Use of water v/s toilet paper.
November 2, 2009 9:55am CST
Friends, in places like India we do not use Toilet paper, and we use water and our hands for cleaning. We find this is more clean, and hygenic when compared with using toilet paper. The main reason the westerners use toilet paper, is because during the cold winter, they may not be able to use the water, as it will be freezing, where as in a tropical country like India it is not the case.This should be one of the reason, why people in south Asia use water instead of Toilet paper. Your responses on this.
2 Nov 09
Your post is interesting as it draws attention to different cultures. In my country, Chile, we use toilet paper but we also have a place to wash with water and soap. Some people use it, some don´t. After that, we wash our hands with water and soap. We don´t eat with our hands, except for some special food at barbecues. In winter many people make soups and the main dishes are eaten with forks and knives. Take care!
3 Nov 09
Thanks for the valuable information and response marguicha. Of course we also use to wash our hands with water and soap.Usually we use a seperate liquid soap for this. The important thing is we use our left hand to do the washing. Most of Indians use their right hand for eating. Our food is such,that we have to use only the hands to eat it. It will not be comfortable to eat our type of food with a fork and spoon.
3 Nov 09
In my country, indonesia. Almost of people still belive that use water in toilet is more healthy, higienic, and cleanly than using toilet paper. Water in here was so abundant, so there is no reason not using water. But i often find in my town the place where use a paper toilet. I think it just about country's cultural. Have a nice day and happy mylotting.
3 Nov 09
It really doesn't feel clean if I use toilet paper, I think something would be left over and I'm worried that that would give off smell haha. In the Philippines, we use water and soap, and in my own opinion, with no offense to others, soap and water method is more hygenic.
3 Nov 09
Yes Ramesh, harsh prolonged winter could be the only reason I can think of, why people in western countries or brought up in western culture, use the toilet paper instead of soap and water. However, what do people in very cold regions of India do? Like say Kashmir or Leh or HP or the NE? and then Asia is no less cold in places…I would really like to know what do people in those cold harsh places do? Mongolia, China…very cold places! So what do you think…is it only because the water freezes during winter or does it have to do with something else?
3 Nov 09
My personal experience,when I visited HP during winter, I was forced to use toilet paper for one day.The next day I switched on the heater and used the luke warm water for washing.Some of my relatives who stay in Delhi, told me that they used to clean up with warm water.In Kashmir also, people use only warm water, and not paper. Sudipta, the toilet paper culture was introduced by the Europeans and Americans, in both the places, the water used to freeze during winter. What I have heard from my grandmother, who had visited England during the 1920's is, that these people used to clean it with dried leaves, and then some body started using paper, and the use of toilet paper came.