Before the advent of toilet paper, people relied on methods surprisingly various for their personal hygiene. It ranged from the use of leaves, polished stonesup to fabrics and, in some historical contexts, more elaborate tools.
The ancients Greeks And Romans they had different methods depending on the social class: the classes wealthy people preferred soft materials such as woolen fabrics, while common people made use of more rudimentary elements. A particular example is the tersoriuma tool similar to the modern toilet brush, composed of a sea sponge on a stick, used in public toilets and shared among users.
In the Middle Ages, accessibility it limited choices mainly to what nature offered, such as leaves or hay. With the advance of the timethe materials became progressively more refinedand in the 16th century, linen and hemp fabrics became popular among the more affluent, introducing a certain degree of comfort.
The bidet: a French invention for the elite
In the 17th centuryi French they introduced the bidet, initially widespread among the aristocracy and in courts such as Versailles, but subsequently associated with less noble contexts. In Italythe bidet has found a strong one hospitalitybecoming one characteristic permanent in many bathrooms thanks to Mary Carolina of Habsburg-Lorraine.
The modern era: the introduction of toilet paper
There toilet paper as we know it today has origins in the 19th century. It was in China that, as early as the 5th century, paper was used for personal hygiene, but only in 1857 Joseph Gayetty invented the “therapeutic paper” in the United States. This product was sold in loose sheets, impregnated with Aloe, designed to relieve and prevent problems such as hemorrhoids.
However, the true revolution came with i Clarence brothers And Irvin Scottwhich in 1890 they created the toilet paper roll with precise sheets, a design that has defined the industry to this day, evolving in various thicknesses and scents to adapt to all needs.
Today, the toilet paper it’s a essential in almost every bathtestifying to a long I walk of evolution from simple cleaning tools to specialized products for comfort and hygiene.
Have you ever wondered what your daily life would be like without this essential product?
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