Drip-drying after using the toilet can lead to urinary tract infections (UTIs) and thrush because damp underwear allows bacteria to fester, according to a women's health campaigner. Dr Caitlin Dean, a former nurse and avid camper, warns that the common habit of air-drying after a 'wild wee' carries real health risks.
Why damp knickers are a problem
Dr Dean explains that while urine has 'low levels of bacteria' that aren't particularly problematic in itself, the issue begins after you pull your pants up. 'If you have damp knickers, because of where they sit next to your crotch, the urine doesn't dry, it festers,' she tells Metro. 'If your pants are wet and warm, the bacteria can fester and grow.'
It's this that then leads to yeast infections such as thrush and UTIs, she adds. 'If I was on an outdoors retreat for a week and regularly drip-drying, I'd invariably get thrush,' she shares. 'While our natural discharge helps to keep us clean, urine doesn't.'
Health impacts beyond the outdoors
Dr Dean wants more research into how lack of access to loo roll can have real health ramifications. 'There is evidence to suggest that there are higher rates of UTIs amongst rough sleepers and homeless women who don't have access to toilet roll, amongst military women on deployment who are having to drip dry more frequently, and after natural disasters where supplies are limited,' she tells Metro.
She believes having access to toilet roll should be a 'human right'. A survey published last month, spearheaded by The Hygiene Bank, revealed that almost one in five adults in the UK have gone without household hygiene products such as deodorant and toilet paper. Hygiene poverty charities, alongside Dr Dean, hope this comes as a serious 'wake up call' for the UK government.
An everyday problem and a simple solution
Drip-drying doesn't just happen in 'extreme' circumstances, though. 'For many women, it's an everyday problem,' she tells Metro. 'Unless you have a very direct flow or a very strong pelvic floor, urine can often sprinkle, drip onto your legs, and sometimes run back down your bum cheeks.'
It happens in schools too. The School Toilet Report revealed that 87% of children surveyed, aged six to 13, reported neglected toilets, including missing or broken items such as seats or lack of toilet roll. Dr Dean's teenage daughter also says there's frequently no toilet paper in the girls' toilets at school, and at her college in Cornwall, another of her children was left scrambling when they discovered none of the toilet cubicles had any loo roll.
Now, Dr Dean is attempting to fix this 'everyday unpleasantness' with a 'simple solution': the 'wild wipe'. The mum-of-three invented a small, pocket-sized device designed to help you wipe pee drips away from your body. With antimicrobial properties for maximum hygiene, the wipe was inspired by her own DIY project which involved cutting up an old credit card and shaving down the edges to create a portable tool she could take on trips. It costs £13.99 and comes in three different colours.
