Imagine where we would be if it weren’t for the invention of the toilet paper. We’d probably be using newspaper every time we go to the bathroom. Before the toilet paper was developed in China, people used a variety of interesting things for their bathroom needs. Aside from good old newspaper, different cultures used coconut shells, leaves, sheep’s wool and other items that you will not even think of using today. Presently, the toilet paper is a staple in the bathrooms of many cultures. If you’re looking for an environment-friendly type, then you should consider buying the unbleached toilet paper.

To bleach or not to bleach

Simply put, bleached toilet paper causes more damage to the environment. This is because the bleaching process uses chlorine dioxide which produces dioxin. Dioxin is a powerful toxic chemical that can cause irreversible damage not only to fish, but even humans. So when you opt for unbleached toilet paper, you’re actually doing the nature (and yourself) a favor. An extreme amount of this chemical in the human body can cause lowered male sex hormones, diabetes, endometriosis and even cancer.

How to spot the nature-friendly toilet paper

To know if you are buying unbleached toilet paper, there are a few simple terms to look out for. The first obvious term to look for, of course, is “unbleached”. If the product says “processed chlorine-free”, this means that the paper was bleached with oxygen or hydrogen peroxide, this is also safe. “Totally chlorine-free” means the same thing.

However, watch out for the label “elemental chlorine-free”. This term simply means that the product used for bleaching was chlorine dioxide, instead of chlorine gas.

More information on Toilet Paper is available in Picky Guide,