Many travelers will be surprised to find that in India toilet paper is not commonly found in bathrooms. In fact, water from a small bucket found next to the toilet is used instead to wash up afterward.
Using toilet paper is generally a bad idea, as it might clog the pipes and creates extra waste. Indian toilets typically have a water spray hose (sometimes called a “bum gun”) near the toilet or there is a faucet with a small bucket (called a “lota”).
This is common in Nepal, Bhutan, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, and Bangladesh as well. Indonesia, Thailand, Phillippines, and Malaysia also prefer using water. On the other hand, Americans use an average of 20,292 sheets of toilet paper and spend $39.99 a year on their TP of choice.
The toilet paper market is big too. In 2020, it had $13,235m in revenue, which is projected to grow by 2%. China’s market for toilet paper is $16,582m in 2020. Most Indians think using toilet paper is gross.
And most Americans think using just water and your fingers is disgusting. Why is there such a difference? If you’re traveling to India and curious about the customs of this wonderful country, then read on to understand how Indians use the toilet and how you can do your “business” here as well.
The traditional way of using the toilet in India is to use a squat toilet with a water hose or faucet and a small mug or “lota.” The squat toilet might seem scary-looking but it has some physical benefits.
It can help prevent “fecal stagnation,” which has been found to cause colon cancer, inflammatory bowel disease, and appendicitis. The squatting body position helps you defecate faster and easier, which could also mean less chance of hemorrhoids.
You also don’t touch a toilet seat on your bum that other people’s bums touch, which might reduce the spread of some bacteria. However, these toilets are rarer these days.
You might see them at local roadside restaurants though. If you’re traveling in India and staying in hotels, then you’re going to see mostly Western toilets. I’ve been in India for over a year and a half, and I have only used a squat toilet a handful of times.
Most hotels have toilet paper as well. However, there is always a sign to NOT put it in the toilet. The plumbing system in India will easily back up if you put the paper in the toilet. Instead, there’s a small trash can where you can put the paper.
People have always wiped with what they had on-hand. Before toilet paper came to the West, people used fruit peels, moss, rocks, sticks, apple husks, corn cobs, rags, leaves, and the local water supply. Rich people would use softer fabrics like hemp, lace, or wool. Later people would use the Sears Catalog or the Farmer’s Almanac, which came with a hole already in the book for easy hanging in the bathroom.
You could read and wipe all at once. It wasn’t until the 1800s that toilet paper was invented in the USA and marketed to the masses. And it actually first came from China many centuries ago.
