When John Gayetty marketed his “Medicated Paper, for the Water-Closet” in 1857, he was looking for an alternative to the corncobs and stones – yes, rocks – people used to stay hygienic after doing their business. Smart people decided paper would be better, but it’s single-use.

Think about it. We’re not going to use that paper twice. That’s not a sustainable, environmentally responsible product.

Many countries, such as Japan and Italy, prefer the bidet, and a good rinse and a pat dry uses a lot less paper. But a bidet isn’t practical, can be costly to install, and isn’t in general use worldwide. If you’ve never used one, you likely wouldn’t know how to sit on it.

It’s crucial to find a sustainable product to wipe our bums that reduces damage to the ecosystem – and us.

Regular Toilet Paper Just Won’t Cut It Anymore

  • We must be full of it: The average person uses about 100 rolls a year. Research suggests a family of four can use up to three rolls a week. That’s a lot of paper!
  • It’s not sustainable: Wood pulp comes from trees. The companies making T.P. often aren’t concerned with the environmental impact of deforestation over recycled content.
  • Typical toilet paper is terrible for the environment: Creating a single roll pumps carbon into the atmosphere while using almost 40 gallons of water.
  • It’s not good for us, either: Toilet paper contains human-made chemicals, toxins that find their way into our bodies – and the water supply.
  • Paper doesn’t dissolve fast enough: Toilet paper starts to dissolve in about 15 seconds after it hits the water. The more layers you use, the longer it takes to fall apart. It can take four minutes to disintegrate enough paper to unclog a pipe. If you’ve ever had a toilet overflow, you know that four minutes is a long time.
  • We hoard it: At the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, nearly half of the big box stores experienced a toilet paper shortage. The shelter-in-place orders emptied shelves, and we kept more paper on-hand than we needed, just in case.

Bamboo toilet paper may be the perfect solution in today’s throwaway culture. It’s plentiful, sustainable, and natural.

Bamboo is Just… Better

  • It grows like a weed: If you’ve ever planted ornamental bamboo in your garden, you know it takes over – fast. Some species can grow three feet in a day, making it plentiful.
  • It’s easy on the environment: Bamboo drinks less water than a hardwood tree and cranks out over a third more oxygen than an average hardwood tree.
  • Bamboo is strong and durable: While most toilet paper is created by pulping wood chips and treating the pulp with bleaches to whiten it and chemicals to soften or moisten it, bamboo is fiber-based. The fibers are soaked and pressed into paper sheets. The resulting material is soft but strong.
  • It just feels better: If you’ve ever slept on luxe bamboo sheets, you know how smooth bamboo feels. That’s nice for your nether-regions. If you have a bamboo cutting board, you know it can be strong and durable, too. You’ll be cleaner, too.
  • Bamboo paper is safe: Bamboo doesn’t require bleaching to make it a marketable color. Dyes aren’t necessary, either. It’s 100% natural.
  • It breaks down fast: The all-natural product is strong enough to help you clean up while being 100% biodegradable.

You can see the advantages of using items found in nature to clean up after doing what’s natural. You can use a rock more than once. They’re everywhere, but they’re uncomfortable when rubbing a sensitive area. Like paper, Corncobs are single-use and, although they break down eventually, the chafing will make you think twice.

Consider making the switch to toilet paper made of bamboo. The environment will thank you.

Your bum will, too.