Toilets are cultural.
Want to hear my most cultural toilet moment?
I was in Darjeeling in 2011 on the hunt for a public bathroom. I found one, to my great luck. And I had quite a few toilets to choose from. Unfortunately, none of the squat toilets had stalls. They were lined up on either side of the single-room bathroom… facing each other, I might add.
By the time I got to my squat toilet, everyone in the bathroom realized there was a foreigner amongst them, and no one was shy about checking me out. My second stroke of luck was that I only had to go number one, which I did with an audience.
I wiped with water, washed my hands thoroughly, and was on my way.
Just another day in India.
For me, at least.
Welcome to the squat toilet
The first country I ever visited outside of the US was Germany. After that, I stayed in rural Cambodia before heading off to India. The latter two gave me a crash course in toilet culture.
Never used squat toilets or even heard of wiping with your hand instead of toilet paper?
You aren’t alone.
After reading through a few travel stories, I realized that there are a stunning number of travel journalists, bloggers, and tourists who have no idea how to use a squat toilet or wipe with water. Or even if they know the basics of squatting, wiping with the hand might still be viewed as dirty or controversial.
It’s neither.
Squat toilets are more common than you think
Let me demystify these concepts quickly.
Squat toilets are common throughout the Middle East, South Asia, East Asia, and Southeast Asia—from China to Pakistan to Sri Lanka.
Of these countries, some also prefer water wiping to toilet paper. This is the case in India, Indonesia, and even parts of Sudan.
In India, for example, everyone uses their left hand when they wipe. That’s why when you exchange money or goods with someone in public, it’s bad form to use the left hand. (Being left-handed is controversial in general.)
When eating, by contrast, it’s considered clean to use the right hand.
Sounds crazy? It’s not that weird if you think about bidets. In fact, many of my friends from the East find it outright baffling that some Westerners don’t use water when cleaning up.
If you’re heading to a country that uses squat toilets or are simply interested in how squat toilets work, let me treat you to a crash course.
How to use a squat toilet
A squat toilet is a flat piece of porcelain laid on the ground. Every squat toilet is different, but there are usually ] divots where your feet should go. Ideally, there are also a few bars for those who aren’t practiced at squatting and standing.
Just assume the position and make sure you’re aimed in the right direction. When the job is done (I’ll cover wiping below), you can use the water at hand to ‘flush’. There’s no button involved—so don’t bother searching.
Instead, you should see a faucet with a small hand bucket or even a small hose. Fill the bucket to wash the toilet clean—and always handle the bucket with your clean hand, if hand-wiping is the go-to.
Want to know a pro tip? You should also be cleaning any dirt or mud left on the toilet from your shoes.
How to wipe with water
Squat toilets may or may not have toilet paper available. Even in India where most people wipe with their hands, toilet paper is normally offered at tourist establishments. In other words, if someone sees you heading to the bathroom, they might go out of their way to offer you some TP.
But remember—even if you do have toilet paper in the squat toilet, it needs to go in the bin. Don’t try to ‘flush’ the toilet paper down the squat toilet.
If there isn’t toilet paper, fill the hand bucket with water. Remember—one hand will stay ‘clean’ and one hand will do the dirty work. Do not mix up these hands.
Keep the bucket in one hand and use it to wet your ‘dirty’ hand, then wipe.
Don’t pour the water anywhere aside from your hand, and keep your hand held above the toilet for any runoff. And don’t switch hands to refill the bucket. Place it on the ground, if necessary, and refill it with your clean hand.
When you’re done, set the bucket aside and clean your hands thoroughly with soap and water.
You’ll get used to it a lot faster than you think.