Don't flush toilet paper in Greece There's a very simple explanation: Greek sewage pipes are approximately two inches (50mm) in diameter. American and British plumbing is twice as large (four inches/100mm). The Greek pipes just get clogged. They don't call them 'modern conveniences' for nothing.
While Americans in particular are used to flushing their used toilet paper down the pipe, they must break that habit if they are traveling to Turkey, Greece, Beijing, Macedonia, Montenegro, Morocco, Bulgaria, Egypt and the Ukraine in particular. Restrooms will have special waste bins to place used toilet paper.
One of the reasons some countries have always favoured toilet paper, it appears, is the climate. Most countries in Northern Europe are cold for a good part of the year, and although we live in the 21st century and water heating is available today, it's just a habit that's been passed down the ages.
There is a curious social convention in Mexico where used toilet paper is thrown into the wastebasket instead of flushed down the toilet, as it would be in the United States.
So, why can't you flush toilet paper in Greece? Well, the country's plumbing system is not designed to handle large amounts of paper. The plumbing pipes are narrow, and paper or other waste materials would clog most Greek toilets, including those at rooms, hotels and restaurants.
Why are all the toilet seats missing in Italian public bathrooms? Seat-free toilets are seen as more hygienic because strangers aren't sharing the same toilet seat. Toilet seats are also often broken by patrons and are expensive and difficult to replace.
France, Portugal, Italy, Japan, Argentina, Venezuela, and Spain: Instead of toilet paper, people from these countries (most of them from Europe) usually have a bidet in their washrooms. A bidet like a toilet, but also includes a spout that streams water like a water fountain to rinse you clean.
Can you flush toilet paper? Yes! Toilet paper is designed to breakdown quickly once it's flushed!
Not the hoarding. The avoiding. Because despite Australians' newfound passion for TP, it's actually pretty gross when you think about it. Yes, we're all used to our Western method of post-bathroom cleansing, which involves large wads – folded or scrunched – of this increasingly rare commodity.
Public toilets often do not equip each toilet stall with toilet paper in Russia. Sometimes toilet paper is available outside the stalls. Sometimes there is none to be had. You can purchase small, travel-sized rolls from hygiene-product travel sections in supermarkets or convenience stores.
Bidets haven't ever been widely embraced in American culture. A common origin story for this reluctance is that bidets were seen as lascivious because they were used in brothels as a form of emergency contraception.
Even Uruguay, which uses the fewest toilet rolls in our study, gets through enough each year to reach to the moon and back 21 times over.
Toilets were often outhouses or unheated areas in larger buildings (no stove in that small room). If you had a bucket of water to wash with after defecating, it would often have been frozen solid in large parts of the year!
Always flush used toilet paper down the toilet, do not put it in the bin. In some countries, you cannot flush toilet paper because the drains are narrow and therefore block easily. The drains in the UK are quite wide and will not get blocked by toilet paper unless you flush too much of it.
Treatment plants effectively remove toilet paper from wastewater, but all other garbage should go in the trash can. These Items belong in the trash can. The only thing you should ever flush down a toilet is human waste (urine and feces) and toilet paper.
Toilet paper belongs into the toilet unless your sitting in an automobile caravan. Never throw tampons, sanitary towels or similar materials in the toilet but use the pedal bin.
To be legally installed in Australia, certain plumbing and drainage products, including bidet products, must be certified through the WaterMark Certification Scheme , which is administered by the Australian Building Codes Board (ABCB).
There are few reasons why most Australians do not use a bidet in their bathroom. The first reason is their geographic location. Australia does not get a lot of rainy days so water preservation is a must for everyone and so using a bidet could be seen as wasteful in times of drought.
Bidets in Japan are very popular. A bidet is a small bathroom fixture that sprays water to clean your bottom. You can use a handheld bidet to clean yourself after using the toilet.
Many women dispose of their tampons by wrapping them in toilet paper and throwing them in the residual waste. Many public toilets have hygiene waste bins in which you should dispose of your hygiene products. You should not flush them down the toilet as this can cause clogging.
Spain – is a bit of a mix. In most cities and beach resorts you can flush the paper. Although you might be asked specifically to use a bin, in which case, do. If you're out in the countryside and stuck in a refugio bury it or burn it.
If there is toilet paper in the restroom or you brought your own, don't put it down the hole. The plumbing for squat toilets isn't designed for toilet paper. If you throw it down the hole, you can cause a clog. Instead, throw away your toilet paper in a trash can.
However, while one of the systems most definitely is a toilet for human wastage, the other serves a different purpose. The other "toilet" is in-fact a bidet. You have likely heard of bidet but may not have come across one in the UK, as they are not installed as standard in UK homes or even in most hotels.
Pat dry with toilet paper
Since you're already clean from your bidet, you won't need much toilet paper to do so–just enough to remove any excess water. Use a gentle pat-dry motion instead of a wipe to avoid any irritation. That's all there is to it.
It is said that pink was the regional preference at the time; how they came to this conclusion, is a mystery! It is thought that this colour was selected to compliment the bathroom décor – pink bathroom anyone? Of course, white toilet paper is available in France (it's also cheaper), it's just much less common.