How to Wipe Your Butt for Optimal Cleanliness
How to Wipe Your Butt for Optimal Cleanliness
Most of us have been wiping our bums since we have been able to manage the multitasking nature of sitting on a toilet whilst holding some tissue. Most of us probably think we’re pretty good at it too! However, it was documented in a survey by the Taphouse that 33% of women admit to wiping ‘back to front’ after popping a squat. Think men are any better? A Men’s Health poll noted that 35.2% of men wipe their bum whilst standing up!
Now, there is no right or wrong way to wipe, or is there? When the task at hand is to leave nothing behind (quite literally), the simple task does have some doo doos, and some don’ts.
Whether you’re wiping sitting down, up and down or even upside down, messing up the fundamentals can lead to unwanted odour, discomfort, irritation, and even health complications...we’ll get into that a bit later. But first, let’s go back to square-one.
Why is intimate hygiene down there important?
Practicing good intimate hygiene after going to the toilet makes us feel clean, fresh, and even more confident! It’s good for us, and in many cases, good for our loved ones. There’s something special about strutting down the street knowing that we’ll be able to face anything life might throw at us whilst keeping our little (medium, or large) peach clean! That’s right, clean cheeks all round!
Confidence and wiping properly
In a world where 9-step facial skincare routines exist, where we have supplements to clean, fortify, protect (or contribute to the normal functioning of our whatchamacallits when accompanied by a healthy lifestyle and a balanced diet) we have cuticle oils, bath bombs, and even those odd foot masks that make your skin fall off (not quite on board with this one yet), we incorporate these and other steps into our self-care routine because they make us feel beautiful, relaxed, confident, or like we’re doing something good for ourselves. So, why are our booties so often left in the dark (and the dirt)?
Wiping clean isn’t all about giving our bums a spa day, either. While feeling clean, confident, and thoughtful towards those who handle our laundry basket and share intimate moments with us is important, not wiping properly can lead to discomfort and itchiness around the anus, giving you the wrong kind of bounce in your step.
Wiping front to back or back to front? - There’s only one direction
Spoiler, it’s front to back, and that’s what makes your wipe beautiful!
If you're wiping from your anus towards your genitals, you’re increasing the chances of spreading faeces to the urethra (that’s not where it’s meant to be btw). This gives bacteria like e-coli a one-way ticket into all the wrong places and to cause a urinary tract infection. Dr Sara Twogood, co-founder of Female Health Education and Gynaecologist, said “Yes it matters... People should wipe their vulvas from front to back.”
If the risk of infection doesn’t faze you, just ask yourself, are you really up for getting doo-doo all over your hoo-ha?
If you’re a part of the third of people with vaginas fighting the battle of wiping back to front, it may be time to surrender and join the other side...
Irritation when wiping – Take it slow
For some people, feeling thoroughly clean is associated with wiping repeatedly, and as hard as you can, but this isn’t the best way to tackle the wipe at hand. If you wipe too aggressively, you can create tiny tears on the sensitive skin around your nether regions, these are called micro dermo-abrasions and they can irritate your skin. It can also lead to anal fissures and haemorrhoids, which has been noted by the American Society of Colon & Anal Surgeons to affect 5% of the US population, especially men and middle-aged people.
Not only can micro dermo-abrasions cause irritation, but they can also give bacteria from your faeces easy access into your bloodstream. This ups the ante for infection. When wiping, be gentle, look after your back alley. It may take a few more pieces of tissue paper, but what’s a few more sheets when you can avoid discomfort and health conditions? Wiping should feel gentle, soothing, but effective.
Cleanliness
There are many ways of wiping that lead to us leaving the toilet a little honky. For example, wiping while standing up can restrict access to the anus, and if you can’t reach the anus, you can’t clean the anus...have we said anus enough yet? We can’t stress this enough, so we’ll put it in bold. If you’re just wiping your cheeks, you’re not cleaning your butt. So, please stay seated during the main event and clean up those hard-to-reach places.
Be sure to wipe until you see white, don’t be scared to check your toilet paper to make sure you’re properly clean! If your anus hasn’t been properly cleaned after taking to the royal throne, the residue that’s left behind can dry up and cause irritation, unwanted smells, and dirty underwear (now that’s not what we want to see!).
How to clean properly when wiping your butt
When it comes to cleaning, wetter is better. Think about it, you wouldn’t wash your dishes with a dry cloth, would you? Washing your car with a dry sponge doesn’t seem too convenient either, so why is it any different for your butt? Wiping with dry tissue is just about as effective as washing some soiled underwear by putting them in the tumble drier.
When we think of getting conveniently clean by using something more effective than just toilet paper, a few things spring to mind:
Wet wipe manufacturers have been pushing hard to make us forget that we ever knew how to wet a piece of cloth to clean a counter, or wash our faces, and now, even our faeces, it seems! We know that wretched wipes are bad for the environment, you can read more about that here. But they also aren’t too friendly to our backsides. Using wet wipes regularly can strip your intimate areas of the good bacteria and disrupt the balance of your microbiome. You know where this is heading...without those good bacteria, you’re more susceptible to infection and irritation around that sensitive skin. So, when deciding to get properly clean, we suggest staying far away from those nasty napkins.
You could, in theory, just wet some toilet tissue and get wiping! But toilet paper is designed to dissolve quickly, so it doesn’t block our sewers. By the time you’ve managed to saturate the tissue and bring it down to your back alley, you’ll be in for a rollercoaster of mess! Because the tissue is dissolving, you’re likely to find bits and pieces of tissue around your anus (that are covered in muck), which when dry, can cause itchiness, discomfort and uncleanliness. And don’t get us started on the tissue breaking, you’ll have fingers in all the wrong places at the wrong times.
Bidets can also be used to get clean down there. However, most bathrooms and toilets in the UK are not designed to house a bidet, and they can be extremely costly. This makes them inaccessible to those wanting that clean feeling after going number 2s. Some like to jump in the shower after finishing their business, but it’s time consuming and you're likely to find yourself needing to clean up outside of the house, with no access to a shower. That’s why, here at Wype, we made a bidet in a bottle – better for the environment than wet wipes and more effective than dry toilet paper alone!
Wype helping you to wipe right
Wype boosts the cleansing power of your toilet paper, turning it into a sustainable alternative to a moist toilet wipe.
Our soothing, cleansing, and moisturising gel formula glides onto your tissue paper, without breaking down the tissue. This means you can enjoy the fresh feeling you get when washing your intimate areas without the tissue breaking or making more mess than there was to begin with. Being single-use-plastic free, with our reusable applicator and infinitely recyclable aluminium bottle, there’s no need to worry about environmental damage! By using Wype, you’re able to experience the wetter is better lifestyle – easily, accessibly, and guilt-free!
So, now you have the best tips for cleaning up down there, you know what techniques to avoid, and you know that wetter is better for your tushy! If you remember these top tips, you should be on your way to enjoying a squeaky-clean butt every day: Always wipe front to back, sit down when you’re wiping, embrace the wetter is better lifestyle and wipe gently until you’re fully clean.
We love keeping everyone squeaky clean between the cheeks, and we believe in helping people make conscious decisions easily (whilst keeping fresh down there). We’ll help you wipe right with the Wype Starter Kit so that your butt can have a spa day every day! Buy Wype here!
I love this product. Let Idris the world of wet wipes!!
I’ve found Wype helpful since starting with the perimenopause. I’ve found wiping really irritating now and I get sore easily. Also bits of tissue was getting left behind but since using Wype, it’s so much easier & I don’t feel sore or irritated! Thank you 🍑
I bought Wype for my foster child to use as they had a soiling problem and had been given wet wipes to use by previous carers. These were bulky to carry in their change bag, (and bad for the environment), which they needed to take everywhere in case of accidents, so I looked for an alternative and came across Wypes. I then started using Wype myself and have really felt so much cleaner and more comfortable. I have recommended the product to the school nurse too, who hadn’t heard of it. My foster child is now able to carry a more discreet change bag and the travel pump is great. Great article, that I will be sharing with my foster child, who struggles to talk about this but the article is written in such a way that it takes the ‘taboo’ out of it. Thank you.
Hubby and I been using Wype over a year now and love it. I would love to be able to buy replacement applicators for the bottles as they do get a bit gunky and are tricky to clean after a while.
A very good article, clear and concise and easy to understand. Emphasis is on being consistent in our cleaning habits that we are all familiar with. Pity that it still appears to be a slightly taboo subject when it is so important. I would award it full marks for content and like most articles found it interesting.
You put your argument so well. Since using Wype I have noticed the itchiness has greatly subsided. I have Chrons disease and frequent the toilet a lot. You make your statements fun to read.
Brilliant way of getting the information across with humour ! I use Wype and I think it’s great, easy to use and feels so clean .
Very informative and well put 👍