During my lunch break at the Amish Market in midtown Manhattan, I noticed the bamboo toothbrushes by WooBamboo last week. For years now, I have been writing about the eco-friendly benefits of this rapidly-renewable resource and its use in clothes, furniture and kitchen accessories. At home, I have coasters, cutting boards and cooking utensils made of bamboo that I love, but I never considered switching to a bamboo toothbrush until now.
WooBamboo has an eco-friendly toothbrush for everyone with three different handle sizes and bristle strengths. You can choose from a standard handle toothbrush with ergonomic curves to fit the hand and a slim handle toothbrush, which is slightly thinner with a smaller head. Both models come in soft, medium and super soft for sensitive teeth and gums. The third one is called the WooBamboo “Sprouts” and is geared towards small children or can be used as a travel-sized brush. These only come in super soft. What’s so cool about the toothbrushes is that the handles are made from biodegradable and antimicrobial bamboo. After 2-3 months of brushing, you can simply remove the bristles made of Tynex, which are recyclable and then throw the remaining handle into your compost or backyard to biodegrade.
According to WooBamboo’s website, worldwide plastic toothbrush usage is estimated at over 2 billion per year that end up in landfills. Replacing your petroleum-based plastic toothbrush with a greener alternative is easy and can put you into an eco-friendly mindset for the rest of your day. Bamboo is a sustainable resource that grows up to 4 feet a day without the use of pesticides, herbicides or fertilizers. Its antibacterial properties make it ideal for the use in bathrooms. But here’s one “watch out” if you want your bamboo toothbrush to last: WooBamboo cautions that bamboo will eventually soak up water and expand if it sits in liquid for too long. Not an easy task since most likely you’ll keep it it next to your sink. So please dry your bamboo toothbrush after each use and keep it standing up in a vented container. Happy brushing!
Connect with Elke @eco_chic_design