How To Use a Squat Toilet
- August 6, 2008
- 83,769 Views
Writer
Rosemarie_Lennon
Music (track 1)
Jonathan Roberts
Music (track 2)
Andy Gabrys
Voice Over Artist
Peter Coleman
If you’re thinking "Aren’t toilets the same all over the world?” you don’t know squat.
You Will Need
- Strong thighs
- An ability to hold your breath
- Toilet paper
- Hand sanitizer gel
Step 1: Know what you're getting into
If you’re traveling internationally, be prepared to encounter a non-Western, or squat, toilet. It’s usually a stall with a hole in the ground that may or may not have a flushing mechanism.
Step 2: Don't expect privacy
Don’t expect privacy. Public restroom stalls might only have two-foot-high walls and no doors.
Step 3: Bring toilet paper
Bring your own toilet paper. It’s often not provided in public restrooms.
Step 4: Practice your squat
To strengthen your legs and prepare yourself for the real thing, practice your squat. This will also help boost your confidence.
Step 5: Position your feet
Position your feet on the foot grids on either side of the sunken toilet.
Step 6: Drop and squat
Drop your drawers and squat as close to the opening as possible for accurate aim.
Step 7: Dispose of toilet paper
When you finish your business, dispose of your toilet paper in the receptacle placed behind you for that purpose.
Step 8: Flush
If you’re in a restroom with flushing toilets, hit the button on the wall.
Step 9: Wash your hands
Use your hand sanitizer and remind yourself that travel is all about broadening your horizons.
In some remote areas of the Chinese countryside, toilets are actually positioned over a pen of hungry pigs.
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Comments (16)
Unfortunately, this video omitted the most important aspect of using a squat toilet. When you flush, get the hell out of there because they have been known to reverse flush - in other words, the crap comes flying up at you.
over 3 years ago by bleak
yeah... like ready set go! Boom! if you're lucky the thing will miss your face!
over 2 years ago by Redfoxhound_Non
haha that is so funny
about 1 year ago by Nerd_Ball
we also have weak thighs over here. lol
over 3 years ago by akadane
I agree. The USA does have better public ";facilities"; most of the time. But I have been in some bathrooms where I thought it would be better just to go behind a tree... lol............ This video was weird but informative. I think the comment about the hungry pigs was GROSS and should have been left out. Sick!!!!
over 3 years ago by dot1
makes you think twice about those prok chops
over 3 years ago by luckysod04
wow - we have it good over here
over 3 years ago by jason
China is an old country, yet in its development it is still young; it is large but at the same time weak. Its steps on the road to modernization are just beginning.
over 3 years ago by knockoution
squat toilets rule! The toilet throne is one where the west got lazy and got it wrong! Squatting aligns the colon, and, as knockoution said, is much more sanitary because there is no contact made with the seat. The sanitary issue with Chinese toilets is that their exterior and surroundings can be filthy or they often have open tubing/ pits, but this is not the toilet's fault... after living in China for many years, whenever I return home to America I stand on western toilets and squat when out and about. Western toilets are nasty
over 3 years ago by bolang
i am from china, and in our country, aquat toilet is a familiar facility in public place or in home several years ago.
i think it is a better choice than sitting toilet for public palce. your know, there are so many unacquainted people in public place, such as railway station, mall or any palce else, it is obviously more healthyful to use toilet by a untouched way.
For the comment about the hungry pigs is a history, i can not deny it had disappeared totally in remote district. and should be get rid of it as soon as possibly. acturally we did it. but most of chinese farmer are still poor and need help too. so it is a long way to improve their living conditions.
thank you.
over 3 years ago by knockoution
Ah the joys of third world comforts. As a lazy greedy western traveler your intestines haven't quite gotten use to the less than sanitary food handling in practices in these countries, you also at the moo goo pork. Unfortunately for you, the swine lived &; fed under a public squat hole and now you have explosive diarrhea. Seize the moment, now is your chance to get even with the relatives of that pig, the shallow walls, squat hole floor the guy peering over you from the adjacent stall and anything in a 4 foot radius of your Krakatoa like bunghole.
over 3 years ago by deckard1
Hilarious video.
over 2 years ago by kpfingaz
Lol. in Vietnam , they have a squat toilet too. my big brother fell in before. i laughed soooo hard!!!! and when he was done. i fell in too.... this was our first time using a squat toilet.
over 2 years ago by Roofenol
What toilet do people use before they have western toilet? Squat toilets are totally ok if they can be flushed properly. When i use western toilet, i worry about hygiene problems. Anyway, i have never heard of toilet with a pen of pigs under it in China. Anybody else has?
over 2 years ago by Pigaroo
I travel to Japan, and they do have squat toilets, but they are almost the same... they have a front covered part.
over 2 years ago by Meggie_Cook
I shot the ";how to use a squat toilet"; video for Howcast during my last trip to China. It was a fun project to be a part of and I'm glad to see that it currently has 53,000+ views on Howcast's site alone.
I just finished a collaboration with a blog columnist in which he wrote about squat toilets. We decided to embed this video into the article. Here's the link: http://beijing.weliveinchina.com/GroupNews/news2.rails?Nid=1000001261
Enjoy!
Jeff
over 2 years ago by DeepFried
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