As discussed here and here, the Washingtons and most colonial Virginians used chamber pots to go to the bathroom. Indeed, for this part of Virginia in the 18th century, many households didn't need a privy. Sadly, this lack of a specific sanitary place for
The chamber pot and the close stool chair were probably enough for most colonial Americans, a good majority of whom never bothered to build a privy. No privy dating from George Washington's time has been found at Ferry Farm, which means he and his family probably used only chamber pots and/or close stool chairs.
17th and 18th Century Toilets Became Cesspits
By the time the 17th century arrived, and well into the 18th century, those latrines superbly created by the Romans were a distant memory. During this time, many took to their gardens to create a cesspit where they would bury their waste.
In castles, what we consider today a toilet, would be in an isolated room. Only the rulers in the castle would have access to this toilet (or long drop). Therefore, sitting on the "toilet" was likened to a King sitting on a throne.
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.
The Woman of the Bedchamber helps the Queen to dress and undress, as well as helping her take a bath. It's a very private and personal role, that has been around for centuries.
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.
Marie Antoinette had a very early version of the flush toilet installed in her suite of rooms!
Instead of using toilet paper, Tudor people would use leaves or moss. If you were rich, you would sometimes use lamb's wool too!
For the typical line infantryman, cavalryman or artilleryman on the march or engaged in battle, there were no convenient facilities and little time for a “time out.” If he really couldn't hold out any longer, the nearest tree, bush or stream would have to do—and fast, since his comrades were counting on him to rejoin ...
Other ways of wiping before the invention of toilet paper
Early North American settlers used corn cobs. They were abundant, they were soft and they were easy to handle. Sailors used something called a 'tow rag'. A tow rag was a long piece of frayed rope that dangled in the water.
A chamber pot is a simply a bowl or bucket designed for one to do their “business” in when one couldn't or didn't want to leave their house to take care of it. Some were fancy and built into stools.
Mid-Atlantic colonials might have bathed three or four times a year. New Englanders, on the other hand, may have only accomplished a body wash once a year. It was too cold to slip into a tub more often than that in their climate.
Outhouses: Outhouses were a common form of bathroom in many Native American cultures. They were typically small, one-room structures with a hole in the ground for defecation. The hole was often covered with a wooden or stone lid.
A chamber pot might be disguised in a sort of chair (a close stool). It might be stored in a cabinet with doors to hide it; this sort of nightstand was known as a commode, hence the latter word came to mean "toilet" as well. For homes without these items of furniture, the chamber pot was stored under the bed.
Louis XIV of France, for example, is said to have taken only two baths in his adult lifetime — both times recommended by his doctors. The king had headaches, and his doctors thought bathing would help cure the condition. It did not, and he never bathed again.
While it smells fine now, hygiene practices (or the lack thereof) in France during Louis XIII's reign meant that the palace smelled like urine, fecal matter, and more. Some claim that a lack of toilets in the palace even led some visitors to relieve themselves behind curtains and pillars.
Prior to the 1700s, baths were considered immoral and even dangerous. But for residents of Versailles, they were apparently common. For Marie Antoinette in particular, baths happened everyday.
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!
Native Americans used twigs, dry grass, small stones, and even oyster or clam shells.
Queen Isabella I of Spain, who funded Columbus' voyage across the ocean, claimed to have only bathed twice in her life. Welcome to the Faribault Rotary Club! Rotary International is the world's first service club organization, with more than 1.2 million members in 33,000 clubs worldwide.
Does the British Royal Family smoke? George V and Queen Mary, the current Queen's grandparents both smoked. Their sons, the Prince of Wales (who abdicated the throne) and the Duke of York (who took the throne after the abdication, and who is the current Queen's father) both smoked heavily.
Also among the Queen's favourite beauty products are Yardley soaps – and she isn't the only Royal to have requested that they be stocked in Buckingham Palace.