12/1/2014 AnalcleansingWikipedia,thefreeencyclopedia

Analcleansing
FromWikipedia,thefreeencyclopedia

Analcleansingisthehygienicpracticeofcleaningtheanus,especiallyafterdefecation.

Theanusandbuttocksmaybecleansedwithtoiletpaperorsimilarpaperproducts,especiallyinmany
Westerncountries.Elsewhere,watermaybeused(usingajet,aswithabidet,orsplashedandwashed
withthehand).Inotherculturesandcontexts,materialssuchasrags,andleavesareused.[1]Although
wipingfromfronttobackminimizestheriskofcontaminatingtheurethra,thedirectionalityofwiping
variesbasedongenders,cultures,andpersonalpreference.

Contents
1Paper
2Water
2.1Japanesetoilet
2.2RomanSponges
3Woodenskewer
4FamilyCloths
5Seealso
6References

Paper
Theuseoftoiletpaperforpostdefecationcleansingfirststarted
inChina.[2]ItbecamewidespreadinWesternculture.Insome
partsoftheworld,especiallybeforetoiletpaperwasavailableor
affordable,theuseofnewspaper,telephonedirectorypages,or
otherpaperproductswascommon.TheOldFarmer'sAlmanacis
soldwithaholepunchedinthecornersoitcanbehungonanail
inanouthouse.ThewidelydistributedSearsRoebuckcatalog
wasalsoapopularchoiceuntilitbegantobeprintedonglossy
paper(atwhichpointsomepeoplewrotetothecompanyto
complain).[3][4]Withmodernflushtoilets,usingnewspaperas Arolloftoiletpaper
toiletpaperisliabletocauseblockages.Thispracticecontinues
todayinpartsofAfricawhilerollsofWesternstyletoiletpaper
arereadilyavailable,theycanbefairlyexpensive,promptingpoorermembersofthecommunitytouse
newspapers.

Water

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InFrance,toiletsanitationwassupplementedbytheinventionofthebidetinthe1710s.Withthe
improvementstoplumbinginthemidtolate19thcentury,thebidetmovedfromthebedroom(whereit
waskeptwiththechamberpot)tothebathroom.Modernbidets
useastreamofwarmwatertocleansethegenitalsandanus.
Beforemodernplumbing,bidetssometimeshadahandcrankto
achievethesameeffect.Thebidetiscommonplaceinmany
Europeancountries,especiallyinSpain(30%),Portugal(70%)
andItaly(95%),andalsoinJapanwhereapproximately72%of
allhouseholdshaveaformof"electronicbidet"orspraytoilet
seat.BidetsarealsoverypopularintheMiddleEast.

InIndiaandtheIndiansubcontinent,over95%ofthepopulation Topviewofabidet.
usewaterforcleansingtheanalareaafterdefecating.Inplaces
wherewaterisscarceornotcloselyavailable,astoneorsimilar
hardmaterialisusedinstead.Useofpaperasinthewestern
worldisrareinthisregionandisseenonlyinsomeurbanand
westernisedsocieties.Thecleaningofhandsafterthiscleansing
processismandatoryandisdoneusingsoap.Ifsoapisnot
available,soil,ashorsandcouldbeusedtocleantheusedhand
orbothhands.Moderntoiletsusespraybidets.Oldertoiletsmay
ormaynothaverunningwatersource,butbuckets,bailsand
mugsareusedforstorageandforthepurposeofcleaning.

TheuseofwaterinMuslimcountriesisdueinparttoIslamic
toiletetiquettewhichencourageswashingafterallinstancesof
defecation.[5]Further,Islamhasmadeflexibleprovisionsfor
whenwaterisscarcestonesorpaperscanbeusedforcleansing
afterdefecationandinablution.Theuseoftheseothermeansto
cleanoneselfdoesnotincludeanimalbonesorskinastheyare
foodforotheranimalsandnonhumancreatures.Inmany Abidetshower.
countries,ahandheldbidetorpailofwaterisusedinlieuofa
pedestal.

InTurkey,allWesternstyletoiletshaveasmallnozzleonthecentrerearofthetoiletrimaimingatthe
anus.Thisnozzleiscalledtaharetmusluuanditiscontrolledbyasmalltapplacedwithinhand'sreach
nearthetoilet.Itisusedtowashtheanusafterwipinganddryingwithtoiletpaper.Squattoiletsin
Turkeydonothavethiskindofnozzle(asmallbucketofwaterfromahand'sreachtaporabidet
showerisusedinstead).

IntheU.S,UKandAustraliabidetsarenotyetaspopularasincontinentalEuropeandtheMiddleEast,
butareslowlybecomingmorecommon.Attachablestainlesssteelorplasticbidetsthatarefixedto
existingtoiletsaregainingpopularityastheyareeasytouseandinexpensive.ImmigrantsfromAsia
tendtouseacombinationofmethodsinitialwipingwithtoiletpapercombinedwithwatercleansingor
wetwipestoadapttotheirnewcountrywherewettoiletsarenotseenasdesirable.

Anotheralternativeresemblesaminiatureshowerandisknownasa"healthfaucet"orabidetshowerIt
iscommonlyplacedinanalcovetotherighthandsideofthetoiletwhereitiseasytoreach.Theseare
commonlyusedintheMuslimworld.IntheIndiansubcontinent,alotavesselisoftenusedtocleanse
withwater,thoughtheshowerornozzleiscommonamongstthenewtoilets.

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InSoutheastAsiancountriessuchasIndonesia,thePhilippines,andThailand,housebathroomsusually
haveamediumsizewideplasticdipper(calledgayunginIndonesia,tabointhePhilippines)orlarge
cup,whichisalsousedinbathing.However,mostgeneralhouseholdsutilizetoiletpaper,"health
faucets",orbidets(insomerichmansions)aswell.Somehealthfaucetsaremetalsetsattachedtothe
bowlofthewatercloset,withtheopeningpointedattheanus.Toiletsinpublicestablishmentsmainly
providetoiletpaperforfreeordispensed,thoughthedipper(oftenacutupplasticbottleorsmalljug)is
occasionallyencounteredinsomeestablishments.ThoughmostThaisfinditdifficultnottocleansetheir
anuswithwater,mostoftheshoppingmallsdonotprovidehealthfaucetssincetheyareconsideredto
bedirtyandcouldmakeithardforthemtokeepthebathroomsclean.Owingtoitsethnicdiversity,
restroomsinMalaysiaoftenfeatureacombinationofanalcleansingmethodswheremostpublic
restroomsincitiesoffertoiletpaperaswellasabuiltinbidetorasmallhandheldbidetshower
connectedtotheplumbingintheabsenceofabuiltinbidet.

Japanesetoilet

Thefirst"paperless"toiletseatwasinventedinJapanin1980.Aspraytoiletseat,commonlyknownby
Toto'strademarkWashlet,istypicallyacombinationofseatwarmer,bidetanddrier,controlledbyan
electronicpanelorremotecontrolnexttothetoiletseat.Anozzleplacedatrearofthetoiletbowlaimsa
waterjettotheanusandservesthepurposeofcleaning.Manymodelshaveaseparate"bidet"function
aimedtowardsthefrontforfemininecleansing.ThespraytoiletseatiscommononlyinWesternstyle
toilets,andisnotincorporatedintraditionalstylesquattoilets.SomemodernJapanesebidettoilets,
especiallyinhotelsandpublicareas,arelabeledwithpictogramstoavoidlanguageproblems,andmost
newermodelshaveasensorthatwillrefusetoactivatethebidetunlesssomeoneissittingonthetoilet.

RomanSponges

Romananalcleansingwasdonewithaspongeonastick.Thestickwouldbesoakedinawaterchannel
infrontofatoilet,andthenstuckthroughtheholeinfrontofthetoiletforanalcleaning.[6][7]

Woodenskewer
InancientandsometimesincontemporaryJapan,awoodenskewer
knownaschuugiwasusedforcleaningafterdefecation.

FamilyCloths
Ragsorwashclothsaresometimesused.Theyarethenwashedsimilarly
toclothdiapersandusedagain.

Seealso
Bidet Analcleansinginstruments
Bidetshower knownaschgifromthe
Enema Naraperiod(710to784)in
Japan.Themodernrollsin
Islamictoiletetiquette
thebackgroundareforsize
Lota(vessel) comparison.
Hemorrhoids

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References
1. ^http://www.ecosanres.org/pdf_files/Ecological_Sanitation.pdfEcologicalSanitation,pg57,listspaper,
stones,vegetablematerial,waterandmaizecobs.SwedishInternationalDevelopmentCooperationAgency,
1998
2. ^Needham,Volume5,Part1,123.
3. ^Adams,Cecil(19860815)."Whatdidpeopleusebeforetoiletpaperwasinvented?"
(http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/572/whatdidpeopleusebeforetoiletpaperwasinvented).The
StraightDope.Retrieved20100829.
4. ^Rodriguez,Linda(20090708)."WhytoiletpaperbelongstoAmerica"
(http://edition.cnn.com/2009/LIVING/wayoflife/07/07/mf.toilet.paper.history/index.html).CNN.com.
Retrieved20100829.
5. ^FataawaalLajnahalDaaimah:259(http://www.islamqa.com/en/ref/27091/muslim%20showers).accessed
29June2008
6. ^Smil,Vaclav(2010).WhyAmericaisnotanewRome(http://mitpress.mit.edu/books/whyamericanotnew
rome)([OnlineAusg.].ed.).Cambridge,Mass.:MITPress.pp.112,190191.ISBN9780262195935.
Retrieved9September2014.
7. ^Shuter,Jane(2004).LifeinaRomanfort
(http://swft.gvrl.ent.sirsidynix.net.au/client/en_AU/gvrl/search/detailnonmodal/ent:$002f$002fSD_ILS$002f88
$002fSD_ILS:88383/adajsessionid=7F1701535762FB2B1DA352D4F607D6A2.enterprise14800?
qu=Rome++Civilization.&ps=300).Oxford:HeinemannLibrary.p.18.ISBN9780431112985.Retrieved
9September2014.

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