Users' questions

How did people go to the bathroom in the old days?

How did people go to the bathroom in the old days?

People used leaves, grass, or even dry corn cobs for wiping. Chamber pots had to be emptied each day. This was usually done by emptying them down the privy hole. With liquid waste, some just threw the contents out in the yard.

What did people use for bathrooms in the 1800s?

Bathrooms were often wood panelled with hand painted, porcelain tiles. For the early, wealthy Victorians the wash stand was a piece of bedroom furniture, with heavy ornamentation and white marble tops. Until plumbing became commonplace in the late 1800s/early 1900s a porcelain bowl and jug were the basin and tap.

How did they go to the toilet in the Middle Ages?

Loos in the Middle Ages During the Middle Ages, rich people built toilets called ‘garderobes’ jutting out of the sides of their castles. A hole in the bottom let everything just drop into a pit or the moat.

How did people go to the bathroom before indoor plumbing?

Bathing. Bathing by fully immersing in water was labor intensive before indoor plumbing because the water had to be hauled into the home and then sometimes heated for comfort. People still had to bathe, of course, but they would generally use a pitcher, washbasin, and washcloth.

How did Georgians go to the toilet?

Men, even women, caught short would use alleyways in which to relieve themselves. Even indoors, it was common to keep a ‘jordan’ or chamber pot in the corner of public rooms. Flush toilets which worked were introduced as late as 1778, by Joseph Bramah, but sewers were often not handy.

Are there any toilets in the Middle Ages?

Segedunum Roman Fort, also in Northumberland, has made a reconstruction of a Roman bath and toilet. You can actually use the baths but don’t think about asking to use the toilets – they are only a model. During the Middle Ages, rich people built toilets called ‘garderobes’ jutting out of the sides of their castles.

When did people start using bathrooms and toilets?

Baths are recorded as having been in use in three major continents as early as 3000 BCE: cold baths in Asia, and steam baths in Europe and North America. Communal baths set apart from living quarters were a common feature of early settlements. Washing was religiously associated with purification, and often required before entry to sacred spaces.

How did women use the toilet in the Victorian era?

This allowed a woman to use either chamber pot, outhouse, or early toilet by just flipping her skirts (which she needed both hands to do, they were so long and heavy), and squatting. In “hoop skirts” (cage crinolines) like Scarlett O’Hara wore, this still would have been very tricky if not impossible.

Are there any Roman toilets still in use?

You can still see the toilets they used at Vindolanda in Northumberland, more than 1,500 years ago – luckily there’s no Roman poo left in them. Segedunum Roman Fort, also in Northumberland, has made a reconstruction of a Roman bath and toilet. You can actually use the baths but don’t think about asking to use the toilets – they are only a model.

Share this post