What did people actually use before toilet paper was invented?

Toilet paper is one of those everyday luxuries you don’t truly appreciate until a stomach emergency hits and you realise your bag has snacks, charger, lip balm… but no tissues—total panic.

Have you ever wondered what our great-great-great-great-great grandparents, and their ancestors before them, used to wipe their behinds?

Spoiler: It wasn’t soft.

In fact, humans have wiped with just about everything, and let’s just say, it’s a miracle any of them survived with dignity intact.

Ready to go on a dirty little trip through history?

1. Leaves, grass, and anything green nearby

For centuries, people used leaves, moss, grass, basically anything soft-ish and available. Sounds cute and eco-friendly, until you grab the wrong leaf.

In rural communities today, this isn’t that strange. Some Nigerian villagers still use dried leaves as backup wipes when tissue is out of stock. And no shame—at least it’s biodegradable.

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2. Corncobs

Americans in the colonial era and some Native American tribes used dried corncobs as toilet wipes. Smooth, reusable, and available in bulk after harvest.

Imagine walking into your friend’s toilet and seeing a neatly stacked basket of cobs like air fresheners!

They even soaked them in water to soften them. Yes, wet wipe technology before wet wipes were even a dream.

3. Sea shells. Fancy, but deadly

Leave it to the ancient Greeks and Romans to go full bougie and use sea shells. Specifically, they used pebble-like stones and shell fragments—because what screams “self-care” like dragging a sharp mollusk across your backside?

It’s giving exfoliation. It’s also giving tetanus.

4. Sticks, sponges, and the Roman butt brush

Romans actually had public toilets—which is honestly impressive. But instead of toilet paper, they used a sponge attached to a stick, called a tersorium. The same sponge was shared by everyone. They would dunk it in salty water or vinegar after use.

Let that sink in: communal butt sponge. This right here is the real reason we thank God for progress.

5. Sand, stones and… bricks?

In drier regions where soft leaves were a luxury, sand or small stones were the go-to. Arabs, for example, historically used the left hand and water—a tradition that still exists in some cultures, with hygiene rituals passed down for generations.

But the ancient Chinese took it to another level. Records show some wiped with ceramic shards. As in, broken porcelain plates. Ouch!

6. Wool and lace

If you were a royal or just filthy rich in 15th century Europe, your bum got the royal treatment. Silk, lace, and even wool cloths were used.

7. Newspapers, books, and catalogue pages

Fast forward to the 1800s. Before toilet paper went mass-market in 1857, people got creative. Newspapers, magazines, and catalogues became standard toilet reading and wiping material.

Two birds, one stone. You read political news and complain about the government, then rip out the page and… you know.

And finally, what did Nigerians use?

Before imported tissue became a thing in Nigeria, many families relied on water and handwashing, especially in Muslim communities. Others used old newspapers, rags, banana leaves, or anything the local environment provided. People would cut up old wrappers, and nobody dared question it.

Ask your grandma. She’ll tell you tales of “tissue that we could boil and use again” (spoiler: it was cloth).

The paper revolution

Toilet paper as we know it today was first commercially introduced by Joseph Gayetty in 1857 in the U.S., and it wasn’t even popular at first. People thought it was a waste of money.

Now, we’ve gone from sea shells to scented, aloe vera-infused, extra-soft 3-ply luxury. Not bad, humans. Not bad at all.

Moral of the story?

Next time you walk into a supermarket and complain about the price of tissue paper, just remember, it’s still better than sharing a vinegar-soaked butt sponge with strangers.

Or worse, using a seashell.