In the Victorian era, it was common for people to use materials like newspaper, hay, moss, dried grass, wool, corn cobs, and even a communal sponge on a stick, as toilet paper.
Before that, they used whatever was handy -- sticks, leaves, corn cobs, bits of cloth, their hands. Toilet paper more or less as we know it today is a product of Victorian times; it was first issued in boxes (the way facial tissue is today) and somewhat later on the familiar rolls.
Wiping in the Medieval Times
Before toilet paper was even a concept, people just used whatever was available to wipe. This included items such as hay, wood shavings, corn cobs, and even iron cables.
Before toilet paper, people mainly used whatever was free and readily available for personal hygiene. Unfortunately, many of the options were quite painful: Wood shavings, hay, rocks, corn cobs, and even frayed anchor cables.
And finally in 1857, a New Yorker named Joseph Gayetty introduced and first patented toilet paper. He called it “Medicated Paper for the Water-Closet” and Gayetty's name was printed on every sheet. His medicated paper contained aloe and was sold in packages of 500 sheets for 50 cents.
The Romans cleaned their behinds with sea sponges attached to a stick, and the gutter supplied clean flowing water to dip the sponges in. This soft, gentle tool was called a tersorium, which literally meant “a wiping thing.”
Mullein aka “cowboy toilet paper”
If the cowboys used the large velvety leaves of the mullein (Verbascum thapsus) plant while out on the range, then you can too! Mullein is a biennial plant available for use in almost every bioregion.
The Vikings used wool. The Colonial Americans used the core center cobs from shelled ears of corn. The Mayans used corn cobs.
What Did People Use Before Toilet Paper? Paper itself is said to have contributed to a Golden Age in China, with the pulp making process attributed to a chap called Ts'ai Lun (pictured right), a Chinese court official who mixed mulberry bark, hemp, and rags with water.
But instead of reaching for a roll of toilet paper, an ancient Roman would often grab a tersorium (or, in my technical terms, a “toilet brush for your butt”). A tersorium is an ingenious little device made by attaching a natural sponge (from the Mediterranean Sea, of course) to the end of a stick.
Laborers, who made up most of the population, probably used ewers and shallow washbasins. Castle dwellers might have access to a wooden tub, with water heated by a fire. And yes, they used soap—in fact, soap was often made at home and widely available as a trade good as early as the 9th century in Europe.
For King of England Henry VIII and his six wives, they used the softest lamb's wool and cloth to clean their royal rumps.
For ease of use, Victorian women could simply hold the chamber pot in their hands, rest a foot on the top of the chair, and hold the chamber pot underneath the skirts. For those who wish for visual aids (not at all indecent!), Prior Attire demonstrates using the restroom in Victorian clothing.
Terrycloth of silk was made in France in 1841 and the first cotton terrycloth in England soon followed. It went into mass production in 1850 and soon became cheap enough to revolutionize the comfort of washing. Queen Victoria approved.
Unlike the Romans, there were little to no sewer systems. Most toilets lead down into a cesspool under the house or outside the house. Most ordinary people had an outhouse or just dumped their waste into the street.
Toilet paper alternatives from around the world
Japan is the one Asian stand-out in that they adopted bidets rather than other ways of washing the bum. You'll find in most European countries on this list that public restrooms are actually something you have to pay for due to the need to keep them stocked and clean.
From Seashells to Communal Sponges
In very ancient times, wiping with stones and other natural materials and rinsing with water or snow was common. Some cultures opted for seashells and animal furs.
The first commercially available toilet roll appeared in 1857 thanks to Joseph Gayetty who sold “Medicated Paper for the Water Closet” which was sold in packs of 500 sheets. A few decades later the first perforated toilet paper rolls appeared on the market in 1890 thanks to the Scott Paper Company of Philadelphia.
Vikings valued their appearance and cleanliness, they spent time, effort, and wealth on it, and they were about as clean as they practically could be during that time. Vikings equated daily combing, grooming and cleanliness with self-respect ...and personal presentation with honor and self-worth.
Vikings were extremely clean and regularly bathed and groomed themselves. They were known to bathe weekly, which was more frequently than most people, particularly Europeans, at the time. Their grooming tools were often made of animal bones and included items such as combs, razors, and ear cleaners.
34); that moss was used as toilet paper by Anglo-Scandinavians in York (p. 42); that the porpoise figured into monastic diet in the late seventh and early eighth century (p.
Often, they would use water and a rough cloth, scrubbing their teeth. Salt and charcoal were often rubbed across the teeth and then rinsed away. However, the most common way of taking care of teeth involved taking a birch twig and fraying the end, making a primitive brush. Dental powders were also used.
In WW2, British soldiers had to make do with a daily ration of 3 sheets of toilet paper.
Most outhouses were cleaned periodically. On certain wash days, leftover soapy water was carried to the outhouse and used to scrub everything down. In addition, some outhouse owners kept a bag of lime with a tin can in the outhouse, and occasionally dumped some down the holes to control the odor.