Let’s remember the quarantine days. Especially in 2020, when we faced curfews for the first time, toilet paper was one of the products we stockpiled. Toilet paper, which we cannot tolerate even the thought of its absence, once did not exist. Well, if that’s the case, what were the people of that period doing to replace the toilet paper, which is indispensable today?
It is estimated that the ancestor of toilet paper consisted of a stick with a sponge on it. We wanted to examine together the details of this interesting and deep-rooted story that started with a stick and ended with the toilet paper we know. Here is the story of the birth of toilet paper, which can come to our minds in emergencies…
A stick with a sponge on it: Tersorium
Tersorium, which is known to have been used during the Romans; A stick dipped in salt or vinegar water, with a sponge attached to it. It has not been fully clarified by archaeologists whether this stick, which is known to have been used in the public toilets of Ancient Rome, functions as toilet paper. Archaeologists are also considering the possibility that the tersoriums may have been used not for personal cleaning, but for toilet cleaning. It is still possible to say that the tersoriums are the ancestors of toilet paper with probabilities.
Hygiene sticks appear in the 1900s
When we reach northwest of China on the ancient Silk Road; In 1992, another tool that signals toilet paper was discovered by archaeologists in this region as well: the hygiene stick. Archaeologists conclude from microscopic analysis that 7 hygiene sticks made of bamboo and wrapped in fabric were designed for personal cleaning. The sticks, which are understood to be 2,000 years old, have been found covered with human excrement. As a result of the analysis, it turns out that the stool is human, together with the intestinal parasites in it. Another important finding by archaeologists is that hygiene sticks, which are clear that people make and use for themselves compared to tersorium, are a tool that has also been very effective in transmitting various diseases through the Silk Road.
There was toilet paper in the 6th century!
Toilet paper is said to have been used by wealthy Chinese families in the 6th century. On the other hand, it is known that in the 14th century, 10 million packages of toilet paper were produced annually in the Zheijang region of China, which indicates that mass production was started beyond the existence of toilet paper. While China is very busy with the production and use of toilet paper, it is not so in Europe and America! The arrival of toilet paper in Europe and America coincides with the end of the 1800s. The lack of toilet concept in both continents, its late formation; delays the process of toilet paper in these two continents.
What was used as an alternative to toilet paper?
The rich; While assigning toilet paper to the hemp, wool and cloth trio, the poor had to meet this need in much more primitive ways: by putting the toilet in a stream and cleaning it with water, tree leaves, seashells, and moss.
In addition, sailors were cleaned with the help of the ropes of the old ropes, while the people living in the regions close to the Poles saw cleaning with snow as the only solution.
When did toilet paper become commercial?
We mentioned that mass toilet paper was produced in Zheijang in the 14th century; However, we would like to remind you that the production here is not made with a commercial concern. The commercialization of toilet paper dates back to 1857. When the American inventor, Joseph Fikirty, produced today’s toilet paper, which is available in 100 in a single package, with aloe vera flavor, with the idea of commercializing the business; The commercial adventure of toilet paper begins. Of course, the mind is superior to the mind. Exactly 10 years later, in 1867, the wholesalers Edward, Clarence and Thomas brothers; When we produce toilet papers not with aloe vera, but in the classical form we know; production cost is also reduced. This goes back to the brothers as earnings. As you can see, today’s classic toilet papers sold in rolls; We are indebted to the business acumen of these three brothers.
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