[tikkabhuna]

After our trip to Cambodia we wanted to bring the "Bum Gun" to the UK. For those who haven't tried it, it's the weirdest thing and sounds disgusting.

To quote a crazy Canadian we met, "if you had poo on your arm and you wiped it off with toilet paper, would you say its clean?"

That said, SE Asia really lends itself to the Bum Gun. Its warm and can be humid, so you're not really worried about being a bit damp afterwards. I can't imagine being in a suit in cold UK winter and using one.

Looking forward to trying a Japanese toilet with those sprays...

[Johnny555]

"if you had poo on your arm and you wiped it off with toilet paper, would you say its clean?"

If you had poo on your arm and rinsed it with a gentle spray of plain water, would you say it's clean?

If I had poo on my arm, I'd use soap and water to clean it then rinse well. Of course, if my arm was what was generating the poo, I'd probably be less fastidious about keeping it clean and free of poo. And I'd see a doctor.

[rocho]

> If I had poo on my arm, I'd use soap and water to clean it then rinse well.

That is why the only acceptable option is using a bidet, with soap of course. It boggles my mind that some people can withstand even the thought of cleaning themselves with just paper or wet wipes.

[deftturtle]

Animals don't use toilet paper or bidets.

[fredley]

Animals don't have oversized glutes that allow them to stand upright, and run long distances to catch prey, and a high fat/carb, low fibre diet that most humans have.

[atomical]

Ever had an intelligent conversation with one?

[VVyattPrentice]

>If I had poo on my arm, I'd use soap and water to clean it then rinse well.

This is the correct answer.

Baby wipes or go home.

[dominotw]

Plumbing wasn't designed for them in most places. Most of them are not really "flushable" like they claim.

[daniel-alex]

Thankfully we also invented rubbish bins to dispose of stuff instead of throwing it down our pipes.

[Raphmedia]

That's because people use "face wipes" instead of "wet wipes" meant to be used for the bum.

[infecto]

Nope. At least from all the articles I have seen from different waste treatment plants in America. Those wipes that are advertised as flushable don't breakdown that much and they just end up getting pulled out at the waste treatment plant.

[Raphmedia]

That's because you are not buying the right ones. Real biodegradable & flushable wipes are okay for waste treatment plants. You need to purchase those that do not contain any trace of plastic fibers.

If you are so worried about clogging anything, put them in the compost bin.

[dominotw]

No. Not really. flushable bum wipes are not really flushable.

[Raphmedia]

What? You can't say "no" to an entire line of products. Simply make sure that you buy wipes that are flushable AND biodegradable. Flushable simply means that the wipe will make it out of your home. You also need to live in a country where there are rules in place stopping manufacturer from lying on the packets.

If they are made of, let's say, viscose rayon which is wood pulp (well, any compatible plant fiber) there's no reason why it would clog anything at the processing plant.

Edit: Well, it would also depend on how your local plant processes waste. Give them a call and ask them.

[Fnoord]

I'm not sure about which of the two is the best solution with regards to hemorrhoids but I use "wet toilet paper" in combination with normal (dry). Dry -> wet -> dry -> usually done. It works good enough for me, and I am pretty sure that a little bit of soap and water wouldn't make my hands clean if I had poo on them. Because when I wash my ass under the shower or in the morning, and it smells a bit like poo, that smell is hard to get rid of. The question is of course whether that's a problem from a hygiene PoV. From a smell PoV, I do not want to smell poo on my hands except from my newborn. That poo I don't mind.

[srean]

> gentle spray of plain water

gentle, my eye. Here its usually forceful enough that it seems it would fountain out through my head. IMO way better than smearing things around and calling it clean.

[VVyattPrentice]

>Looking forward to trying a Japanese toilet with those sprays...

Why wouldn't you just use the 3 seashells?

[andrepd]

>if you had poo on your arm and you wiped it off with toilet paper, would you say its clean?

Whoa...

[JustSomeNobody]

Do those sprays have the pressure and duration to really spray everything down?

I can poor water from a bottle of water onto the poo on my arm and I'd still think it'd be unclean. I'd need some positive pressure to think otherwise. Oh, and some soap.

[Idontknowmyuser]

I've been Tunisia where they had a hose like this in the hotel, as you can see it has variable pressure, and even without setting it to the maximum it's sufficient.

https://media-cdn.tripadvisor.com/media/photo-s/06/b7/48/74/...

Some of them also have variable temperature.

[peletiah]

Combine it with your hand and you get clean, even better when there's soap. Then wash your hands properly.

On our bicycle-journey through Asia we had a dedicated squeezable poo-bottle and poo-soap ("Kackflasche" and "Kackseife" in German).

[VVyattPrentice]

Googled "kackflasche".

Was disappointed.

[tikkabhuna]

10 minutes later he used the hostel toilet and came back saying that it had torn him a new one.

You know a high pressure hose that pushes back when you spray it? It was like that. Vicious.

In terms of duration, it was just like a normal tap, I assume fed by the local water supply so you're not limited.

I'd use it for max 10 seconds to feel fresh.

[Chris2048]

I'd say most people (in west) have shitty arses.

Sometimes, while in a toilet cubicle, I hear other people wipe once or twice, then leave - their arses are definitely shitty.

Me - I bring in a cup of water, and wet the paper to give my arse a proper shine.

[overcast]

Not everyone has messy shit. I often have literally nothing on the toilet paper. Increase your vegetables, and fiber.

[tslug]

Agreed. Switching to vegan brought my TP use way down. Becoming gluten-free, however, was so transformative down there that I'm still having trouble adjusting.

I usually tear off the sheets before I'm done, so that if I go multiple rounds, my TP is prepped. Usually, that means I tear off 3-4 strips of 2 squares each if it's thick paper, or strips of 3 squares if thin. After going gluten-free, I rarely end up using all the strips, and I'd say about a third the time, I'm done after using my first two squares of it, so the rest is wasted.

[dominotw]

depends on how furry your butt is. I have the south asian furry butt curse.

[overcast]

Nah, just doesn't come out all sticky. Definitely a hairy ass.

[Chris2048]

I doubt it has literally nothing on it. You can eat nothing but fiber, but bowel mucous is still dirty.

[blarg1]

Haven't you ever done a shit that when you wipe there's nothing on the toilet paper?

[Chris2048]

Nothing visually, I don't consider the paper clean.

[washadjeffmad]

I don't understand who would fade for your views on this, and there's no reply explaining so I'll chime in: you're right and I agree.

You can think that you've won the poo lottery by pinching one off that seems to wipe clean, but no one is going to recommend sticking that paper back on the roll or putting it in their pocket to wipe their child's face with later just because they don't see anything on it. That's absurdity, and anyone arguing otherwise knows they wouldn't do the same because they don't actually believe it's clean.

That "clean" paper has enough on it to inoculate a fecal assay, and for some people, that's enough to cause issues. There's also the case of it wiping clean but not being completely cleared yet. Not everyone needs maintenance wipes, so not everyone even knows or understands how unreliable wiping as an indicator is.

The mods of HN are suffering from wipe privilege, and it needs to be addressed.

[michaelbuckbee]

Some googling found this informative (and entirely SFW) "bum gun" video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8V32m3FZbjg

[devmunchies]

> if you had poo on your arm and you wiped it off with toilet paper, would you say its clean?

My dad says the same thing but he uses wet wipes.

[aeorgnoieang]

Those things are supposedly hell on every septic, and even (older?) sewer, system.

[Cerium]

You can put them in the trash.

[mygo]

If you had poo on your butt, would you wipe it off with toilet paper and throw it in the trash?

No because it would stink up the place and someone can touch your poo while taking out the trash

[Fnoord]

> No because it would stink up the place and someone can touch your poo while taking out the trash

How about menstruation pads? Are you afraid to touch those as well when you take out the trash? Because what you said is true for anything which resides in a trash bin or compost bin. Heck, my plastic bin sometimes smells like rotten fish. It is disgusting. But that's what you get when you eat fish.

[Cerium]

Yes. I've spent time in countries with poor plumbing systems and picked up the habit. I've found that it does not stink up the trash since it dries quickly. Additionally, if you put the poo side down it all stacks up in the bin until you take it out. Since I started doing this at home I have not had to unclog a toilet.

[VVyattPrentice]

How do you get them from the stall to the trash?

[Karawebnetwork]

Women's bathrooms have trash cans in the cubicle.

[VVyattPrentice]

Mind. blown.

[Fnoord]

Unisex bathrooms do as well.

[devmunchies]

you bundle it like a paper basketball and shoot it from the stall.

[VVyattPrentice]

Boy was my aim way off! Will have to put some more work in on my sky-hook.

[josefresco]

You must be talking about a public toilet? I think most "normal" or home toilet routines go out the window when using a public restroom.

[chimprich]

I don't think throwing them out of the window is the answer either.

[raintrees]

And then there is the mountain-climbing poo experience... I would guess that eventually (when the plastic degrades) there is some rather lush, fertile groundscaping at the foot of some of those places.

I have raised chickens, after a year or so to "cook" (I am a low-intensity composter) we end up with some pretty rich compost.

[devmunchies]

probably less so than tampons though, but that doesn't make it right I guess.

[VVyattPrentice]

Has he been able to solve the problem of bridging the gap between the bathroom stall and the waste bin? Ir does he flush them? Most stalls in the colonies don't have waste bins in the stall. So you are faced with the problem of how to dispose of your dirty nappies. If you walk out of the stall to the vin before going to wash your hands you will be on the business end of some odd looks. This why most wet wipers flush. There are, however, alternative methodologies.

[devmunchies]

He owns his own business (funeral home) so he has his own bathroom for employees. He's hardly ever at a public restroom so I don't know what he does. I recall him carrying around a 10 pack of disposable wipes so he probably flushes them.