Americans have the standard toilet bowl and urinal in restrooms, while Europeans have a few varying options. Squat toilets, found in southern and eastern Europe, are essentially a hole in the floor. The rest of Europe features the toilets similar to those found in America.
Latrine. The word Latrine has its roots in both Latin and French. It comes from the Latin word for wash, 'lavare'. Over time, this Latin word evolved into 'lavatrina' which was then shortened to 'latrina' before eventually becoming 'latrine' courtesy of the French people in the mid-1600s.
It's a toilet, not a bathroom.
In Europe, a “bathroom” is where you shower, so asking for one in a restaurant or museum is unusual. “Restroom” simply isn't a common term, and will make it harder to get your point across.
However, while one of the systems most definitely is a toilet for human wastage, the other serves a different purpose. The other "toilet" is in-fact a bidet. You have likely heard of bidet but may not have come across one in the UK, as they are not installed as standard in UK homes or even in most hotels.
The bog. One of the most commonly known and albeit, cruder terms has to be the “bog”. To simply put it, the term “bog” comes from quite a literal sense back in 1789 from the 'boghouse', which is British slang meaning to defecate.
WC – lit Water Closet: this is the standard and most common way to indicate a public toilet. In Italian, we pronounce WC Voo-Chee. WC is what you will find on street signs, public ones, and bathroom doors.
The bidet is for washing your nether regions. That means specifically: you can use it to clean your butt, and/or your taint, and/or your genitals.
When do you use a bidet? Use a bidet after you poop, but before you wipe. Sure, you can wipe first, but most people who use a bidet find it easier and cleaner to just use the bidet. This is because the water pressure will adequately clean your bottom without the need for toilet paper.
Wiping after using a bidet is simple. Gently wipe or blot the wet areas to soak up the excess water. Remember that the area is already clean; one gentle wipe or dab should do the trick. We recommend using toilet paper, as most people already have it in their bathrooms, or a towel.
Put your used TP in the wastebasket instead of flushing it. (The rule of thumb in those places: Don't put anything in the toilet unless you've eaten it first.)
Most European countries are short on public restrooms, but I can teach you how to sniff out a biffy in a jiffy. If you ask for a "restroom" or "bathroom," you'll get no relief. Instead, say "Toilet" or "WC" (short for Water Closet); these terms are direct, simple, and understood.
The bathroom is the “Badezimmer” in German and the “toilet” is the “Toilette”. Both words work but if you're at someone's home, it's more common to ask for the “Badezimmer” while in public you would directly ask for the “Toiletten”.
Bog roll. Taken from the 16th-century Scottish/Irish word meaning 'soft and moist,' bog means restroom or lavatory. Bog roll, naturally, is an idiom for toilet paper. This will come in especially handy if you find yourself in a dire situation in the loo.
Usually, French toilets are labelled: “toilettes pour dames” or “Madame”, “Mesdames” – Women toilets. “toilettes pour hommes” or “Monsieur”, “Messieurs” – Gents toilets.
To be legally installed in Australia, certain plumbing and drainage products, including bidet products, must be certified through the WaterMark Certification Scheme , which is administered by the Australian Building Codes Board (ABCB).
Pat dry with toilet paper
Since you're already clean from your bidet, you won't need much toilet paper to do so–just enough to remove any excess water. Use a gentle pat-dry motion instead of a wipe to avoid any irritation. That's all there is to it.
IT IS FOR WATER CONSERVATION: The larger lever is to flush out around 6 to 9 liters of water, whereas the smaller lever is to flush out around 3 to 4.5 liters of water. Clearly, the larger one is to flush solid waste and the smaller one is to flush liquid waste.
A bidet is a small basin located near the toilet that you use to wash your private parts after using the toilet.
An Italian shower, more commonly known as a roll-in shower, is simply a shower with no curb or step between the shower and the bathroom floor.
Can you flush toilet paper in Rome? Yes you can - there are European countries where this is still a no-go, but in Rome you can flush a small amount of toilet paper. Remember - never flush wet wipes!
When you are traveling in Italy you will see strings hanging down the wall over tubs and shower stalls. This is actually an alarm system required by building code, especially for hotels and other places renting out rooms or apartments to travelers.