wanderlust.co.uk March 2020 163HEALTH DISCOVER
Travel
Clinic
Learninghowtobottomwash when you using squat toilets abroad will help save space,
the planet and even your derrière according to Dr Jane Wilson-Howarthwith D Jane
Shutterstock
Callofnature
I was interested
to read in your
anniversary edition
[issue 200; October
2019] Dr Jane’s
comments on bottom-washing.
I have seen similar suggestions
several times before, but they
don’t explain how.
So, job done: you are sitting on
the toilet seat, knickers or pants
around your ankles, jug of water in
hand. Presumably the next step is to
fl ex your knees to raise the target
area into accessibility, and then you
let fl y blindly with the water. Even if
you manage a ‘beginner’s luck’
direct hit at your fi rst attempt, it
leaves two big questions for the
uninitiated bottom washer.
Firstly, how do you prevent the
dirty water from running down
your legs and soaking your knickers
and pants, and maybe even leaving
a puddle on the fl oor?
Secondly, do practitioners of this
art carry a clean towel around with
them, or do they allow their
knickers to take the strain? In which
case, how do they prevent getting
an embarrassing wet patch on their
pants if they sit down anytime in
the next few hours? Please can we
have step-by-step instructions?
Hilary LamontDr Jane says...
I am keen to promote anal cleansing
with water because it is healthier
and less scratchy than using paper,water onto your tail end. If you
manage to maintain the deep squat
water and any mess will pour down
the inside of your bum-cheeks and
into the toilet rather than dribbling
down your legs. Sticky or runny
turds may mean you’ll need to pour
more water while wafting your
fi ngers around the anus. If you use
plenty of water, this isn’t as
unpleasant as it sounds, and you’ll
be able to feel when you are clean.Toilet training
Generally, the destinations where
you use squat toilets are warm so
the nether parts dry remarkably
quickly, especially if you sweep
off any excess water with your
hand. When I’m up in the
mountains in Nepal though I do
carry a small towel with me and
this avoids clammy undies.
In many places with good
plumbing (the Japanese are the
masters of high tech toilets) there
are often little water sprays where
you can achieve watery anal
cleansing on a pedestal toilet
without the need to squat. And in
these luxurious facilities there will
likely be some toilet paper to dab
yourself dry. Sometimes there’s
even an air-dryer. Do be aware that
in many low-income countries
dropping toilet paper into the loo
will cause an unpleasant blockage
that someone will have to sort out.
Consequently, if there is a basket or
bucket for used toilet paper, do
please use it.folks need to carry less, it is better
for the plumbing and also for the
planet. The average Brit disposes of
the equivalent of 22 trees in their
lifetime of toilet paper use. I have
become quite a dab hand – so to
speak – but it is hard to learn on
a normal pedestal-type toilet.
Learners should practise over
squat loos and I advise removing all
clothing from the waist down at
fi rst. Try to organise a water vessel
that has a spout and fi ll it before
opening your bowels. Also wet the
pan pre-performance so your turd
slips away rather than sticking.
Assume a deep squat to defecate.
This parts the bum-cheeks so your
poo will emerge cleanly. Then pourGreen bottoms
Bottom washing when
using a squat toilet will
help save on toilet paper;
(below) use a jug of water
to help wash down belowDr Jane Wilson-Howarth lives in
Nepal; you can read her blog at
http://www.wilson-howarth.com