It's called toilet paper. Toilet paper
As we embrace the doctrine of a comfort-obsessed society, certain parts of our bodies have become so delicate that they must be wiped with three-ply, scented, shiny white, patterned toilet paper. Before I give you some of the arguments for switching to eco-friendly toilet paper and share my thoughts on which one is better, let's look at some of the concerns I've heard about switching to a different type of paper:
She's tougher than usual. Not always, there are papers made from recycled materials of very good quality. But if you have hemorrhoids or the skin of a child or puppy is too delicate, then maybe you should just wash it.
It's more expensive. Perhaps good eco-friendly ones are more expensive than usual, but this is your ethical choice. Think about it and make up for the small increase in cost with your awareness.
Other papers smell nicer and look more beautiful. Scented toilet papers contain chemicals used to maintain the scent and this can cause all sorts of health problems for our growing children. And a brilliant white or pleasant cream color is given to it by chemical treatment with chlorine and other substances. Therefore, it is better to think and make the right choice.
What is eco-friendly toilet paper?
In most developed countries of the world, the rate of paper recycling is constantly increasing. In the European Union, almost 60% of paper is reused, in the US - about 50%. Once upon a time, our country was also at the level of average world standards in this indicator, but now it is far behind: we use less than a quarter of the waste paper generated.
According to the Australian Conservation Foundation, "every tonne of recycled paper saves 13 trees, 2.5 barrels of oil, 4,100 kilowatts of electricity, four cubic meters of waste and 31,380 liters of water." In addition, 400 kg of CO2 is saved.
The average person uses about 23 rolls of toilet paper per year. One tree, if properly processed, can make about 1,000 rolls of paper. If you multiply by the population of our country, you can get the average number of trees cut down per year.
Environmentalists claim that about 10 thousand hectares of forest are cut down in Russia every year for the production of toilet paper.
By purchasing only recycled paper, a family of three or four people can save one tree in a year.
What types of eco-friendly toilet paper are there?
There are 2 types of recycled paper:
- consumption (office paper, waste paper)
- household waste and production by-products - trimmings, etc.
And of course the packaging. The best eco-friendly toilet paper comes in recycled packaging.
Why choose paper from recycled paper?
The most common toilet paper in our country, which can be considered environmentally friendly, is paper made from recycled paper. Previously, when waste paper was actively handed over to collection points, there was much more such paper. Now it is more difficult to find, but it is possible.
There is no need to use virgin cellulose when creating toilet paper. Toilet paper does not require special strength and durability, nor supernatural whiteness. This means that it can be produced from waste paper without cutting down forests.
Recycled paper is environmentally friendly. Its use helps preserve forests and reduce household waste. One ton of waste paper saves about five cubic meters of wood - or 10-20 trees. In addition, recycling waste paper is a much cleaner and less energy-intensive process than pulping.
Manufacturers:“ZEWA plus”, “ZEWA 54 meters”, “Lotus Colours”, “TORK”, “Tolyattinskaya”, “T/B 55m”, “Bogatyr 65m”, “Mishka”, “Comfortable”, “Shine”, “Premial” "", "Leaf", "Baikal", "Belek", "Fluff", "Lilac", "Lily", "Primula 55 waste paper"
Toilet paper is one of the most popular consumer goods. Now there is a wide variety of toilet paper on the domestic market. Now there is a wide variety of toilet paper on the domestic market, your choice of single-layer, multi-layer paper or even with flavors.
Manufacturers produce not only white paper, but also models of different colors and scents, for example, Zewa Deluxe or Lotus Aroma. However, this does not mean the product is of high quality. Moreover, scented and/or colored toilet paper, according to experts, can cause irritation and allergic reactions in sensitive areas of the skin.
Criteria for evaluating toilet paper.
Having studied the wishes and preferences of consumers, we have derived the most important criteria for assessing the quality of toilet paper:
- Toilet paper should be strong enough. Otherwise, you will have to unwind more each time you use it, and the roll will be used up faster.
- Absorbency (absorption) and solubility in water are indicators of efficiency: highly absorbent paper is consumed more slowly, and highly soluble paper will allow you to avoid unpleasant blockages in pipes.
- The softness of toilet paper determines comfort and ease of use - soft, it will avoid irritation on sensitive areas of the skin.
- The ease of tearing off sheets of toilet paper affects ease of use. Although all the models we tested are perforated along tear lines, not all of them tear equally easily. High-quality paper should be easily torn off exactly along the line and without tears along the vertical sheet.
How to save money when buying toilet paper?
Toilet paper is a product of everyday use, the purchase of which can significantly save money. We advise you to pay attention to the length of the toilet paper. The results of our cost per meter calculations showed that the price of a package or roll often differs greatly from the actual cost of a meter of toilet paper. By looking at the roll length indicated on the package, you can understand how much paper you are paying for.
When choosing paper, you should not focus on price. The high price of toilet paper does not mean high quality. For example, during laboratory tests, the highest results were shown by Zewa Deluxe toilet paper - far from the most expensive model on the market. As a rule, manufacturers make paper either denser at the expense of softness and solubility, or, on the contrary, soft at the expense of strength.
Before buying toilet paper, you should pay attention to the thickness of the paper. Thin and fragile paper is consumed 20-30% faster than thick paper, so its actual cost will be higher.
Don't forget that packages come in different sizes: by purchasing packages of 9-12 rolls, you can save up to 30%.
Toilet paper is a daily personal hygiene product that helps keep certain areas of the body clean after defecation. These areas of the body are extremely sensitive and delicate, they may have microcracks, and it is very important not to damage them or cause infection. Therefore, choosing toilet paper is a serious issue, and when deciding on it, it is necessary to take care of safety from a medical point of view.
Making toilet paper is a very complex process. The paper must be soft and must have tear lines in strictly defined places. To avoid clogging sewer pipes, the paper must completely decompose in water.
Raw materials
The following raw materials are used for the production of toilet paper: natural cellulose, recycled materials, mixed raw materials.
Naturally, toilet paper made from cellulose (a polysaccharide, the main component of plant walls) is more expensive, but has significant differences in quality: it is completely soluble in water, which is important for the sewage system; is the most hygienic, since it does not contain harmful impurities such as lead and chlorine; noticeably softer to the touch and has increased absorbency, which is again important for many. Toilet paper is made from natural cellulose and looks the most aesthetically pleasing: the color can be any, but it must be clean and unblemished.
Toilet paper made from recycled materials - waste paper and cardboard - has its advantages: it is quite cheap, has good hygroscopicity and density, meets high sanitary standards (made with the use of antiseptics and anti-foam agents), but is denser, rougher, single-layer, and does not have a pure color , and even painted green, blue or pink, has a grayish tint.
Safety
Color . The safest color is white as it is not dyed. The paper may still be white after treatment with chlorine. This is environmentally friendly paper, but using such toilet paper is not very pleasant. The packaging should state that no chlorine bleach was used.
Also, the paper can be gray, less aesthetically pleasing, single-layer.
According to sales statistics, consumers still prefer cheaper paper, grey, made from recycled materials. This is understandable and normal, the main thing is that this paper complies with GOST and all sanitary and hygienic standards. In addition, paper made from recycled materials saves wood
Often the paper is tinted some color or a pleasant smell is added.
It is not allowed to add antiseptics, flavors and dyes that can cause allergies.
Best before date toilet paper up to two years. Expired paper loses its useful properties.
Softness. The paper should be soft. Hard paper can cause discomfort and discomfort.
The packaging must indicate the GOST of the corresponding country, the address of the manufacturer, footage (on average 54 meters), weight (from 13 to 40 g, depending on the number of layers) and composition.
Hygiene
The paper should absorb everything. Embossed paper absorbs much better.
The paper can be single-layered or multi-layered. It is better that the paper has 3-4 layers, not glued together, with an air gap. Two-layer and three-layer toilet paper is made from natural cellulose or mixed raw materials and is the most expensive. Single-layer is made from recycled materials, therefore the cheapest. But the number of layers does not always ensure the quality of the paper; if the paper embossing is poor, the paper will delaminate, causing inconvenience during use.
Convenience
The paper should have a clear tear line at the perforation and be easily torn off the roll.
Zero waste
The paper should completely dissolve in water.
In Russia, only 25% of paper is produced from waste paper, so about 10 hectares of forest are cut down every year.
We wish you a good choice!
Even the choice of toilet paper must be approached responsibly. Many people do not pay attention to this, but those areas for which we use this product are sensitive and susceptible to low-quality material. To prevent your skin from becoming irritated and itchy after using paper, consider the following points: material, manufacturer, layers, composition and ability to dissolve (is this easy to do).
Manufacturer
The brand of toilet paper matters, because trusted manufacturers are the best and safest option for your health. Each roll is wrapped in a packaging layer on which the brand can be read. If you want to experiment and buy new paper, choose one that is more expensive. The cost of toilet paper, even expensive, will not significantly affect your pocket, but will not harm your health.
Composition of toilet paper
Toilet paper is made from recycled materials or naturally occurring cellulose. High-quality toilet paper is made from natural polysaccharide or wood cellulose. This is an expensive material from which paper and cardboard are also produced. Under the influence of water, cellulose begins to dissolve, so used high-quality paper can be safely thrown into the toilet.
Wood cellulose does not contain harmful impurities, so it is considered absolutely safe for hygiene. In addition, it is soft and absorbs quickly. Don't be afraid to buy high-quality paper if it is not standard white, but pink, light green or any other color. The dyes used to make paper from wood pulp are special, safe ones.
Recycled raw materials are recycled waste paper, which is also used in paper production. It is gray in color and generally unattractive in appearance. Paper is rough and rough for delicate skin, but has the following advantages: hygroscopicity, density and low cost. In addition, when producing this type of paper there is no need to cut down trees and disrupt the ecological balance.
Toilet paper safety
A high-quality product must be manufactured according to all hygienic requirements. This means that its composition should not contain questionable dyes, fragrances or antiseptics. If the paper combines all these additives, then in order to avoid allergic reactions it must have the appropriate one.
The best and safest option is white toilet paper. But when purchasing, read the packaging: the product should not be treated with chlorine. Such paper will be snow-white, but will cause discomfort when used. Gray paper is also safe (albeit rough to the touch) if it has special markings on the packaging.
The easiest paper to produce is single-layer paper. It is packaged separately and wrapped in wrapping paper. Multilayer is sold in large packages of several pieces per pack. Packaging cellophane allows you to store the product securely and prevent it from getting wet.
Pay attention to the quality certificate if you buy with flavorings.
Hygiene of toilet paper
The more layers there are in the paper, the better quality it is and the better it absorbs moisture. But even recycled materials do not mean that the quality of the paper is not the best. The premium quality multi-layer product can be made from either cellulose or recycled . A high-quality product dissolves easily in water.
The convenience of toilet paper
If you want maximum convenience when using paper, choose a product with perforation. This is a tear line that will help you easily separate the required amount of paper. There are rolls with a dissolving sleeve. It is better to throw such a sleeve in the trash than to dissolve it in wastewater, creating a load on the wastewater treatment plants of the city and the planet.
You can see how toilet paper is made in the video.
