Towards a paperless bathroom

One of the many things the pandemic has taught us is that toilet paper is seen as an essential in times of crisis. The new bathroom is called to do without it for ecological reasons, but also for comfort and cost.

Isabelle Morin
The Press

What did we do before the arrival of the triple-ply roller silkier than a Persian cat? We took what we had on hand. Newsprint, among other things. Would we like to go back to that time for the environment? The fact that the information is now coming to us on tablets and online gives us an excellent excuse to answer: impossible!

Fortunately, there are other options. Toilet paper made from recycled fibers is one of them. But if it is possible to take a step further by winning the change, the reflection is worth it, according to Marie-Eve Lupien. The entrepreneur addressed the issue in 2019, a year after launching washable tissues. For her small business, Bateau Bateau, the transition to washable toilet paper was the next logical step.

“At the time, what the market offered was squares of flannel that cling together to make a roll. For one thing, I didn’t feel like wiping myself with a snap cloth, and I wasn’t interested in spending time winding up rolls of washable paper. After several tests to develop an effective and simple approach, the entrepreneur launched her product at the end of 2020.

“The psychological block to using washable toilet paper is cleanliness,” she notes. The bidet settles the question by bringing a notion of hygiene. Who would want to take a dry shower? Yet this is what toilet paper offers while the bidet allows cleaning with water. Is it more ecological? To have spic and span intimacy, no more than half a liter of water will be used with a bidet at each use. In comparison, a roll of toilet paper will have required about 140 L to manufacture, according to the Worldwatch Institute.

The ultimate toiletry

In many corners of the world, the bidet and the smart toilet are part of the mores. Anyone who has had the opportunity to travel to Japan has not forgotten the luxury of techno toilets which limit any source of discomfort in this moment of intimacy as much as possible.

With a heated seat, a jet of water that is always lukewarm and a few options that vary depending on the model — buttocks dryer, personalized functions for each user, sound and light atmospheres — smart toilets allow you to meet yourself almost more zen than at the spa. The trend has been on the rise since the arrival of COVID-19. At a cost of between $1,200 and more than $22,000, the smart toilet remains accessible to a minority.

The economy bidet

The economical and quick solution to switch to the hybrid or paperless formula is the removable bidet, available in specialized stores and hardware stores, which is relatively easy to install.

The bidet seat ($45 to $550)

In the form of a seat that is placed on the bowl or a ring that slips under the seat, it embellishes the existing toilet with one or two jets of water that flow from the back to the front. Controls allow you to control the intensity and temperature, depending on the model chosen.

Toilet sprayers ($25 to $230)

More rudimentary, since without jet intensity or choice of temperature, except for rare thermostatic models, they must be controlled manually. On the other hand, they facilitate the pre-cleaning of washable diapers, wipes or sanitary napkins.

“The choice of one or the other of the formulas is based on the particularities of each installation, indicates Marie-Eve Lupien. If you can’t remove your toilet seat [chose qui arrive, on confirme] or that the shape of his toilet is not compatible with the addition of a bidet seat, the hand shower is a less luxurious solution, but effective. » These two options connect to the water inlet of the toilet tank. Note: playing with obsolete plumbing complicates things and risks altering a sometimes precarious balance.

The portable bidet (from $15 to $35)

The less manual and the irreducible always have the option of the travel bidet. Its most obvious advantage is that it can be used anywhere — camping, trailer, boat — and filled with water at the temperature of your choice.

Hot water or cold water?

With a bidet without hot water, the experience grips unpleasantly when the mercury reads -20°C outside and the pipes are freezing. Some more cozy models offer a hot water function with adjustable temperature, but by the time the jet warms up in cold weather, the job is already over. Unless you have previously run the water at low flow through the nozzle cleaner, for example. To install them, the toilet must be located near a hot water supply, therefore near the sink.

Male, female: same experience?

The jet of a bidet is aimed directly at the rear area. To reach the front, the ladies of the house will have to move strategically in their seats and position their pelvis at the right angle, unless they have a bidet with two nozzles, one of which aims further forward. Two bonus points for the two-nozzle model, then! Men, meanwhile, may see some disadvantages to the shower that must slide between the legs to reach the back.

Tame the Beast

Attachment to habits and to toilet paper varies from user to user and requires time to adapt to find your comfort zone. Before completely eliminating the presence of paper in the bathroom, think of the guests. ” How it works ? may not be the question they want to ask you over dinner.

The washable: in hybrid or dry formula

“My 5 year old daughter still doesn’t use the bidet because it scares her. She uses the washable rollers that she puts in the waterproof bag, and it’s odorless, ”assures Marie-Eve Lupien. Some advise against them dry for more substantial works. “For my part, I put them directly from the waterproof bag to the washer, without pre-rinsing. And it washes! But if you have any scruples, you can always go in hybrid mode, she suggests. One of the problems with toilet paper is that it’s thin. To protect the hand, we make mittens. By depositing a single square at a time on a wipe, the largest is removed. Afterwards, frankly, there is not much left to clean. »