Before modern toilet paper was invented, early Americans had to get creative. And one of their most common bathroom tools? Corn cobs.
Dried corn cobs were surprisingly effective. Firm but not too rough, reusable, and always available after harvest. In fact, outhouses often had a small pile of cobs stacked neatly in the corner. A little scratchy, sure, but they got the job done.
They weren’t the only option, though. People used everything from moss and leaves to wool or even pages from the Sears Roebuck catalog. (Yes, that same catalog kids later used to circle toys for Christmas.)
Here’s the wild part: corn cobs were preferred by many over paper, even when paper became more available. Why? Paper back then was stiff and crumbly, not exactly quilted or ultra-soft.
Toilet paper as we know it didn’t hit the shelves until the mid-1800s, and even then, it took decades to become the go-to. Indoor plumbing helped speed things up. Once bathrooms moved inside, so did the TP.
So next time you're grumbling about single-ply, remember: at least it’s not a corn cob.
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