We are living in strange times where toilet paper is seen as a valuable commodity.
But for some, apparently, wiping yourself using Lysol Disinfecting Wipes is a far better alternative.
But Redditor "sleepysword12" is not down with his girlfriend using the all-purpose cleaning product for her...own purposes.
The Original Poster (OP) asked AITA (Am I the A**hole) for telling her to quit using the wipes for her derriere.
"After washing my face I threw my cotton pads in the garbage and a brown stained cloth caught my eye - it looked like it was stashed underneath all the other trash and if you ask me I think it was purposefully hidden."
"We've been running out of Lysol wipes (we have the antimicrobial kind) really quickly but I chalked that up to us obsessively wiping all the surfaces so I didn't think much of it till now."
"Upon further inspection with gloves and while holding my breath there was a big pile of the same brown stained porous cloths that looked just like the Lysol wipes."
It was time for an uncomfortable conversation with his girlfriend.
"I knew this might be a difficult topic to broach so I tried to do it gently. I casually asked if she's noticed our wipes seem to be running out quickly."
"I then asked if she's been using them for anything frivolous and she started to get defensive, saying no and asking why I'd ask her that."
"I cut right to the chase and said that I found some Lysol wipes in the bathroom bin and asked if she's been using them to wipe."
"Uncomfortable conversation for many, I know. She looked away and admitted to it in an embarrassed voice."
She insisted that the disinfectant wipes are much more effective than toilet paper, but the OP wondered if the wipes meant for hard surfaces were also safe for use as a backside wipe?
"When I pressed further, her reasoning is that it gets the job done better than regular TP because she has to keep wiping and wiping and wiping but with the wipes she's only got to wipe a few times before everything's ok."
"Look, I'm not the smartest tool in the shed but there's no way that those things are good for your nether regions."
His girlfriend was not having any of the OP's suggested alternatives.
"I said why don't we just get baby wipes/flushable wipes, she said that's pointless because the Lysol wipes can be dual purpose which saves money."
"I proposed investing in a bidet and she said that's pointless and we might not even be able to do that because we're renting and idk if our landlady would be able to allow us to, which is a fair point."
"But I just can't get over it. I told her that she should stop it because we need it for other, better things and she said I should quit being controlling and leave her alone because she's doing nothing wrong."
"I just can't let it go though. This is so bizarre. Surely I'm not the only one who feels this way?"
But the OP's concerns were met with validation from the Reddit community.
"NTA (Not the A**hole), those are NOT meant for use on your body and pretty damn sure the packaging says so."
"She is gonna get one hell of a nasty yeast infection and inflamed coochie/bootyhole." – kvetcherkit
"She's gonna get one hell of a burning ring of fire!" – medicff
One Redditor suggested perhaps installing a bidet.
"Hijacking this comment to say that you can absolutely get a bidet without checking with your landlord!"
"I ordered one for like 60 bucks off amazon last November (good timing on my part!) and they are extremely simple to attach and don't require any permanent changes to the plumbing or installations or anything."
"I mean, I'm sure there are some really fancy ones that would require all that, but you can find plenty of them that can easily be taken on and off!" – alexsangthat
"Agreed. My parents came back from Singapore just before this whole thing hit."
"My dad LOVED the bidets in Japan airport and around the area so the first thing they ordered when they got home was a bidet (great timing on our part too lol)"
"it was only about $50 or so and it sits under the toilet seat. It's 1 splitter that is connected to the water and then just attached under the seat. Super easy to install and take out if need be."
"Lysol wipes aren't meant for sensitive areas of the skin. She needs baby wipes or something similar that doesn't have harmful chemicals. If it were ok to use Lysol wipes on the booty, companies wouldn't sell baby wipes for that specific purpose." – CoCa_Coa
Take note: antimicrobials are not booty-friendly.
"The types of disinfecting wipes you can buy at a pharmacy usually have benzalkonium chloride, which is an antimicrobial that is much milder than liquid bleach."
"Still very harsh on the skin, and I assume it's generally bad to apply antimicrobials to the nether regions." – otterhouse5
"The Lysol website specifically states 'Do not use as a diaper wipe or for personal cleaning.'"
"They have a warning to wash your hands after use to prevent irritation from the chemicals. I can't imagine using them in a sensitive area."
"OPs suggestion of getting baby wipes or a bidet is so much better and you can get bidet attachments for the toilet that are fairly inexpensive."
"OP is definitely NTA." – steve102799
