Before paper-based toilet tissue, people often used plants for cleansing. Colonists used dried corn cobs; Aztecs used the leaves of maize; fruit skins and moss were other materials used at the completion of business.
Options included rocks, leaves, grass, moss, animal fur, corn cobs, coconut husks, sticks, sand, and sea shells. Water and snow were also used to wash and clean. The material used depended on various factors, such as socioeconomic status, weather conditions, social customs, and location.
Aztec paper, like Maya paper, is not considered true paper by some. Like its predecessors, it was made from the inner bark of the wild fig tree, beaten, stretched, and dried. There are also records of paper made from agave, which was coarse and bumpy, and was probably used for purposes other than writing.
Some scholars even suggested that pottery sherds found in abundance within middens in the vicinity of households were in fact used as an equivalent of toilet paper.
From Seashells to Communal Sponges
In very ancient times, wiping with stones and other natural materials and rinsing with water or snow was common. Some cultures opted for seashells and animal furs.
Corn cobs
Dried corn cobs were plentiful in rural agrarian societies throughout history. According to Farmers' Almanac, the corncob worked by turning on its axis to clean the region (you get the picture). Some outhouses in western US states still use this method.
The use of toilet paper first started in ancient China around the 2nd century BC.
A sponge on a stick
If you went to the toilet in ancient Rome, you would not have any toilet paper. Instead you may have used a sponge (Latin: tersorium) to wipe. These ancient devices consisted of a stick with a vinegar- or salt water-soaked sponge attached. They were often shared!
Eskimos used moss or snow. Vikings used wool. Mayans and early/rural Americans used the cobs from shelled ears of corn. Other handy options were hay, leaves, grass, ferns, maize, fruit skins, animal fur, and later, fabric, newspaper, magazines, and pages of books.
Scholars - starting with Eduard Seler over a century ago - have long indicated that spiders were symbols of Aztec tzitzimime, frightening - and usually female - star demons that may attack humans in the darkness of the night.
Birch bark has been used as paper for centuries. It was also used by Native Americans for baskets, canoes, and other essential items. Buddhist manuscripts written on birch bark dating from the 1st century are likely the oldest Indic texts.
In many traditional Amish communities, manufactured toilet paper is seen as a luxury item. Instead, they use the following alternatives: Leaves: Naturally available and biodegradable, leaves are common in many rural settings.
Cowboy's toilet paper is an invasive wildflower that is native to Eurasia and Africa. It is a biennial, meaning that it lives for two years. During the first year, it grows close to the ground as a basal rosette of leaves.
France, Portugal, Italy and Japan.
Instead of toilet paper, people from these countries usually have bidets in their bathrooms. A bidet looks like a toilet but also has a spout that sprays water like a fountain to thoroughly cleanse you.
Mullein aka “cowboy toilet paper”
Even hard men want a soft leaf. If the cowboys used the large velvety leaves of the mullein (Verbascum thapsus) plant while out on the range, then you can too!
Larger ships had “seats of ease” - toilets in the same place. The Bow is in the front of the ship or in the head of the ship. That maybe where the name Ships Head originated. Instead of Toilet Paper there was a long, poo-smeared rope that snaked through the hole in the Seats of Ease.
The ancient Greeks used Pessoi (pebbles) or Ostraca. Ostraca were broken pieces of ceremic pottery, smoothed down around the edges if you were lucky. They used the pieces to scrape and wipe as best they could.
Wiping in the Medieval Times
This included items such as hay, wood shavings, corn cobs, and even iron cables.
Today's royals take care of their own personal hygiene. But historically the role of Groom of the Stool was a very important one at court, which involved being responsible for assisting the monarch with their excretion and ablutions.
Toilet paper is common in the U.S. and much of the Western world, but about 70% of people don't use it at all. Instead, bidet showers (“bum guns”) are becoming increasingly common. Historically, humans have used a variety of things for wiping — from corn cobs to rocks.
What did cowboys use for deodorant? - Quora. Other than everyday soap (or occasionally the root of a plant called Yucca or soapweed) they did not bother. They were not around women that much to worry about it and they did not care what they smelled like to other men.
Native Americans used twigs, dry grass, small stones, and even oyster or clam shells.