What is a squat toilet?
Also known as a floor toilet, or squatty potty, a squat toilet is a toilet built into the ground. Essentially, it is a hole in the ground, often covered in porcelain, that you squat over instead of sitting on like with Western toilets.
What countries use squat toilets?
Squat toilets are actually quite common in many places of the world. They are particularly prevelant in Asian countries such as China, India, Nepal, Thailand, Laos, Turkey, Indonesia, Malaysia, and more. Additionally, they are widespread in rural sub-Saharan African countries and can be found, in addition to sitting toilets, in the Middle East, Northern Africa, and some European countries such as France, Greece, and Albania.
How to use a squat toilet.
So you’ve walked into the bathroom and are standing face to face with your first squat toilet. Understandably this may feel a little intimidating, but don’t worry. It’s not too hard. If you have ever had to go to the bathroom while outside in nature, it’s very similar to that. Just squat over the opening, with one leg on each side, and do what you gotta do.
There will often be a garbage can in the bathroom, in which case you can wipe with toilet paper (be sure to carry your own on you!) and throw it in there. However, if you don’t have paper, or there is no garbage, you might have to rely on the good old bucket of water. Note: you can’t typically flush toilet paper in squat toilets, at least not a lot of it. If you want to use one single square to dry yourself after using water, in my experience that has been okay to flush. But no more than that!
How to clean yourself with just a bucket of water (female vs male).
If you are travelling for long enough in a country dominated by squat toilets, you are bound to end up in a situation where you need to go and the only bathroom available has nothing but a bucket of water to clean yourself. Heck, maybe you’re in that situation right now and that’s why you’re reading this article. If so, don’t worry, I know it’s intimidating but millions of people do it every day. It took me several attempts, trial and error, and a lot of practice, to master the technique, but even the first time I made it through. And now I will walk you through what I found to be the absolute best method (female). Don’t panic. You got this.
- First thing’s first, if you’ve never done this before I strongly recommend taking your pants and underwear all the way off for your first time. It may feel a little silly, but trust me, it’s better than getting your pants all wet! Though to save time, I find taking just one leg all the way out, pushing the other one all the way down to the ankle, then tucking the loose pant leg into the one around your ankle, to be effective too.
- Fill up the little bucket of water (either from a spout or larger bucket full of water, whatever is available).
- Female: Now you’re going to want to stay squatting but spread your legs out quite far. Lean back as far as you can while pushing your pelvis upwards. Then with one hand gently hold your labia out of the way while using your other hand to pour water from front to back. Try to pour with the spout of the bucket as close to your body as possible without touching you.
- Male: A big disclaimer here that I obviously don’t have any personal experience doing this as a man, but I have heard for men it is easier to pour from the back. So, you are going to squat with a wide stance, and lean forward slightly. Use one hand to pull your butt cheeks apart a little and the other to pour the water. Try to pour with the spout of the bucket as close to your body as possible without touching you.
- Repeat this process as many times as you feel is necessary to feel clean! Especially your first few times, don’t be shy with the amount of water you pour because chances are you will miss with a lot of it and need more than you think.
How do you flush a squat toilet?
The last thing you need to do is flush the toilet – but there’s no handle to press?! Don’t worry, this part is easy. You just need to dump a bunch of water into the toilet to flush everything down. It’s best to dump a lot at once to wash everything down. If it doesn’t all flush the first time just refill your bucket and try again!
Final thoughts on using a squat toilet.
My first encounters with squat toilets were a bit uncomfortable, but after awhile I actually started to like them. After about a month of traveling in Nepal, I found myself preferring them. They feel more natural to use, and after you master the bucket wash it actually feels cleaner. Which type of toilet do you think makes more sense – squat or sit?
