If you’re serious about increasing your sustainability in your bathroom, one change you can make is switching to unpaper toilet paper wipes in lieu of single-use toilet paper.
The cool thing about unpaper toilet paper wipes is that you can use them like single-use toilet paper or wet cloth wipes for a refresher throughout the day.
Before I share with you the unpaper toilet paper wipes I recommend, let’s talk about why you should make this swap.
Why should you swap to unpaper toilet paper?
Whether you use conventional toilet paper or a more sustainable toilet paper that I shared earlier this month, the truth is that you flush resources down the toilet with each use, which means you need more resources to continue the cycle.
When you switch to unpaper toilet paper, you end the single-use cycle and reduce the amount of resources needed.
According to National Geographic,
Toilet paper wipes out 27,000 trees a day!
It is one of the leading contributors to deforestation and climate change.
Another interesting fact from Treehugger.com,
It takes 37 gallons of water, 1.5 lbs of wood, and 1.3 KWh of electricity to produce 1 roll of toilet paper.
I’m personally someone who buys toilet paper in bulk, so let me share a personal example with you.
The toilet paper I used to purchase before creating a more sustainable bathroom contained 48 rolls. It would last my husband and me about 3-4 months, so let’s say I purchased 4 a year to keep things simple.
By switching over 100% to unpaper toilet paper wipes, I could help save 7,104 gallons of water, 288 lbs of trees, and 249.6 kWh of electricity a year!
Now imagine if you made the switch. That would save roughly double the amount of water, trees, and electricity!
It honestly adds up fast when you move from single-use to reusable, regardless if we are talking about toilet paper, paper towels, or anything that you can swap a single-use item for a reusable option.
What if you aren’t ready to fully commit to reusable cloth wipes?
I’m right there with you. Honestly, the idea of using reusable cloth wipes for #2 still freaks me out a little.
The great news is that anything you’re comfortable with switching makes a difference.
For example, let’s say that I only reduce my toilet paper usage by 25% in a year.
Using the numbers from above, that equals 1,776 gallons of water, 72 lbs of trees, and 62.4 KWh of electricity that I’m still saving a year!
It still makes a difference and helps to reduce the resources needed to produce toilet paper.
Ways you can utilize Unpaper Toilet Paper & Toilet Paper to create a sustainable bathroom
What I love about creating a sustainable bathroom is that you have options. They mostly depend on your comfort level, so let’s talk about what you can do to increase your sustainability in the bathroom where toilet paper is concerned specifically.
Option 1 // Use unpaper toilet paper 100% of the time.
This is the most sustainable option because it is the closest to zero waste you can get without using a bidet.
Not only can you use unpaper toilet paper for the obvious, but if you like using wet wipes, you can use these as a replacement for those as well!
Option 2 // Use unpaper toilet paper for #1 and as wet wipes, and recycled toilet paper for #2
This is my personal comfort level right now.
When you choose recycled toilet paper over conventional toilet paper, you eliminate the need for virgin trees completely. However, there is still a need for electricity and water to create toilet paper, but it is the most sustainable toilet paper option.
Check out my review of sustainable toilet paper brands here.
I think we forget that being more sustainable doesn’t require an all-or-nothing effort.
Doing anything that moves towards the sustainable way does make a difference!
I do recommend that you at least swap what you’re using for #1, because that will save you a LOT of toilet paper usage.
Other ways to use unpaper toilet paper wipes
The great news is that unpaper toilet paper wipes aren’t a one-trick pony! You can actually use them for other things in the bathroom or around the home.
Here are ways you can use them specifically in the bathroom:
- Face cloths
- Hand towels
- Shower washcloths
- Makeup remover wipes
- Cleaning rags
- Baby wipes
Think of how much money you will save by not purchasing these single-use items and using reusable cloth wipes instead.
Not only can you save money, but you’re also increasing your sustainability, which helps save the planet!
Just the idea of that feels good, doesn’t it?
Unpaper Toilet Paper Brands I Recommend
Everyone’s preference for toilet paper varies to some degree, so I wanted to share with you a few different small businesses that are doing great things, creating amazing unpaper toilet paper, and are worth supporting!
1 // OGandMe Cloth Wipes [Earth Day Set]
You can find OGandMe on Etsy and via their own website, and they are located in Texas, USA.
The cloth wipes are made from cotton flannel and cotton french terry.
I love OGandMe’s cloth wipes! They are soft and the perfect size for reusable toilet paper.
I chose the Earth Day set to remind us of the importance of using reusable instead of single-use. It honestly brings a smile to my face to use these reusable cloth wipes.
However, OGandMe has MANY options to choose from when it comes to color! You won’t be disappointed when you see all the options either!
Shop OGandMe’s Cloth Wipes now!
2 // Gina’s Soft Cloth Shop Paperless Towels
Gina’s Soft Cloth Shop can be found on Etsy and is located in West Virginia, USA.
The paperless towels I chose are 2-ply, unbleached certified organic cotton.
These paperless towels have a little more texture than flannel, so they aren’t necessarily as soft. However, they are still very comfortable to use, and I highly recommend them!
One other thing that I love about Gina’s Soft Cloth Shop is that they also have a lot of color options for the edging. It’s a more minimal approach, but one that I really like!
Get your own reusable paperless towels now!
3 // Padtastic Reusable Toilet Paper
You might remember seeing Padtastic in the reusable menstrual pad review post I did, and here they are again with their reusable toilet paper!
You can Padtastic on Etsy or via their website, and they are located in Washington, USA.
Their reusable toilet paper is made out of cotton flannel and is black, like the menstrual pads I received from them! They are also very soft, as you would expect from cotton flannel.
I love them in black because you don’t have to worry about stains of any kind, which means you can focus on more important things.
Padtastic also offers a variety of colors that you should check out!
4 // GenerationMe Family Cloths
GenerationMe is making another appearance in my recommendations for this series, which I couldn’t be more excited about! I’ve shared their reusable menstrual pads, as well as period pants, in previous posts.
Now, I get to share with you their fun variety of family cloth wipes!
GenerationMe is located in Wisconsin, USA, and their wipes are made of flannel and fleece.
These family cloth wipes are also very soft, but what I love most is the fun patterns you’re sent! You can choose the boy print option, girl option, or gender-neutral option to get a variety of fun patterns.
I personally love the rainbow pattern I was sent!
Get your own fun patterned family cloths from GenerationMe!
Final thoughts
I love how sustainable unpaper toilet paper is for your bathroom.
They can completely eliminate the need for single-use toilet paper if you’re that comfortable. At the very least, they can reduce the toilet paper expense considerably!
It’s gentler on the planet and your bottom. What could be better?
I’d love to know if you’ve made the switch to reusable toilet paper and any other zero-waste swaps you’ve made in the bathroom! Let’s chat below in the comments!
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