You’ve been going to the toilet wrong

Experts believe we would be better off ditching toilet paper completely.

While countries such as Japan, Italy and Greece use bidets as a way to clean their behinds, countries such as Britain, the US and Australia mainly rely on a bit of trusty loo roll to do the job.

But, doctors say wiping could be leaving faeces behind and excessively wiping could cause health problems such as anal fissures and urinary tract infections.

Rose George, author of The Big Necessity: The Unmentionable World of Human Waste and Why It Matters, told Tonic why using toilet paper doesn’t remove poo properly.

She said: “I find it rather baffling that millions of people are walking around with dirty anuses while thinking they are clean.

“Toilet paper moves s***, but it doesn’t remove it.”

And some celebs seem to agree.

Will.i.am previously told Elle Magazine that baby wipes are what most people should consider using when it comes to wiping.

He said: “Here’s proof on why people should have baby wipes.

“Get some chocolate, wipe it on a wooden floor, and then try to get it up with some dry towels. You’re going to get chocolate in the cracks.

“That’s why you gotta get them baby wipes.”

And the Fresh Prince himself Will Smith echoed similar during a BBC 1 Radio interview.

He said: “I’m the type of person that it’s important for me to share.

“When I experience something that’s special and incredible, I like to share it with people.

“Anyone who’s using dry toilet paper, you’re really not doing yourself the true service.”

And hygiene isn’t the only reason why people should consider using water or wipes to clean their bottoms.

Aggressive wiping can cause painful anal fissures and even haemorrhoids.

An anal fissure is a tear in the lining of the rectum, this can then cause bleeding or pain when it comes to going for a number two.

Most fissures heal after eight to 12 weeks but wiping can irritate the area.

Another hazard of wiping are urinary tract infections.

These can happen if people, especially women, wipe from back-to-front — pulling bacteria from the anus towards the front of the body.

By using a bidet, washing with water or using a wet wipe, the bacteria are killed or rinsed away and this prevents it from causing an infection.