WHEN WAS TOILET PAPER
INVENTED AND WHAT WAS
USED BEFORE THEN?
The Chinese invented toilet paper in the fourteenth century,
and the Bureau of Imperial Supplies began to produce paper
for use by the Chinese emperors However, it wasn’t until
1857 that the first factory-produced toilet paper was made,
by American Joseph Cayetty, who named his product “Therapeutic
Paper” and sold it in packs of 500 sheets Cayetty’s
name was printed on each sheet
Before the invention of toilet paper, different areas of the
world used many different things Public toilets in ancient
Rome provided a moist sponge on the end of a stick, while
the wealthy used wool and rosewater In Viking-occupied
England, discarded wool was used, while in the Middle Ages
this had been replaced by hay balls
In Hawaii, meanwhile, coconut husks were used
, while
the early Eskimos used snow
and tundra moss Wealthy
people around the world often used hemp and wool, with
lace being used by the French royalty British lords used
pages from books
Poorer people used their hands, grass, stones
, moss,
seashells or wood shavings, while the use of water was also
common around the world In India, the left hand was used
to wash with, while in Africa it was the right hand The other
hand in each place was used to greet people, and it was considered
rude to offer the incorrect hand
In the U S , newspapers and telephone directories were
commonly used, as were other books The Old Farmer’s
Almanac was actually printed with a hole punched through
the corner of each page so that it could be hung in outhouses,
and the Sears catalogue was widely used until it was
produced with glossy pages, after which its use as a hygiene
product became unpopular Corncobs were also used in the
United States
INVENTED AND WHAT WAS
USED BEFORE THEN?
The Chinese invented toilet paper in the fourteenth century,
and the Bureau of Imperial Supplies began to produce paper
for use by the Chinese emperors However, it wasn’t until
1857 that the first factory-produced toilet paper was made,
by American Joseph Cayetty, who named his product “Therapeutic
Paper” and sold it in packs of 500 sheets Cayetty’s
name was printed on each sheet
Before the invention of toilet paper, different areas of the
world used many different things Public toilets in ancient
Rome provided a moist sponge on the end of a stick, while
the wealthy used wool and rosewater In Viking-occupied
England, discarded wool was used, while in the Middle Ages
this had been replaced by hay balls
In Hawaii, meanwhile, coconut husks were used
, whilethe early Eskimos used snow
and tundra moss Wealthypeople around the world often used hemp and wool, with
lace being used by the French royalty British lords used
pages from books
Poorer people used their hands, grass, stones
, moss,seashells or wood shavings, while the use of water was also
common around the world In India, the left hand was used
to wash with, while in Africa it was the right hand The other
hand in each place was used to greet people, and it was considered
rude to offer the incorrect hand
In the U S , newspapers and telephone directories were
commonly used, as were other books The Old Farmer’s
Almanac was actually printed with a hole punched through
the corner of each page so that it could be hung in outhouses,
and the Sears catalogue was widely used until it was
produced with glossy pages, after which its use as a hygiene
product became unpopular Corncobs were also used in the
United States
