Introduction
Eco friendly bloggers and sustainability advocates are at the forefront of encouraging consumers to move away from normal toilet paper and try alternatives, like bamboo toilet paper. They have also however helped these consumers by comparing the different alternatives available, including a comparison of different bamboo toilet paper brands, bamboo vs recycled toilet paper and even the utility of scrapping toilet paper altogether and using a bidet!
You will therefore find a number of blogs online comparing bamboo toilet paper brands in the UK, often rating them out of 5 or 10, and noting the pros and cons of each brand.
However, given that many of these companies now provide samples for you to try prior to your first purchase, what are the factors and characteristics that you should be considering so that in addition to reading what the bloggers have to say, you can assess the bamboo toilet paper brands for yourself?
- Price
A key component to any purchasing decision is the price of the underlying product, and bamboo toilet paper is no different!
If two bamboo toilet paper brands have similar eco-credentials, are similar in quality and offer free delivery to customers in the UK, the differentiating factor should be price.
Comparing the price of different bamboo toilet paper brands however is not so simple, given the differing amount of sheets per roll, rolls per box and other factors. This is why comparing brands on a like for like basis requires a calculation of the cost per 100 sheets of toilet paper, and ensuring that the number of rolls per box being compared is equal
Given the importance of this characteristic however, I have done these calculations for you, comparing the top 20 bamboo toilet paper brands in the UK. Take a look at my blog, finding the cheapest bamboo toilet paper in the UK, to find out more!
- Water absorption
Unlike other tissues forms, the water absorption of toilet paper is somewhat limited, as an excessive ability to absorb water would potentially prevent toilet paper from flushing down the toilet, and block drains in the process
On the other hand however, if toilet paper disintegrates too quickly, becoming unusable if even a drop of water touches it, this is probably evidence of a low quality toilet paper.
A key component therefore when testing a sample of bamboo toilet paper is to allow a few drops of water onto a single sheet of toilet paper, and assess how the sheet of toilet paper reacts.
Ideally, a sheet of toilet paper is able to withstand a few drops, making it useful on a visit to the bathroom or when wiping one’s nose, but not so strong that it will block drains and cause you to call a plumber!
- Perforation
This describes the ease with which one individual sheet of paper can be separated from a toilet roll. If you pull one sheet from a roll, it should tear easily whilst maintaining its shape and texture
A pet peeve of many consumers is toilet paper sheets only partially tearing from the toilet roll, often leading to the use of more toilet paper sheets per bathroom visit.
Testing this component is relatively straightforward. We suggest placing the toilet paper roll on your bathroom toilet roll holder, and attempting to tear one sheet of paper from the roll, assessing how easily the paper tears at the perforation.
- Size and strength of individual sheets
Whilst the difference is often insignificant, the size of individual toilet paper sheets can often differ. This can have an impact on whether you can get away with using a single sheet to wipe your nose (or bum!) in the bathroom, or whether the use of several sheets is necessary.
Doing some research online, we have found that individual sheet size typically ranges from 10cm by 10cm to 12cm by 10 cm, with some companies offering 11cm by 10cm.
Whilst potentially more expensive, we would always recommend toilet paper which has a sheet size of 12cm by 10cm, as this will save the amount of toilet paper you use in the long run (and probably make up for the extra price you paid!)
The strength of individual toilet paper sheets is also important. We recommend you assess this by simply holding the toilet paper flat and attempting to poke your finger through it, noting the level of effort required for your finger to pierce through the sheet.
- Softness
One of the trickier areas to assess is the apparent softness of toilet paper, as this is subjective, and assessments of the same brand may differ from person to person.
Generally speaking however, toilet paper should be soft to touch, feeling comfortable when using against your nose or bum, and avoid the “scratchy feeling” often associated with recycled toilet paper brands.
Toilet paper is usually manufactured by creating extremely thin sheets of paper which are then stacked on top of each other to create the desired thickness and quality of the end product. It follows that 1ply toilet paper uses only one of these sheets of paper, whilst 2ply and 3ply involves stacking 2 and 3 of these thin sheets on top of each other.
It also therefore follows that 3ply toilet paper is often softer, stronger and of a higher quality and price than 2ply and 1ply toilet paper
We do note however that stacking 2 thicker sheets of paper to create 2ply toilet paper could be of a higher quality than stacking three thinner sheets to create 3ply toilet paper, and so ply count is not the be all and end all.
Ply count is one factor to consider when assessing toiler paper, but should be combined with all other factors in this article before a decision is made on which brand to proceed with.
- How easily the toilet paper flushes
Our article, does bamboo toilet paper block drains, notes that most toilet paper brands, even those made from wood pulp, will flush easily unless excessive amounts are flushed at once.
We would still recommend however testing the flushability of toilet paper by flushing several sheets down the toilet at the same time and assessing how quickly the sheets disintegrate and clear down the drain.
Summary
Eco friendly bloggers have done us a huge favour by comparing various bamboo toilet paper brands in the UK and making recommendations on the pros and cons of each.
For those amongst us who want to also make an assessment of these brands ourselves however, the seven factors in this blog should be considered and tested for when assessing samples.
If you are still unsure of which brand to go for after reading this blog, why not try out our very own Bamboo Soft? Combining high quality with low price, it offers a luxury soft bamboo toilet paper at prices which are affordable for most. Try it out today, we are sure you won’t regret it!