cleaning with soap and water, and then drying with a clean cloth or air-drying. Bidets offer the most hygienic solution by washing the area clean, while alternatives like water bottles or shower attachments provide similar rinsing, followed by patting dry with a towel.
Baby wipes are an incredible alternative to toilet paper. They are great at cleaning, are soft and easy to use, and can be carried with you anywhere you need. Just make sure not to ever flush them down the toilet! Throw them in the bin after use.
Eating any food while on the toilet is forbidden. After defecating, the anus must be washed with water using the left hand, or an odd number of smooth stones or pebbles called jamrah or hijaarah (Sahih Al-Bukhari 161, Book 4, Hadith 27). Many jurists agree that toilet paper suffices in place of these stones.
15 Toilet Paper Alternatives, Ranked from Best to Worst
Before the availability of mass produced toilet paper in the mid-1800s, humans had to resort to using what was free and available, even if it didn't provide the most effective (or comfortable) results. Options included rocks, leaves, grass, moss, animal fur, corn cobs, coconut husks, sticks, sand, and sea shells.
Not all countries or cultures use toilet paper to wipe their bums. This can be because of cultures that have traditionally used alternatives to toilet paper and therefore never really used it or lack of access to toilet paper.
Vikings and other medieval cultures like the Anglo-Saxons and the Scottish also used moss (perhaps in conjunction with other things like shells) to wipe. Moss is soft and absorbent so it trumps many of the alternatives here, but it is not available in all landscapes.
About 70% of the world uses water for cleansing after using the toilet, often with bidets, handheld sprayers (bum guns), or simple jugs, while others use reusable cloths, natural materials like leaves, or even hands, viewing it as cleaner than paper, especially in Asia, the Middle East, South America, and parts of Europe. Only about 30% rely primarily on toilet paper due to cultural traditions, resource availability, and a preference for water's effectiveness and lower environmental impact.
Wiping Front to Back
If you don't have any physical limitations preventing you from reaching around your body to wipe from front to back, it's generally considered the safer route to go. You'll be moving feces away from your more delicate parts, lowering the risk of infection.
Parts of Southeast Asia: In countries like Thailand, Vietnam, and Cambodia, the plumbing systems can be easily overwhelmed. Here, it's common to use a “bum gun” or a bidet spray instead of toilet paper.
In order to undertake the required personal washing when away from home, some people will fill whatever container they can find (often a cup or water bottle) with water and take this to the privacy of a toilet cubicle to undertake this personal ablution act in private.
The Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) emphasized cleanliness, stating that cleanliness is half of faith (Sahih Muslim 223). This extends to practices after using the bathroom, where Muslims follow a specific etiquette known as Istinja. This involves cleansing oneself primarily with water.
Tissues, Napkins or Paper Towels:
They're soft and they have the same type of texture that toilet paper does. Alternatively, you might use paper towels or napkins, which are absorbent but probably a bit rougher.
A ghost wipe is when the stool passes so efficiently and cleanly that it leaves virtually no residue, making the wiping process almost unnecessary. While it might seem trivial, this kind of clean pass is a strong indicator of a well-functioning digestive system, particularly a well-fibered diet.
Persistent odor can stem from residual fecal matter, infection, or skin irritation. If you've been asking yourself, “Why does my butt stink?” or “My anus smells even after washing”, you might need to see a specialist to rule out underlying issues like hemorrhoids or skin conditions.
In Stone Age. Humans have been wiping their butts and asses for a million years, a great cleaning cause that dates back even to the Stone Age. Unfortunately, as you can probably guess from the name of this historical period, humans first wiped their bottoms with stones and rocks!
During the Middle Ages Europeans relied on various alternatives to toilet paper for personal hygiene. People used rags wool and moss as their primary cleaning materials. The ancient bathroom tools were selected because they were readily available and inexpensive.
Although we would think today that all cultures use toilet paper, surprisingly some cultures still abide by their old habits. In parts of India and Arabia, people exclusively use their bare left hand for wiping. They consider it disgusting that other cultures use toilet paper, as it leaves behind an unpleasant residue.
In many Amish homes, rags are a common toilet paper alternative. These rags are typically old clothes that have been worn out. After simple processing, they become practical cleaning tools.
In Viking society, 12-year-old girls were considered young women, often involved in household labor, with some entering marriages, having rights like inheriting property, and facing risks like enslavement during raids, while Viking raids themselves targeted wealthy settlements for riches, sometimes involving violence, though their specific actions towards young girls varied by context.
The Groom of the Stool was responsible for managing the king's personal hygiene, including wiping his rear after using the royal close stool (a portable toilet). But the role went far beyond that.