A woman’s suggestion we all switch our single-use toilet paper for the “reusable” kind has left social media users mortified.
In a now-viral TikTokvideo, the employee from sustainability company Net Zero acknowledged the idea was controversial – and probably not for everyone – before running viewers through how the cotton wipes work.
“After the global toilet paper shortage of 2020, we came out with our reusable version,” she said.
“And to the 56,000 comments in disapproval of it, it’s meant to wipe water off – you know, like drying off after a shower.”
She added that the reusable cloths are best used in combination with a bidet, meaning the person probably needs to rinse themselves with water first before wiping off any excess.
They can then be put into a laundry bag or basket, washed in a machine, and then used again.
Suffice to say, most viewers were less than enthused to give the reusable toilet paper a try.
“Sorry, no. I am all about saving the Earth, but this is too far,” one wrote, while another said, “That’s a big no from me.”
“Me with an IBS stomach be like hell no,” wrote a third person.
“Ah … hard pass. I’d love to see a full bio study on these after a month,” another said.
Others wondered after “all the extra washing” required whether the toilet paper alternative was actually “good for the environment”.
“Don’t fix what’s not broken,” added one person. “Sure, you are helping [the] environment but not your water bill.”
Not everyone was as disturbed by the idea, though, with some pointing out taking up reusable toilet paper wouldn’t be that different from using cloth nappies on a baby.
“I love how people think this is gross but forget that we used cloth diapers for babies until like the ’40s,” said one person. (In fact, while disposable nappies first appeared in the late 1940s, cloth nappies are still used today and only fell out of fashion in the late 1980s.)
Others picked up on the TikToker’s point about using a bidet, saying they were common in some parts of the world.
“This is standard in Italy,” one viewer commented. “Funny to see Americans who don’t use water to clean after using the bathroom get grossed out by people who do.”
Another said: “Here in the Philippines, if you have bidet and soap, you’re good to go.”
