Um, how sanitary do you want to be?

soap and water.
leaves.
Permalink | Report

There is a bidet, which is like a fancy toilet that uses water to clean you up instead of toilet paper. It is thought that the bidet was invented by French furniture makers in the 17th or 18th century.
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/b3/Bidet_Ego_Kolo.jpg/222px-Bidet_Ego_Kolo.jpg
Source(s):
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bidet

Permalink | Report

Actually, what about Disposable Wipes, the same thing used for children but made for adults (bigger I guess)
Permalink | Report

My dad used corn cobs and Sears catalog pages when he was growing up.

When outdoors, large leaves work well.
Permalink | Report

Try your local recycle dealer. They would probably have some old corrugated cardboard that you could try. I wouldn't try and flush it though, as it would probably clog your pipes.
Permalink | Report

Here is another another hitech solution.

"The high-tech toilet technology common in Japan is now set to make a splash in the West thanks to a company called Kohler. Their bidet technology is built into a simple seat which can be attached to your existing commode, providing a temperature controlled, aromatic cleansing that almost eliminates the need for toilet tissue."

"This ingenious device is fully customizable to suit your shape and preferences and has two programmable presets to accommodate both yourself and your partner"

"Tissue isn’t eliminated completely, however, as Kohler recommends doing a quick check with a small amount when you’re done."

I hope this answers @ayla_zed "Is that how I find out if it cleaned me all up? (yikes!) "
Source(s):
http://www.markstechnologynews.com/2008/08/kohler-c3-toilet-seat-bidet-high...

Permalink | Report

---Quote---
The ancient Greeks made use of stones and clay, while the ancient Romans equipped their public toilets with a sponge on a stick, resting in a bucket of brine. If you were rich, you could use wool.
---End Quote----

Cobs of corn and pages torn from newspapers and magazines were commonly used in the early American West.

All I have to say is ouch, and I am glad we have toilet paper today
Source(s):
http://ancientstandard.com/2007/05/29/the-dirty-truth-%E2%80%93-a-brief-his...

Permalink | Report

Newspaper? OUCH !!! There is no better invention than wonderful toilet paper for the job at hand - no pun intended!
Permalink | Report

From a modern-day eco-friendly perspective, you have many options!:

1. "Bottom Rinse" Product

It essentially sounds like a squirt bottle that you fill with water and spray your bottom with. You DO still use a tiny amount of TP at the end to mop yourself up, but its aim is to REDUCE the amount of TP you use. Plus proceeds go to charity.

After I had my c-section, the hospital sent me home with a squirt bottle for...ahem...sanitary cleanliness purposes after toilet use. And to be very frank with you, a warm bottle of water rinsing your bits-n-pieces actually felt very nice and refreshing! (just make sure the water isn't cool!)

Here's "Bottom Rinse":
http://simplecleangreen.com/how_it_works

2. Green Sage Brush

Yes, as in leaves. Green sage brush is a very, very soft form of foliage and its lovely fragrance can help with odor issues. And it's just a little bit oily, so it has kind of a natural lotioning efftect. However, it has to be kept moist - so a sealed container would be a must. It's no good if it dries out!

3. Bidets

To answer your questions about how bidets work, you sit with either your back or front to the spray (depending on what needs washing), and then you would need a form of towel or wipe to dry yourself off. If towel comes back brown, you didn't do enough washing! I imagine with a little practice, you'd get really good at knowing how much water spray you'd need.

4. "Family Cloth"

This is getting more and more common to use. It's when a family designates a stack of cloths as toilet wipes (usually a wash cloth, torn up t-shirt, or jersey cloth). Keep them in a decorative basket next to the toilet, and grab when you need to wipe. They get washed in the laundry then.

This isn't too different from using cloth diapers (which I've done for my baby). There's a certain ICK factor, and you'll be doing more laundry, and there's an issue of smell containment (you'd collect the soiled cloths in a covered bin next to the toilet). Really, once you get in the habit though, it's not hard at all!

To launder: For diapers, we just throw the soiled cloth diapers (large solids have long since been scraped off) into the washing machine and do a HOT PRE-WASH. Then we add detergent for a regular HOT wash. By the time the cloths are done in the dryer, they really do smell fresh and clean! Almost never any staining. Trust me, I've put my face right up to the diapers just out of the dryer!
Source(s):
http://www.bearridgeproject.com/2008/06/toilet-paper-alternative.html

http://greenliving.suite101.com/article.cfm/going_green_by_eliminating_pape...

http://greenliving.suite101.com/article.cfm/going_green_with_the_family_clo... (FAMILY CLOTH INFO)

Permalink | Report