The Family Bag

I began to think about hygiene of the bag some time ago. My thoughts centered the use and maintenance of the family enema syringe. Outside of hanging the empty bag in the bathroom after an occasional use, my mother seldom gave any second thought to such maintenance of the family bag. More attention was given to the bulb syringe that got frequent use on myself, sister and brother. I often thought about what would could happen if the squeeze was released before the nozzle was withdrawn. Later in my adult life, I observed that I often had reflux back into my own bag and wondered how clean I could get it with bleach and water. I have therefore, come to the conclusion that for myself, I do not share my bag and that the maximum life of a syringe should only be about nine months to a year. Replacement for me, is a minor item since the tubing comes from the hardware store, I make the nozzle from rigid plastic tubing, and the reservoir is a modified plastic gallon jug that I can rescue from the trash.

All of this leads me to the following questions:

1, Did or do you now have a family bag that is shared by everyone?

2. How do you clean your bag and what do you use?

3. Do you replace it regularly?

I clean our bags, down-tubes, colon tubes and various nozzles with soap and very hot water, sometimes with bleach. It is VERY important to let the equipment dry thoroughly so mold does not grow inside. (I have posted on my cleaning and drying practices in other posts.) I hang my bag high enough to prevent actual back-flow into the bag. My husband and I share our equipment. We share all our other fluids, so this doesn't seem to be a big deal.

Periodic bag replacement isn't necessary and if if you are truly concerned about contamination, you should be using disposable single use equipment.

We have even connected nozzles between us while holding our enemas during sex or just relaxing and pushing fluid back and forth between each other in bed, so insuring near sterility with our enema equipment is a moot point.

A very significant discussion. I bought a used Rexall Victoria from eBay but have not used it. Hepatitis, HIV, other viral and bacterial contaminants make it too risky even after I have soaked it over night in 'One Step' (beer brewing glass and tube cleaner).

Its chemicals are not listed but it works with oxygen.

I would like to use it as it is a favorite from my childhood.

Anyone medical or other have good ideas?

If there is the slightest doubt: Wash thoroughly with chlorine bleach, in hot water. Then rinse in warm water until you can no longer smell the bleach.

When I was a kid right up until my late teens my 3 younger boy cousins and I were given a "Spring Cleaning" over 3 days during the Easter Holidays when we were at my Grandparents' home. In addition to several doses of laxatives and worm medicine we were given an enema on the morning of the 2nd and 3rd days of treatment. We were called into the bathroom one at a time to get our enemas, all given with the same bag, and the only cleaning I saw was that my mother or my aunt would wash off the rectal tip and bottom few inches of the tubing with soap before using it on the next boy.

Remember in the 50's, people couldn't afford multiple bags in the home, so one bag got used for enemas for anyone, douches for Mom. Just the nozzles were changed. AIDS & hepatitis weren't even known then, so cleaning a rectal pipe with soap and rinsing the bag & hose, was all anyone did. My mother was freaked-out that if any soap was used in the family fountain syringe, she would get vaginal burns during douching, even though the bag was always rinsed out with tap water. Nobody had more than one bag back then.

Like jimmyt44's family, we had only one bag that everyone profited from for enemas and that Mom also used for douching. The bag hung next to the old claw footed bath tub. Typically, the bar of Ivory stayed in the bag and the douche nozzle stayed on at the end of the hose. For the last few enemas I was given before going on my own, Mom used the douche nozzle. From then on, I used the douche nozzle for my enemas and I think everybody else in the family did the same. The only thing I saw Mom do to clean the unit for the next user was to wash the nozzle with soap and run some soapy water down the hose. I think the bag was being used often enough that it never really dried out. I know it was always wet when I went to use it., or so I remember.

I don't know what Mom did the make things sanitary for her douching. I remember a few times going into the bathroom and smelling the smell of Massengill (it was kept under the bathroom sink). I didn't notice the smell of Clorox, a smell I would have recognized, though I didn't know anything about using Clorox to sanitize the equipment, so I don't think that's what she was using. The rest of the users were male who perhaps were a bit cavalier about issues of hygiene. I'd try to remember to wash the nozzle and run some water down the hose, but often, in the heat of pleasure, I'd forget. This seemed to also be the case for the others. From time to time, I'd be lubing up the nozzle and I'd notice fecal matter blocking the nozzle's outlet. I'd run some water down the hose and if that didn't unplug it, I'd take the nozzle off the hose and blow from the back end, then go on about my business. I probably left as many plugged up nozzles as I found. I guess it just didn't seem like a big deal, because it was never mentioned among us males. Mom, I think had given up hassling my father and older brother about cleaning the equipment after using if, so she never made an issue of it with me. I think she took care of the necessary hygiene for herself and kept her fingers crossed for us guys. Fortunately we all made it through. The only aftereffect I've suffered is a lifelong obsession with enemas and other pleasures of the anus.

I use hydrogen peroxide to wash, thoroughly rinse before hanging to dry.

½ teaspoon of bleach in a basin or sink of warm water will kill all bacteria and not be to harsh on the rubber parts of your equipment.

1tablespoon of hydrogen peroxide will be equally effective.

Allow to dry.

I learned early to keep things clean and sanitary.

As far as I know, I was the only one that got enemas. Don't know if my mom used it to douche. She did have one of those huge douche bulbs with a penis-sized nozzle.

We had a family bag when i was growing up,it was mostly wet all the time as i had 2 sisters,plus i got frequent enemas,the douche nozzle was the only one used & if it got plugged up dad would clean it out with bleach & compressed air,& sometimes mom would boil it in a bleach solution.I’ve purchased several vintage (1940/1950s ) enema bags on ebay & cleaned them with a strong bleach solution in the bag & hoses & boiled the nozzles. I’ve never had any bacterial issues with the equipment.

@Public_Enema she probably only used the douche bulb. Being of an age where many women douched regularly those bulbs and nozzles were popular.

We also had one enema bag for the family, just Mom, Dad, and I. It was only use for enemas since my mom had a bulb douche with a large nozzle with built in shield. She was open about her enema use but would disappear into the bathroom for about an hour once a month to douche. I had no idea what she was doing until I got much older and figured it out by the vinegar smell.

When growing up we had one bag for enemas and there was another for douching mom used.

Now because my sister and her girlfriend live with me. It started like this…I bought the 2 red ones, the pink one belongs to my sister's girlfriend and the yellow one belongs to my sister and the clear one belongs to my sister's girlfriend's niece. That is how it started out. Now we may have become lazy or we just know it is safe but we all use the same bag and leave it hanging out to dry. It does get cleaned often and the nozzles are soaked. I only got the one when I was nine but my sister got them a lot for constipation and cramps. I remember coming home from work and my sister was here. This was during her divorce so she hadn't moved in. She would stay down here on the weekends and her days off. Her ex was an ass but he knew not to come around here. My routine is to come in through the garage. I take my shoes off there then go to my room, take my scrubs off and then pee. I came home on this one day and my sister was cooking. I went to my room, took my scrubs off, and went into my bathroom to pee and my bag was hanging. I was freaked out. I didn't even want to come out of my room but hunger and thirst got the better of me. She blurted out that she had started her period and was looking for tampons and found my bag. Because she was cramping she used my bag and hoped I didn't mind. But like now after years of her and her girlfriend living here and her girlfriend's niece coming over its no big deal. I mean everyone uses my bathroom for baths, enemas and showers. It has an arch doorway so there is no door. We are all used to seeing each other. We all go to the same doctor so we would know if one of us was sick. But the bags and nozzles get cleaned with bleach water.

When I grew up there was no AIDS, E-coli, and other things that concerned us within the family. Initially there was a bulb enema syringe used by mom on me and my sister. I expect she used it on herself too. When my sister and I used it on ourselves, or each other, cleanup consisted of wiping the Vaseline from the nozzle and rinsing the bulb with clean water. As teenagers, mom got us a typical combination bag. I know she sometimes used that bag too but only for enemas. Same thing. Wipe the nozzle and rinse the bag. Nobody got sick.

Now I am a bit more cautious, cleaning the bag or bulb occasionally with dish soap with a splash of bleach in it. Not each time, but occasionally since these days it is usually only used on myself. The bag does get replaced from time to time, mostly because I like coffee enemas and they do leave stains after a while. I guess if I was giving or getting from someone outside of my immediate family I would be a lot more concerned.

Pedantic jerk hat going on -

@Cheryl77177 - there were things that should have been thought about anyway. HIV is unlikely to be transmitted via enema equipment, but hepatitis can. There are plenty of other nasties. Within a family there is a liklihood that, as was frequently said, “well, we will just get it anyway” but don't confuse that with “there wasn't a risk, and now there is”

@Baileybird : “Kill all bacteria” means sterile. What you are describing with a bleach water soak or peroxide won't sterilize, it will sanitize. In most cases that will be enough for people sharing enema equipment, but if there is a concern (immune system not working well, known nasty infection in someone) you might want to have more thorough methods.

To keep things sanitary there is a progression, first is “clean and dry.” If something is not clean it can't be effectively sanitized or sterilized, and if it is not dry things will start growing on it again. Frequently clean and dry can be enough, you just want to make sure you remove foreign objects and biofilms. Once something is clean you can then move on to sanitizing or sterilizing with chemicals or heat, but if it is not clean the sanitizing step may not work, especially if you are using chemicals.

I’ve had my own syringe for many years, just used it on myself and on rare occasion on my husband. When our 2 girls were growing up, I bought a combination bag for them, although we didn’t use it much except a few times with older daughter. I always make sure that the bags were cleaned thoroughly and dried after use.

On the advice of my colon hydrotherapist, who is also a colo-rectal nurse in a large hospital I soak my bags and nozzles in a solution of Milton, a branded sterilising liquid, after every enema. Nozzles and anal toys also go in the dishwasher routinely. As I take an enema every morning bags never actually get dry, but after nine years of regular use those silicon bags still look great. Oh and Cathy stressed, never ever to share a bag or a nozzle, nor to be competitive with respect to nozzle size or enema volume.

@Cheryl77177 said,

When I grew up there was no AIDS, E-coli, and other things that concerned us within the family.

Think again, AIDS has been around a lot longer than you think. The problem today is, years ago it was called something else. I know the other name and the history behind it but can’t post the name or history on this site, because of current politics. I have a close family member that worked for the Center for Disease Control on Clifton Road in DeKalb County, Georgia next to Emory University, when what we know today as AIDS first appeared in this country. That person was actively involved in the scientific research into that disease for many years, hence my knowledge of its original name and history.

Not only a good cleaning in a bleach solution but having an inline check valve alleviates a lot most chances of cross contamination of the bag and hose.

Not only a good cleaning in a bleach solution but having an inline check valve alleviates a lot most chances of cross contamination of the bag and hose.

I have one on my bag.

One advantage of living so far out, almost in the wild, there is no one to share or even ask about “The bag” The only problem is scale from limestone in the water, it is so bad it will ruin a swamp cooler in a day. Hot water heaters need to be drained and flushed two or three times a year.

Clean and flush a bag and hose and you will find scale in the hose after it dries.

Growing up our family had two bags: a combination one that was used for everyone's enemas and an open top for mom to douche with. The enema bag was cleaned with hot water and soap but then allowed to air dry. In our house today my wife and I share a couple of enema bags and after used my wife likes to use some store brand mouthwash to clean them up. Leaves the bathroom with a nice minty odor, too.

E-coli can be in the feces of most mammals and some reptiles. It has been around long before man evolved

I've posted on this topic elsewhere and my mom's enema bag serviced everyone in our immediate family, extended family sometimes, and even a few neighbors and their kids.

Back in those days in the early 50's and 60's, little attention was paid to bloodborne pathogens etc. A good cleaning, and maybe some alcohol or bleach, was about it relative to the enema bag. The white folding syringe was well hidden and protected. The amber folding syringe generally replaced the red enema bag that was failing/leaking.

I used it often, and I know others did as well. Mom scolded us as it started to show wear and tear. "If I need to give someone an enema, I don't want it worn out." Dad said, "You know mom is serious...she gives lots of enemas." As the years passed, a couple of other bags appeared and wore out.

My sister, brother and I all shared the same bag, which would be periodically replaced. It was normally stored under the sink in our bathroom but when it was out and in use (which was alot) it would hang on the door to dry for an extended amount of Time. I know my mom rinsed off the nozzle after use with soapy and water but I think is the only type of 'sanitation' she did

@Isaac said,

My sister, brother and I all shared the same bag, which would be periodically replaced.

Like you, my siblings and I shared the same douche/enema bag at home. It always hung in the bathroom shower when drying or not in use. Which was infrequent, because as preteens then teenagers, we swapped enemas with each other at least twice a week. We always washed the bag after each use with soap and water. The curved douche nozzle we normally used was washed likewise, then with rubbing alcohol. During the years we were actively involved in this activity, no one every had an issue with cross contamination from using the same bag.

Back then, we only had the multi purpose red Davol rubber hot water bottle combo enema and douche set up. It was probably from the 50's or early 60's. It wasn't used very often and mostly as a hot water bottle for sore joints. I do remember seeing the douche nozzle and hose hanging in the bathtub occasionally.

Well my parents were separated growing up so there was only one bag used on me, as far as I knew mom never took them.

@LisaK what do you use for douche solution? vinegar as Massengill's etc aren't available anymore?