What did Victorians use to wipe their bottoms?

What Victorians Used to Wipe Their Bottoms

When we think of Victorian-era hygiene, we often imagine lace, propriety, and strict manners—but toilet habits? Not so much. Yet, even in the height of 19th-century decorum, people still had to answer nature’s call. And what they used afterward might surprise you.

Before the invention of soft, quilted toilet paper, people relied on whatever was at hand. In rural areas, hay, wood shavings, and corn cobs were common choices—rough, yes, but readily available. Corn cobs, in particular, were a staple in American outhouses well into the 20th century. Imagine reaching for a dried cob instead of a roll of Charmin!

But perhaps the most bizarre answer to Victorian wiping habits is the mention of iron cables. While this sounds like a gruesome myth, it’s likely a misunderstanding or exaggeration. There’s no solid historical evidence that iron cables were widely used—though in some extreme, poorly documented cases, cold metal might have been used in icy regions where softer materials were scarce. More plausible is the use of old rags, newspapers, or even pages torn from books—especially among the lower classes.

The wealthy, meanwhile, had it slightly better. Some used soft cloths or even perfumed toilet paper imported from abroad. It wasn’t until the 1850s that commercially produced toilet paper began to appear, and even then, it took decades to catch on.

So while the Victorians prized cleanliness in public life, their private routines were often a far cry from modern comfort. The next time you grab a plush two-ply, spare a thought for those who once reached for a corn cob—or worse.