Toilet paper is one of those household items you don’t really question when you go into someone’s house, you just expect it to be there.
Because of that, it’s also one of the most in-demand products (as this previous year has clearly demonstrated), contributing to a high amount of monthly waste.
In an effort to reduce the amount of waste they produce, some people are turning to a “clothier” alternative.
Once you’ve bought one pack, you’re set!
Selling rolls of reuseable toilet paper on Etsy , Amazon , and other online marketplaces, eco-friendly crafters are making a zero-waste alternative to toilet paper rolls.
Meant to be a one-and-done purchase (or DIY venture), a single roll is designed to be washed every 2-3 days.
The used sheets are collected in a bin to be washed.
Collected in bins after each use, MamaBearBabyWear’s rolls are made up of individually sized cloth sheets. Sized for the perfect wipe, the small fabric pieces can be made out of bright or patterned fabric, helping you feel both environmentally friendly and fancy.
When you need to wipe, you simply unsnap a sheet from the roll.
Easy to make from your own home (or easy to buy if you’d rather do that) some “unpaper” wipes like Petit_Poh’s are made with little snaps on either end, connecting to the other wipes and wrapping around the roll.
They’re made out of 100% cotton flannel.
Alternatively to the snap design, other sheets like SaveTheWorldTogether’s are slightly larger, long enough to wrap around the roll without snaps. Made out of soft, 100% cotton flannel, the sheets are moisture-absorbant and comfortable to use.
The sheets even come in cute and colorful patterns.
With playful designs like BesseMargaret’s spiky green cactuses, the somewhat… messy process is made just a little cuter.
On top of that, similar to reusable baby diapers, the zero-waste alternative can actually be a great monthly cost-saver.
Fill the waste bin with a cleaning solution like vinegar or detergent.
SagedHome recommends not only keeping a lidded waste bin in your bathroom for discarded sheets, but filling the bin with a water/vinegar mixture, or a splash of detergent. Doing this cuts down on laundry loads, pre-cleans the sheets, and keeps your waste bin odor-free.
It also works well in conjunction with a bidet.
Having already switched over to a bidet as an alternative, Sarah says that having a reusable toilet paper roll is the perfect way to dry off, and eliminates all toilet paper waste from her house.
Even if you don’t want to make the full switch, they’re great for emergencies.
SagedHome suggests that even if you don’t want to completely switch over to reusable toilet paper, having a pack of these around helps to eliminate any potential “uh oh… there’s no more toilet paper…” stress.
Would you try it?
What do you think of the zero-waste toilet paper trend? It certainly seems to make sense, but I’m sure it must have a bit of an… adjustment period when you first switch over. Would you try them out in your home? Let us know in the comments below.
