Op ed coronavirus pandemic hoarding pushed me to give up toilet paper

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Op-Ed: Coronavirus hoarding made me give up toilet paper - Los Angele... https://www.latimes.com/opinion/story/2020-04-13/toilet-paper-bidet-pa...
1 of 7 4/20/2020, 3:45 PM

I’ve haunted the paper goods aisle in my neighborhood stores and scoured online sites. Everything’s gone or on back
order. The supply chain has been disrupted by coronavirus pandemic panic buyers, and it’s not clear when it will get
back on track.
It’s easier to score a delivery appointment on Amazon Fresh than a single, scratchy generic roll.
Ships within 24 hours -
Visit Sitehome-goods.shop/32+R
But I’m not worried. I’m so over toilet paper.
On Wednesday, I hooked up a device that I hope will help me kick the habit. It’s a simple hose attachment that turns
my Toto into a bidet at the turn of a switch. If the hype proves true, it will change my life for the better, save me some
cash and do some environmental good in the process.
I wish I could say I’ve been thinking about this for some time. I write about trash and its effects on the natural
environment, though I’ve focused on the scourge of discarded plastic. But the innocuous white roll should have been
on my radar long ago because of how it is made, namely using wood chips from logged forests, harsh chemicals, and
lots and lots of water.
According to the American Forest and Paper Assn., the paper industry has recently clamped down on its use of water.
Still, to manufacture one ton of any kind of paper, 10,540 gallons of water were required as of 2016. In a 2019 report
titled “The Issue With Tissue,” the Natural Resources Defense Council says the toilet paper industry has played a key
role in the deforestation of the environmentally important boreal forest in Canada.
But the environmental impact of toilet paper was not on my mind as I turned to Google the other day. I just wanted to
know my options if I ran out of TP before the pandemic ended. The options were many, all unpalatable or ridiculous. I
could use newspaper pages, gathered leaves or a sponge on a stick. I could switch to reusable toilet wipes, which are
called — for reasons I don’t want to think about — “the family cloth.” One video jokingly suggested making toilet
paper by using printer paper soaked in water and then baked in the oven.
Yeah, no.
I’m a relatively hard-core conservationist, but even I have my limits. That’s why I
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means calling a plumber and shelling out hundreds, if not thousands of dollars, he said.
The basic toilet attachment sells for less than $100 and the many brands and varieties include under-the-seat units
and hand-held versions. That’s not a lot of money considering that Americans spend more than $13 billion a year to
keep the Charmin and Scott in stock, according to market data researcher Statista.
Bidets were growing in popularity in the U.S. even before the Great Toilet Paper Shortage of 2020, Tushy founder
Miki Agrawal said, but interest has recently surged for obvious reasons. Before the coronavirus pandemic, the biggest
hurdle was assuaging such concerns as “Will it squirt, um, poop up my rear end?” (no) and “Does it use dirty toilet
water?” (also no). The bidet attachment connects to the water pipe that connects to your toilet tank, not to the toilet
rim.
Another selling point is the claim that water cleans better than paper and is less abrasive on one’s delicate parts. Not
much scientific data are available on the topic, but common sense and my own limited experience support that
conclusion.
My only hesitation about taking the bidet plunge was water. Toilets account for the largest source of residential water
use and a bidet attachment uses about a pint a pop. But saving water is important in dry Southern California, so I
reached out to the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power. I learned that if a bidet tool was paired with a water-
saving device such as a low-flow showerhead or a faucet aerator— both available at no cost from the DWP — the net
water usage could be a wash.
This was good news. Two years ago I installed an ultra-low flow toilet, so I don’t have to feel guilty about an extra pint
per flush.
But I’m not going to lie. Having a jet of cool water spray your nether regions takes some getting used to. I still
reflexively reach for the roll sometimes rather than the washcloth to dry off. I’m getting the hang of it, and I think that
before long it will be as natural as, well, washing my hands.
I’m not saying everyone should rush out and buy a bidet. But think about it this way: Would you rather invest now in
something that might save you money or find yourself with your pants down during the next disaster with just a
sponge on a stick as a backup plan?
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Mariel Garza is an editorial writer focusing on state government and politics, plastic trash, public health and other
topics. Before joining The Times’ editorial board in March 2015, she was deputy editorial page editor of the
Sacramento Bee and is a former editor of the editorial pages of the L.A. Daily News and Los Angeles News Group.
She’s a graduate of San Francisco State University.
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