Who would have thought it? One of the greatest disasters in our living history and we all got into a bit of tizz about toilet paper, or lack of it, should I say. The coronavirus hit the world and we experienced a pandemic of toilet paper hoarding.
As I watched on in wonder at the hype this particular problem caused, it made me stop and think about my toilet habits.
Suddenly, it seems really silly to cut down trees to flush them down the toilet, don’t you think?
Especially when Mother Earth is struggling with climate change and our planet is on its knees.
And I already know of another way from experience. I should know better.
You see, I have travelled far and wide all over the world over the course of my life. I’ve spent a great deal of time in Asia, a little time in Africa, and have lived in southern Europe for the last eight years.
I have experienced every single type of toilet under the sun; the good, the bad and the downright dirty. Some experiences are so grim, I still heave at the memory.
Indeed, I could write a book on the trials and tribulations of using toilets all over the world, but I won’t. That would be uncouth.
Instead, I will share just enough to encourage you to consider a different way.
Going back many years, I spent two months in Nepal, then straight into six months in India. To say my sensitive western soul was a little vexed by the toilet situation, at first, was an understatement. Squat bogs and no toilet roll were all that was on offer. I had to toughen up and quick.
Yet there was a silver lining. What myself and my travel buddy came to call a “bum blaster,” a small shower attachment which was built into most eastern toilets. To blast your bum with after you had, shall we say, a number two, along with a towel to use to wipe your bum dry afterwards. The lack of toilet paper suddenly made sense.
I really came to love them. Both of us did, in fact. So much so, that we promised we would have a bum blaster at home once we finished our wandering ways, then completely forgot all about them.
I’ve lived in southern Europe for the last eight years and we have bidets, a special little sink for cleaning our neither regions once we’ve have finished our business. Bidets aren’t as popular in my homeland of the United Kingdom. I understand they didn’t take off in North America or down south with our Australian or Kiwi brothers and sisters, either.
If you are thinking of upgrading your bathroom in the future, might you consider adding a bidet to your bathroom suite? Alternatively, there are many companies offering a bidet attachment for your current toilet. It makes sense for the environment and for you. You’ll never be caught short again, crisis or no crisis.
Cutting down trees to flush down the toilet really does seem an extreme way to wipe our little dirty bums, my friends. Let’s help Mother Earth with our toilet habit, by using an alternative to toilet paper, instead of causing a further “drain” on her resources.
So, will you think of changing your toilet ways instead?
(c) Samantha Wilson 2020. All Rights Reserved
