How to Thoroughly Clean Your Anus

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

• Why does my anus itch at night?
• How to maintain good feminine hygiene.

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