No toilet paper? Be wary of alternatives that can clog your sewer, septic systems – TCPalm

Shoppers worried about coronavirus are stocking up on toilet paper, hand sanitizer and supplies even though supply chain experts say there's no need. Storyful

Bare shelves during a state of emergency is nothing new to Floridians.

It's no surpriseface masks, disinfectants and hand sanitizers quickly sold out asthe coronaviruspandemic made its way around the globe to the U.S. and Florida.

But ... toilet paper?

The toilet paper aisle at the Stuart Walmart on March 10, 2020, was empty.(Photo: GIL SMART/TCPALM)

A clinical psychologist told CNNpeople don't know how to interpret the coronavirus' threat, sosome resort to extremes, some over-prepare and some feel a little sense of control over the situation if they stock up on essentials.

Despite signs limiting shoppers to two packages of bath tissue per person, there wasnt a square to be found at the Stuart Walmart Tuesday.

So, just in case you're self-quarantined without a single roll in sight, here's what ourancestors used towipe their backsides with before toilet paper was invented.

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While the elimination process hasnt changed much over the years, what to clean up with certainly has.Initially, people used whatever was handy: Rocks, sticks, leaves, corncobs or even wood shavings.

The creation of toilet paper, as we know it, is credited to the Chinese, who invented a "wrapping and padding material" known as paper in the 2nd century B.C., according to ToiletPaperHistory.net.By the 6th century, it was commonly used around China.

The first modern form of toilet paper was made in 1391, created for the emperorand his family; each sheet was even perfumed. It was widely circulating by the 15th century.

Mass production of thebathroom tissuedidn't start until the 1800s.

Joseph C. Gayetty created the first commercially packaged toilet paperin 1857, which were flat, loose, sheets of paper. His first factory-made product was "The Therapeutic Paper medicated with aloe and his name printed on every sheet.

The Scott Brothers took it a stepfurther in 1890, and toilet paper was on a roll literally and figuratively.

In 1897,another company dominated the market after perforating, or putting a hole, through the roll.

One sheet per wipe wasn't cutting it anymore. In 1942, St. Andrew's Paper Mill in England began selling the first two-ply toilet paper. And the design has pretty much remained the same eversince.

Sponges: Were used in Roman times, Urban Survival reports.When people finished, they would wash the sponge with water and vinegar andreuse it later.

Rocks:Smooth, flat, not-sharprocks were used for the "scrape method." The rock was washed in water before scraping again.

Plant leaves:Still used today by many a hiker; just be careful it's not poisonous.

Corn husks: Waspopular among American pioneersbecause so much corn was grown and harvested here.The leaves, when green, are soft and a good size for outhouse use. The husks can be soaked in water if too dried out.

Catalogs:For many years, Americans used the readily available pages of the popular Sears catalog that came free in the mail and even had a handy hole in the corner to makeit easier to hangon a nail in the outhouse.

Newspaper: An Australian newspaper printed eight blank pagesin its daily edition to combat the current toilet paper shortage. Just scrunch out the crunch by rubbing your fists together. But you have to throw it in the garbage not the toilet.

Fabric: A rag,towel or any cloth will do old clothes, bed linens, handkerchiefs,etc. (And do we really need to tell you not to clog your sewer or septic system with this?)

Napkins, tissues, paper towels,baby wipes,cotton balls, wrapping paper:These work, but you can't flush any of them either (unless you're lucky enough to find the flushable kind).They're made to be durable and not easily dissolve in water. Toss them in the garbage even dirty like many Third World countries do.

Bidets or the shower:It's not too late to have one installed. A bidet is a small pipe with asprayer that hooks onto your toilet. You just need to towel dry, but fancier versions will even blow dry the area for you. If you don't want to spend the extra money, try using theshower or detachable shower head to clean off.

Catie Wegman is a community reporter who also produces "Ask Catie," an occasional feature to find answers to your burning questions about anything and everything the more bizarre the better.Support her work with a TCPalm subscription.Contact her at catie.wegman@tcpalm.com or 772-221-4211 and follow her @Catie_Wegman on Twitter and @catiewegman1 on Facebook.

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No toilet paper? Be wary of alternatives that can clog your sewer, septic systems - TCPalm