Toilet Paper Versus The Bum-Gun; Many Expats Say They Know The Answer

[webfact]

By Editor

 

Expats in Thailand often say that one of the things they miss when returning to their home country is a very simple butt cleaning device in their toilet.  To quote a recent returnee; “good to be back with you my little silver friend!”

 

 

This device, colloquially known as a ‘bum-gun’, was designed by Japanese physicians, as a smaller version of a standard shower.  It consists of a steel or plastic handle with a nozzle for shooting the water and a hose feeding the water supply. There is a trigger for creating the jet of water and sometimes a dial to control the water pressure.

 

There is often a reluctance for foreigners to use the device for the first time, usually just due to unfamiliarity or suspicion.  Some have a slightly phobic response with weird views about spraying water on their butts.  Touching and rubbing your butt with paper is fine, but washing with water is unnatural or even gay somehow.

 

This correspondent gave a vivid description of a first bum-gun encounter:

 

 

“I refrained from using the sprayer even though it was in my bathroom for months before I first tried it.  It wasn’t until a really bad case of tummy problems did I give it a try. I’d had an unusually spicy meal, and within a short space of time I was on the can. And then again and again and again. I remember that session lasting to the inauspicious number of thirteen before I keeled over and passed out.

 

I had never tried to use this ‘strange mini-shower’ that was beside my toilet, not knowing what it was really for. But after mammoth toilet sessions and my under carriage in severe pain, a friend was bemused why I was using toilet paper every time, tearing my skin off in the process.

 

So the next toilet visit I decided to give it a try. My friend had given me a few directions, “spread your cheeks on the seat, lean to the left, shoot from the back, aim and fire, gently at first”.

 

The “gently at first” part I seemed to have forgotten and I got the shock of my life, as I fired a jet stream of water at my already tender area. Water splashed everywhere until realising I should have squeezed the trigger, “gently at first”.

 

Within a few tries I had the trigger squeezing down to a tee and the whole process was an absolute epiphany of cleanliness and comfort within no time.  Eureka!!

 

From that time on I knew I was never going to be using great wads of toilet paper ever again, not by choice anyway.”

 

An upgrade to this way of concluding a sit-down visit to the loo is the way to go; is first and foremost for hygiene and comfort.  Next comes the cost savings and last but not least because the bum-gun is very eco-friendly.

 

Toilet habits rarely make for the best conversation piece, but how we dispose of our waste is a huge environmental issue. We can’t continue to believe and think disposing of our waste is someone else’s duty.

 

Many people flush and forget and have little care for what our sewage wastewater treatment works have to cope with. Take London as a perfect example; huge population growth, ever aging sewers, and basically a ticking time bomb of hygiene problems.  Water companies plead not to flush wet-wipes down sewers, but their cries for help often fall on deaf ears.

 

Toilet paper use is also a constant issue among environmentalists as there seems to be a great deal of resistance to toilet paper made of recycled material. Some people use toilet paper products that are whole or in part made from recycled products. But the fact is that the majority of people don’t use recycled material toilet paper. Reports say more than 98 per cent of toilet paper in the U.S. comes from virgin forests.

 

When using toilet paper for drying purposes only, you probably use about 90% less toilet paper than when using only toilet paper. The equivalent of almost 27,000 trees are flushed down our toilets every day, according to Claude Martin of the Worldwide Fund for Nature.  Imagine the world benefits if everyone switched to using this device.

 

Is water really a cleaner alternative to toilet paper?

 

 This device uses water to clean your private parts in same way as the regular shower you use to wash your whole body.

 

If you don’t mind skid stains in your underpants, and the sandpaper type experience on your tender bits then feel free to continue using toilet paper. But if comfort, hygiene and keeping your partner IS important to you, then give a bidet sprayer a try. Your washing powder bill will decrease. Your overall shopping bill will decrease. You’ll feel cleaner, and more energized.

 

The bidet sprayer saves money, is great for the environment, it is more subtle on the body and increases personal hygiene daily. The winner all round, wouldn’t you say?

 

How do you dry yourself after using a bum-gun?

 

The answer is personal preference. Some people shake and drip-dry, some people dry with a few pieces of toilet paper, others place a flannel next to the toilet for drying purposes, much like a miniature bath towel, just for ‘that’ area.

 

From another expat who is now converted: “Before I used it, I thought it would be gross and spray poo everywhere. But then I realised it was just 1 million times more hygienic, and now when I don’t have access I feel like a damn barbarian.  It’s one of those things where after using it, you’re like; why haven’t I used this my whole life”?

 

Source: https://royalcoastreview.com/2023/04/toilet-paper-versus-the-bum-gun-many-expats-say-they-know-the-answer/

 

-- © Copyright Royal Coast Review 2023-04-21

 

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[CharlieH]

Just make sure you get the angle and distance right and check the water pressure before you pull that trigger ! ????

[bkk6060]

Bum gun is so much cleaner.  Especially, for the female under parts paper just seems to make a mess.

 

[Mutt Daeng]

TBH When I first came to live here, I was "scared" of the bumgun. I'm glad I eventually tried it and soon got the hang of using it. Much more comfortable than just paper. Goodbye klingons & scooby-snacks.

[sungod]

We only buy toilet paper for show.......

[Mutt Daeng]

Just now, sungod said:

We only buy toilet paper for show.......

I use it to dry my @rse.

[ozimoron]

I first discovered the bucket and pail over 40 years ago on my first trip to Thailand and never used toilet paper in my home or Thailand since. The bum gun is a relatively newer invention.

[brianthainess]

Some good information from me before you eat, I proudly have not wiped my ass or taken a bath for 15yrs.  My daughter on a recent visit had problems coming to terms with that info,

also hard for her to use the bum gun as she is left handed and most are fitted to the right of the seat. My Question is; as the sewage systems here won't handle dirty paper and its put in a bin, I presume it is just put into normal rubbish bins, that disposal is wrought with spreading all kinds of illnesses. A lot of supermarkets Etc.. don't have bum guns so i use the disabled toilet, that do. 

[brianthainess]

8 minutes ago, Mutt Daeng said:

TBH When I first came to live here, I was "scared" of the bumgun. I'm glad I eventually tried it and soon got the hang of using it. Much more comfortable than just paper. Goodbye klingons & scooby-snacks.

When I first came here only a bowl and bucket was there to clean yourself not even bum guns had arrived from Japan.

[Mutt Daeng]

3 minutes ago, brianthainess said:

Some good information from me before you eat, I proudly have not wiped my ass or taken a bath for 15yrs.  My daughter on a recent visit had problems coming to terms with that info,

also hard for her to use the bum gun as she is left handed and most are fitted to the right of the seat. My Question is; as the sewage systems here won't handle dirty paper and its put in a bin, I presume it is just put into normal rubbish bins, that disposal is wrought with spreading all kinds of illnesses. A lot of supermarkets Etc.. don't have bum guns so i use the disabled toilet, that do. 

A two metre hose should allow the bumgun to be used from either side, but that would only be good for your house, and not other places.

[brianthainess]

7 minutes ago, Mutt Daeng said:

I use it to dry my @rse.

In this heat my trousers dry my ass.

[brianthainess]

2 minutes ago, Mutt Daeng said:

A two metre hose should allow the bumgun to be used from either side, but that would only be good for your house, and not other places.

Next time she comes i'll tell her to pack a 2mt hose and a few tools. 

[ezzra]

I have tried to install a bub gun in my new home in Melbourne but being the toilet a closed unit i have to find a plumber to drill a hole in the cistern to connect it to the water supply and that's what i call 'a bummer' got it? bum/bummer.

[Crossy]

I'm a southpaw but not totally disabled on the right, I can successfully aim and shoot with my right hand ???? 

[Mutt Daeng]

12 minutes ago, brianthainess said:

Next time she comes i'll tell her to pack a 2mt hose and a few tools. 

I know it sounds ridiculous. Once when I was staying at a hotel (no names) in Surin, the bum gun was useless. I went to a local DIY shop and bought a new gun and fitted it in the hotel bathroom and it worked great. When I left, I put the original one back and whenever I travel, the bum gun goes with me.

[Mutt Daeng]

7 minutes ago, brianthainess said:

In this heat my trousers dry my ass.

What about when it's not hot though?

[bunnydrops]

I recently upgraded to one of these. No more leaning.

https://www.amazon.com/PIKETS-Attachment-Non-Electric-Adjustable-02-Chrome/dp/B09QPDWXWC/ref=sr_1_15?crid=22XNWS4H3S2W7&keywords=bidet%2Battachment%2Bfor%2Btoilet&qid=1682044071&sprefix=biget%2Caps%2C359&sr=8-15&th=1

[brianthainess]

6 minutes ago, bunnydrops said:

I recently upgraded to one of these. No more leaning.

https://www.amazon.com/PIKETS-Attachment-Non-Electric-Adjustable-02-Chrome/dp/B09QPDWXWC/ref=sr_1_15?crid=22XNWS4H3S2W7&keywords=bidet%2Battachment%2Bfor%2Btoilet&qid=1682044071&sprefix=biget%2Caps%2C359&sr=8-15&th=1

Not much of a spray compared to the gun, but the guy in that vid sure is enjoying it.

[bunnydrops]

1 minute ago, brianthainess said:

Not much of a spray compared to the gun, but the guy in that vid sure is enjoying it.

Oh, It will do the job. It is a bit more of a concentrated spray than most bum guns.

[Lacessit]

There were thousands of Australians fighting over toilet paper in supermarket aisles during the COVID pandemic. I was not one of them. Every dwelling I have owned in Australia since I first visited Thailand in the nineties is equipped with a bum gun. Toilet paper alone makes me feel dirty.

 

There is a nanny state regulation in Australia prohibiting the installation of bum guns. No doubt formulated by some bureaucratic richardhead. The basis of the prohibition is fecal contamination of mains water supply.

 

It's one hell of a bacteria or virus that can swim back past half a dozen check valves with miles of pipeline against a positive pressure/flow any time a bum gun is used, but that is government stupidity for you.

 

 

 

[Lacessit]

24 minutes ago, Crossy said:

I'm a southpaw but not totally disabled on the right, I can successfully aim and shoot with my right hand ???? 

You are aware the topic is bum guns?

[Lacessit]

30 minutes ago, ezzra said:

I have tried to install a bub gun in my new home in Melbourne but being the toilet a closed unit i have to find a plumber to drill a hole in the cistern to connect it to the water supply and that's what i call 'a bummer' got it? bum/bummer.

Sounds rather drastic, all you should need is a T-piece connector on the inlet water pipe.

[Captain Monday]

After 17 plus hours transit I just fought battle with a Klingon with a bath sponge.

 

Appears WASHLET I had utilized at  Haneda airport had been insufficient.

[itsari]

With a nation dependant on septic tanks the pressurized gun makes a inteligent , hygenic and paper saving tool .

 

[bunnydrops]

19 minutes ago, Lacessit said:

There were thousands of Australians fighting over toilet paper in supermarket aisles during the COVID pandemic. I was not one of them. Every dwelling I have owned in Australia since I first visited Thailand in the nineties is equipped with a bum gun. Toilet paper alone makes me feel dirty.

 

There is a nanny state regulation in Australia prohibiting the installation of bum guns. No doubt formulated by some bureaucratic richardhead. The basis of the prohibition is fecal contamination of mains water supply.

 

It's one hell of a bacteria or virus that can swim back past half a dozen check valves with miles of pipeline against a positive pressure/flow any time a bum gun is used, but that is government stupidity for you.

 

 

 

Had a problem at an apartment in the US. They said if it leaked their insurance wouldn't cover any damage.

[indyo]

it's very unhealthy, coli bacterias going everywhere, specially for women is not a good practice, the best solution is toilet paper plus bidet obviously using soap as well.

[brianthainess]

55 minutes ago, Mutt Daeng said:

What about when it's not hot though?

Its always hot enough here for ass drying.

[Mutt Daeng]

Just now, brianthainess said:

Its always hot enough here for ass drying.

Fair enough

[sungod]

1 hour ago, Mutt Daeng said:

I know it sounds ridiculous. Once when I was staying at a hotel (no names) in Surin, the bum gun was useless. I went to a local DIY shop and bought a new gun and fitted it in the hotel bathroom and it worked great. When I left, I put the original one back and whenever I travel, the bum gun goes with me.

Sounds perfectly rational to a fellow bum gun enthusiast.

[tuktuktuk]

Doesn’t work for me. I can spray forever and still have evidence in my underwear at the end of the day. I suspect my history of hemorrhoids contributes to that problem. 
 

After 25 years in the USA my wife has no use for them either. They’ve been removed from all but one of our four bathrooms in Thailand. Visitors have to use the guest house bathroom if they prefer that. Bathrooms stay clean when nobody can spray dirty water around.