The diet change is having the desired effect. I’m noticing more substantial changes in my bowel movements. I am still very gassy, and am having difficulty with my bowel movements. The consistency has changed, becoming firmer, which was not what I expected. With the fiber heavy diet, consisting primarily of grains and bread, I suspected that the opposite would occur. This actually a pleasant surprise to me, as I was not looking forward to using some of the items with a looser stool.
I tested un-spun wool. I was not impressed. It was too soft, and I didn’t feel clean after using it. I followed up with toilet paper, and the wool had been effective, but did not allow me to feel as clean as the linen and definitely not as clean as with modern toilet paper. Therefore, I am giving wool a 5 out of 10.
Next, I tested straw. I had definite concerns about how this was going to work, so I put on plastic gloves. Straw was not as effective as the wool, but felt like it would have been. It didn’t have the insubstantial feeling of wool. A follow up with modern toilet paper,however, proved that it was not as effective as the wool had been. Therefore, I am rating it at a 4.
To recap, I am rating the toilet paper alternatives on a scale from 1 to 10; 10 being how clean I feel after bathing.
After a bath 10
Modern toiler paper 9
Linen 8
Un-spun wool 5
Straw 4
I will be switching to a Roman diet so I can test the spongia. From there, I will eat a medieval Japanese diet to test the wiping stick, and finally a Chinese diet to test the rice straw paper I will be making.