SHARE

How to Thoroughly Clean Your Anus

How to Thoroughly Clean Your Anus

Maintaining hygiene in your intimate areas is important for both your health and well-being. Cleaning your butt properly is vital for your day to day comfort. An unclean anus can lead to irritation, discomfort and even painful hemorrhoids. It might seem like the most obvious thing to do, but there are still many people who find that they struggle to wipe their butt properly.

Whether you’re a man or a woman, it doesn’t matter, all genders can have anus problems for various reasons. For more, we suggest reading this oneHOWTO article on how to thoroughly clean your anus so that you’s butt is clean, healthy and devoid of infections.

You may also be interested in: How To Maintain Good Feminine Hygiene

How to wipe your butt

We all have busy lives, but it's important that you’ve made sure to completely evacuate your bowels before wiping your anus. This is important because the peristaltic flow of our digestive system can take a little time to push feces through the colon, which is why sometimes you may find that you have to return to the toilet.

Another tip when it comes to going to the toilet is to not push too hard or force bowel movement, but rather let nature take its course. After you are sure you have done as much as you need to, you can start to wipe.

For more, we recommend reading out article where we list some foods to help you go to the toilet.

How to Thoroughly Clean Your Anus - How to wipe your butt

Best toilet paper to use

One of the most important things to consider when it comes to cleaning your bum properly, is the type of toilet paper you use. Most toilet paper comes in two forms: cheap and expensive. Cheap toilet paper often has more rolls to a packet, but if you look it often has a larger tube in the middle, this means you are getting much fewer sheets per roll. In addition, cheap toilet paper is often coarse and falls apart easily. This means that if you buy cheap toilet paper, you will need to use more to wipe your butt properly.

Investing in good quality toilet paper is more economical, even if it might make your shopping bill a little bigger in the short term. It lasts longer as you do not need as much of it to do a proper job. Choose a soft toilet paper with thick squares. This will mean you won't be too abrasive on your anus and its absorbency will help provide your butt a better clean.

How to Thoroughly Clean Your Anus - Best toilet paper to use

How to wipe your butt with toilet paper

Many people often ask how many squares of toilet paper do you need to wipe your butt? This number depends, however, there is no need to use half a roll of toilet paper. If you are using a lot, it is usually for one of these reasons:

  • The toilet paper is of poor quality.
  • You are not wiping properly.

If it is good quality toilet paper, we recommend using two squares and folding them over for the first wipe. You may need to use less after this initial wipe, but only if the toilet roll is sturdy enough.

The importance of the first wipe

When you want to wipe your butt properly, you need to know that the first wipe is where you need to be most careful. While we hope that all the poop will have gone straight down, it is not uncommon for a little to touch the side of your bum. If you have gastrointestinal issues such as diarrhea or constipation, it can sometimes be messy.In addition, the hair around your anus can also make it more difficult to wipe your bum fully.

How to wipe your bum properly:

  1. Make sure you have your folded toilet paper and that it covers your whole hand. If you don't, you may get the dreaded little piece of poop on your finger.
  2. Hold the toilet paper firmly and place your middle finger in the center.
  3. Wipe from front to back. Move in one smooth motion and ensure you lift the toilet paper away cleanly.
  4. Don't exert too much pressure when you wipe, but be firm. As it is the first wipe, you hope to get the majority of the poop, but this will not always be the case. Too much pressure can also hurt your anus.

How to wipe your bum front to back

There is some argument over whether you should to wipe front to back or back to front, but the rationale appears to be different depending on your genitalia.

For those with male genitalia, it doesn't matter so much whether you wipe front to back or wiping back to front. Male genitalia is will not be affected if you wipe back to front. For those with female genitalia, however, we recommend always wiping front to back. If you wipe back to front, there is a risk that you push fecal matter towards your vaginal opening. This increases the risk of urinary tract infections from E coli bacteria present in stool. For males, the distance between the end of the urethra and the anus should make wiping either direction fine. For more, read what are the symptoms of a urinary tract infection.

How to Thoroughly Clean Your Anus - How to wipe your bum front to back

How to wipe your bum sitting or standing

If you have never had a conversation about whether you stand up or sit down to wipe, you may be surprised to know the general population is pretty divided. Those who stand while wiping their bums generally think sitters are insane (vice versa). Generally, choosing whether you sit or stand while wiping your bum comes down to personal preference, however, there are some things to consider:

When you sit down, it allows you yo spread your butt cheeks and use the toilet seat to hold them apart. This means you have better access to your anus. If you want to approach wiping your butt from the back, then you will have to lean forward or lift yourself off the seat at least a little. You may either want to stand, squat or raise yourself up on one buttock, but in doing so you lose the advantage of having the toilet seat hold your buttocks apart. If your butt cheeks close before you have wiped your bum, it may make it more difficult to clean your anus.

If you have male genitals and wipe from the front, then you will likely have to lift your genitals out of the way. Otherwise, you can reach in and wipe while your buttocks are still spread and you are still fully seated.

However, the answer to whether you should sit or stand while wiping has everything to do with preference and ability. Not everyone has the same mobility or body shape and they may feel more comfortable doing it one way or the other.

How to Thoroughly Clean Your Anus - How to wipe your bum sitting or standing

Wiping bum never clear

Are you finding that you are wiping your bum but it’s never clean, if this is the case, don’t forget to take all of these tips into consideration. If you have healthy and solid bowel movements, it is possible you will only need one wipe. However, you should always ensure you wipe a second time to ensure that your anus is fully clean. You should fold over the toilet paper so you don't waste it, another reason why you should also buy high quality toilet paper. If the toilet paper is weak then the fecal matter might make this impossible. Every time you wipe the anus itself, don't repeat a wipe until you have a clean side of paper. Otherwise, you will spread fecal matter around the area rather than clean it away.

Make sure to wipe your butt slowly and methodically, ensuring you use your covered finger to wipe the anus. This means widening the opening, but it doesn't mean you need put your finger inside, only wipe until it is clean. However, if you find that you are not able to clean your anus completely, then you can wash your anus. If you are preparing to have anal sex, then ensuring a properly clean anus is hygienic and safer.

How to wash your anus

If you have wiped your butt thoroughly and are still not yet clean, then you will want to wash. The main ways you can wash your anus properly are:

  • Is it safe for adults to use baby wipes: there are special wet wipes which can be used for the toilet. They are moist and will be able to clean the area more thoroughly. Use them in the same manner as the toilet paper. These baby wipes or wet wipes will, however, leave your anus a little moist. Therefore, you will need to dry it properly with a piece of toilet paper.
  • Shower: A bidet is ideal for this, but if you don’t have one, opt for a shower.
  • Enema: an enema is a douche used for the anal area. It can be used when you are particularly dirty. It is a rubber or plastic bulb with a nozzle attached. The bulb is filled with water and the nozzle is inserted at the opening of the anus to squirt water. This is a somewhat invasive procedure and should only be used occasionally when your anus is very dirty. Using it too often can be damaging to the anal tissue.

Whatever way you choose to wash your butt, remember there is a different between thorough and vigorous. Don't scrub your anal area, otherwise you might damage this sensitive part. This will not only make further bowel movements even more difficult, but it can lead to a lot of pain and discomfort.

How to thoroughly clean your anus

For more about the anus problems and queries, we recommend reading our following articles:

If you want to read similar articles to How to Thoroughly Clean Your Anus, we recommend you visit our Beauty & Personal Care category.

Write a comment

What did you think of this article?
16 comments
Rating:
Rick Wood
At first I always rinse my anus with warm water before I lather up with soap, I wash up very well the first time,then rinse. Then I shower the rest of my body, then I wash my anus both cheeks and my buttocks very well I use ivory soap for my anus ivory soap is best for that area, I make sure that that area is very clean.
Rating:
bill
I wipe until the tissue is clean, sometimes fecal matter don't come out completely, and what I do is insert my middle finger and give it a gentle push around a few time to extract the fecal matter, it works every time, and of course you wash with soap and water, a lot of people don't know how to do this, and they leave a lot up there.
Rating:
Nick
'all genders can have anus problems'

You mean 'both sexes can have anus problems'.
OneHowTo Editor
Hi Nick,

You are incorrect. We mean all genders, however they identify. The only requisite to wiping an anus is to have one. And if you are a personal assistant to someone who cannot wipe their own anus, this article may be useful for them too.
Steve
No, they mean all genders. Gender and sex are different; trans people and third genders have existed throughout many cultures across huge spans of time. *** off with your transphobic trash. We're allowed to exist, too. If even the most basic acknowledgement of trans people offends you, you're free to be a snowflake somewhere else.
Rachel
For me this works:

I usually do a bowel movement before I take a shower.

I still make sure I am clean.

1. Spread bum cheeks ever so slightly
2. After you do your business do a courtesy flush.
3. Wipe your bum, I do not use “3” squares, I use a reasonable
amount of TP so as not to get any Pooh in my nails. Continue to a dry wipe, gently and flush so as not to plug up with toilet paper and overflow toilet.
4. I do not use bum wipes because people make assumptions that flushable wipes are really flushable when in fact they are not, the same with tampons, hair and Q-Tips. I am a plumber and so many people get their sewers plugged up. Plus they also plug up the vent which prevents sewage to flow.
5. I carry a hotel complementary body lotion which has no alcohol, or hair conditioner which also is free from irritants. This is more effective than Water and soap because the toilet paper does not degrade as it does with water and soap. Wipe till clean.

Doing this way will minimizes problems with mainline sewer issues, and embarrassing overflows at toilets away from home. Plus it is less expensive and more convenient.
Rating:
Mike
I finger my ass
M>D>PANCHAL
Not only good but also enough article. Always to rememberable-really.
At age 79, I found it helpful and mostly reassuring that I was doing everything correctly.
This kind of information should be more readily available. For instance, it could be printed on toilet paper wrapping and on products such as hemorrhoid cream or even available in family doctor's office.
Sheila N
I do #2 in squatting position using a bench to keep my feet about few inches above floor rather than at just sitting position. Then wipe as usual. After thorough wiping, exterior of anus is still
loaded with unacceptable level of bacteria (as it still smelly). Then I hold a bowl of water with right hand, below the anus (but without wetting other genitals), wash the anus into bowl with left hand fingers. Repeat with second bowl of water. I feel soap is no needed as anus has natural protective lipid layer. Then wipe the crack to complete dryness. Then wash hands using soap. This is not typical south Asian method. I started this practice after suffering from a abscess near the anus. Good suggestion about baby wipes which is practical at public toilet.
laura ann
Best to use alittle witch hazel on final wipe. Using a bench also is a good idea. Everyone: take probiotics several times a wk to avoid constipation issues.
Rainbow
The Best way is to use a Bidgette or water. Ask an Asian he will tell you the most hygenic way to clean.
Rating:
Vishal
Never use bidet because it irritates our anus.
Erica
Well after 20 y of intense using i've never had a problem. I get really uncomfortable insted when i use toilet paper cause all those wipes are irritating
Rating:
Garland Genoho
True hygiene applies only when you wash your anus with water and soap.
Gary W
This is ridiculous. Those wipes clog up sewer systems. Here's what you do: Step 0: Put some warm water in an open large-lid (e.g. Gatorade) bottle. Step 1: Fold one square of TP (toilet paper) twice, hold it with the edge up, and sipe your anus in gentle strokes, to get rid of loose fecal matter. Step 2: Fold another square as above, wet it in water, and use it to wipe your anus fully. If necessary repeat with more squares of TP. Usually one is enough. Step 3: Hold water bottle in one hand, with its mouth inside the toilet seat (may need to adjust your position). With the other hand, take small amounts of water several times and wash the anus thoroughly. You can tell it's clean by the feel. Step 4: Dry the wet area with Kleenex, discard in waste basket NOT in toilet bowl Step 5: Dry your behind thoroughly with a handheld hair dryer I've been doing this 20 years and never had an itching problem.
Sandra Fatarse
I find vinegar very soothing and it removes poo very quickly
Rosie
I often find using a little deep heat brightens things up too.
Chris
You must be kidding, that is not what they mean when by deep sound like an arson fire
Michael Anthony
Throughly cleaning the anus area after a bowl movement to me has been very smart. I feel totally cleansed and fresh . Using a mild soap and warm water, with wipes are the best way to good hygiene. Witch Hazel is another great cleansing product. I recommend Thayer's Lemon scented.
Ronald T.
I found this article somewhat enlightening, but I think I still have a few uncertainties about the overall process. I'm now somewhat concerned I've been utilizing the incorrect method for years, nay, my lifetime.
How to Thoroughly Clean Your Anus
1 of 5
How to Thoroughly Clean Your Anus

Back to top ↑