How did we clean our butts [ Arseholes ] Before Toilet paper was first documented in the East [ China ] in the 6th century CE

Before the popular use of toilet paper in the west — a development that didn't start until the 19th and 20th centuries — personal hygiene practices varied significantly across time, geography, and social class. 

These practices, while often overlooked in mainstream history, provide clues into the daily realities and adaptive ingenuity of past societies.

🧽 Ancient Europe: Roman Practices
In the Roman Empire, public sanitation infrastructure was interestingly advanced for its time. One star tool was the tersorium — a sponge attached to a stick — used as standard tool in public latrines and rinsed between uses, typically in a bucket of saltwater or vinegar. 

While the practice may seem unhygienic by contemporary standards, it reminds us of the Roman emphasis on shared civic amenities and practical solutions. Wealthier individuals might have used softer materials, such as wool soaked in scented water.

🌿 Medieval and Early Modern Europe
Following the collapse of Roman sanitation systems, hygiene in medieval Europe became more localized and improvised. Common materials included leaves, hay, moss, grass, rags, and, in colder regions, even snow. In some places, especially those with Greco-Roman cultural continuity, ceramic shards (pessoi) or seashells were used — though the latter could be abrasive and uncomfortable.

👑 Social Class and Sanitary Distinction
From the Renaissance through the Enlightenment, access to more refined hygiene materials began to delineate along class lines. Members of the nobility and wealthy urban dwellers sometimes used cloths made from linen, soft wool, or fabrics scented with oils or herbs. In some cases, water was used where plumbing infrastructure allowed for it. These practices marked an increasing differentiation between the bodily experiences of different social classes.

🧻 The Introduction of Toilet Paper
The first commercially produced toilet paper appeared in the United States in 1857, introduced by Joseph Gayetty. Rolled toilet paper became available in the 1890s, produced by the Scott Paper Company.

But in Europe, widespread adoption was gradual and often delayed by factors such as cost, infrastructure, and entrenched habits. It wasn’t until the 20th century that toilet paper became standard across most of the continent.

🧭 Eventually
Toilet hygiene in Europe before the modern period was designed by environmental resources, available technologies, and social structures. Far from being a trivial detail, these practices depict broader patterns in public health, material culture, and daily life.