Clean yourself
Toilet paper is a tissue paper product designed for the cleansing of the anus after defecation or the genitals after urination.
Toilet paper has a different composition than facial tissue. Toilet paper is designed to break apart when wet so as to not clog drain pipes. Toilet paper is designed to decompose in septic tanks, whereas most septic tank manufacturers advise against flushing facial tissues into a septic tank.
History
Toilet paper was first produced in China in the 14th century.
The first factory-made paper marketed exclusively for toilet use was produced by Joseph Cayetty in the United States in 1857. Cayetty's name was printed on every sheet.
Before this invention, wealthy people used wool, lace or hemp for their ablutions, while less wealthy people used their hand, defecated into rivers, or cleaned themselves with various materials such as rags, wood shavings, grass, hay, stone, sand, moss, water, snow, maize husks, or seashells, depending upon the country and weather conditions or social customs. In Ancient Rome, a sponge was commonly used.
In some parts of the world, the use of newspaper, or telephone directory pages were common. Old Farmer's Almanac was sold with a hole punched in the corner so it could be hung on a nail in the outhouse. The widely-distributed Sears catalogue was also a popular choice until it began to be printed on glossy paper (at which point some people wrote to the company to complain).
In monarchical Russia, some subordinates stamped the toilet paper with imperial arms for the use of the Tsar. In the court of King Henry VIII, the Groom of the Stool was given the job of cleaning the royal posterior with his hand. The Groom of the Stool was both a highly respected and coveted position. For security reasons, only a highly trusted courtier would be chosen and it was coveted because of the influence he might have with the king, daily having the opportunity to be alone with His Royal Highness.
The use of water to clean oneself is common in southern India, where people use their left hand to clean themselves, and their right hand for eating. In parts of Africa, the converse is true, and a right-handed handshake could be considered rude.
Timeline
- 14th century: toilet paper first produced in China (for the Emperors's use)
- 1596: invention of the flushing toilet by Sir John Harington
- 1700s: newspaper is a popular choice of toilet paper since it is widely available
- 1710s: bidet invented
- 1857: Joseph Cayetty sells first factory-made toilet paper in the USA
- 1879: Scott Paper Company sell first toilet paper on a roll, although initially they do not print their company name on the packaging
- late 19th century: rolls of perforated toilet paper available for the first time, replaces razor or knife on dispensers
- 1890s: Sears catalogue first becomes available, commonly used in rural America
- 1900: plumbing improvements of the Victorian era have lead to wide use of flushing toilet and (in Europe) the bidet
- 1930s: Sears starts publishing its catalogue on less absorbent glossy paper
- 1935: Northern Tissue advertises its toilet paper as "splinter-free"
- 1942: first two-ply toilet paper, St. Andrew's Paper Mill in England, toilet paper becomes softer and more pliable
- 1943: novelty toilet paper printed with images of Hitler
- 1973, December 19: comedian Johnny Carson causes a three week toilet paper shortage in the USA after a joke scares consumers into stockpiling supplies
- 1990-1991: Gulf War, American troops camouflage tanks with toilet paper
- 1990s: tissues containing ingredients like aloe begin to be heavily marketed in the USA
- 1990s: in the United Kingdom, Andrex sells the first moist toilet tissues (compare wet wipes or baby wipes)
- 1996: President Clinton introduces a tax of 6 cents per roll of toilet paper
- 1999: the paperless toilet invented in Japan (combination toilet, bidet and drying element)
Modern toilet paper
The advantages of toilet paper are that it is easy and intuitive to use, fairly absorbent, can be conveniently made available near toilets and it can be flushed in most countries where toilet paper is common. In some USA localities where septic tanks are common, and in some countries, including Greece (except in expensive hotels), used toilet paper is normally placed in a tin or trashcan next to the toilet as the plumbing or septic system cannot cope with toilet paper. This custom may lead a person into committing the serious faux pas of disposing with used toilet paper in the bathroom trashcan in places where it is normally flushed.
Toilet paper is available in several types of paper, a variety of colors, decorations, and textures, to appeal to individual preference. Toilet paper is typically made from recycled paper. Environmentally friendly toilet paper may also be unbleached, which some think reduces the depletion of forests and pollution of waterways.
Two-ply toilet paper is the standard in many countries, although one-ply is often available and marketed as a budget option, it may also be more appropriate for use in toilets on boats and in camper-vans. Toilet paper, especially if it is marketed as "luxury", may be quilted or rippled (embossed), perfumed, colored or patterned, medicated (with anti bacterial chemicals), treated with aloe, etc. Many novelty designs are also available on toilet paper, from cute cartoon animals via pictures of Saddam Hussein and Osama bin Laden to pictures of dollar bills. Women who are prone to vaginal yeast infections are advised by some medical experts to use white, unperfumed toilet paper.
Moist toilet paper was first introduced by Kimberly-Clark in the UK by Andrex in the 1990s, and in the US in 2001, two countries in which bidets are rare. It is designed to clean better than dry toilet paper after defecation, and may be useful for women during menstruation.
The manufacture of toilet paper is a large industry. According to US company Charmin, an Americans uses an average of 57 sheets of toilet paper a day (20 805 a year). The toilet paper market is worth about US$2.4 billion a year in America alone.
The term toilet paper has been used throughout this article but it is often known by other (mostly slang) names such as TP, toilet tissue, toilet roll, loo roll, bumf, bumfodder, bog roll, date roll and ass wipe. "TP" is often used as a verb (we TPed the school principal's house) where it means throwing rolls of toilet paper over large objects (trees, cars, houses) to leave long streams of toilet paper fluttering in the breeze. Toilet paper is also often used, due to its availability and absorbent properties, by school children to form wet missiles to throw at people or the ceiling (where it sticks, dries and sets, to the dismay of the janitors).
Modern alternatives
In France, toilet sanitation was supplemented by the invention of the bidet in the 1710s. With the improvements to plumbing in the Victorian era the bidet moved from the bedroom (where it was kept with the chamber pot) to the bathroom. Modern bidets use a stream of warm water to cleanse the genitals and anus (before modern plumbing, bidets sometimes had a hand-crank to achieve the same effect). The bidet is commonplace in many European countries, especially in France, and also in Japan where approximately half of all households have a form of bidet.
The first "paperless" toilet was invented in Japan in 1999. It is a combination toilet, bidet and drier, controlled by an electronic panel next to the toilet seat. It is unadvisable for tourists to investigate unfamiliar fixture by randomly pressing buttons while standing next to the toilet - activating the bidet will cause a jet of water to shoot high into the air and spray all over the bathroom floor.
See also
External link
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