Bamboo Paper Towels – 5 Reasons to Switch

Benefits of Bamboo Paper Towels

Why are you seeing so many bamboo paper towel companies popping up at your go-to retailer? Are they really that much better than regular paper towels?

Yes. They are more durable, longer-lasting, and generally more environmentally friendly. As a bonus, they also do well with cleaning windows.

What are bamboo paper towels exactly?

Bamboo paper towels aren’t actually paper towels. They don’t source paper at all. And though sources and materials differ with manufacturers and brands, many of the bamboo paper towel products featured in this article are sourced from 100% bamboo.

Some manufacturers opt to mix bamboo with other eco-friendly materials like sugarcane or corn starch, for example, to make the sheets softer and more malleable.

Why is that important? Why are eco-friendly bamboo paper towels better than regular paper towels?

Well, there are actually several reasons you might favor newer bamboo paper towels over traditional paper towels made from cellulose! Cellulose is a blend of wood, cotton, and other plants. Here are five great reasons to make the switch:

Bamboo Regenerates Every Few Months

According to the International Bamboo and Rattan Organization, Bamboo is a much faster-growing resource than trees.

In fact, bamboo grows so fast that certain species of the 45 genera of bamboo hold the world record for the fastest-growing plant.

Bamboo grows back in about 3 months. That’s a few months compared to the 20 years it could take for a tree to grow back.

And because bamboo self-regenerates, it doesn’t need to be replanted. It’s considered a renewable resource.

While we’re on the topic of bamboo paper towels, do be sure to check out our article on bamboo fabric towels for your bath and kitchen.

Bamboo Is Biodegradable

Bamboo is 100% natural. Like, comes straight from the ground naturally.

According to Bioplastics Magazine, bamboo is low-carbon, recyclable, biobased, and biodegradable.

The decomposition process doesn’t cause harm to the environment.

And according to Natural Life Magazine, bamboo is biodegradable in soil by microorganisms and sunshine.

Bamboo Is More Absorbent Than Regular Paper Towels

This YouTube video by BigGreenSmile compares the absorbency of bamboo towels to paper towels. The bamboo paper towels brand used was Ecoegg.

Bamboo is the clear winner. It’s way more absorbent. And the Eco egg towels outperformed the unnamed paper towels in all categories.

As you can see in the video, the standard paper towel that was used in the demo was drenched in the red demo liquid and still left remaining liquid in the cup. But, the reusable bamboo towel by Ecoegg absorbed all of the demo liquid inside the cup and left no red liquid behind.

Some Bamboo Paper Towels Are Washable and Reusable

Wait, are bamboo paper towels really reusable?!

Yes! Some bamboo paper towel brands can be reused and hand washed. Many can be machine washed and used again and again.

It’s quite durable. So much so that bamboo is starting to gain traction as a replacement to many products on the market that are currently being made using harmful plastics.

That’s how strong bamboo can be.

In doing research for this article, I discovered that bamboo is actually one of the strongest materials on the planet!

According to Interesting Engineering, bamboo has a tensile strength of 28,000 pounds — that’s 5,000 pounds more tensile strength than steel!

I had no idea that bamboo was that strong. Bamboo is even being used for reinforcement in civil engineering as an alternative to steel, according to Engineering Discoveries.

The sturdy quality of bamboo makes it a reliable alternative to more easily tearable paper products, as in the case of traditional paper towels.

What’s cool about bamboo towels is that many of them can be used in a variety of ways and get such a long lifespan–depending on the brand and makeup of materials.

Some towel companies suggest you wash your disposable bamboo towels in the washing machine a few times. Those are the thicker, more durable towels that have many uses in them before they reach the end of their lifespan.

So, if you were comparing bamboo towels to paper towels and thinking that they cost more… nope! They may initially be more expensive than their paper towel counterparts, but you’re probably not accounting for their reusability. If you do, bamboo towels are actually much cheaper.

Think of it as a slight investment upfront. If you buy bamboo towels that are reusable and re-washable, you’ll actually save money by switching to bamboo.

If you previously gave them a quick glance and thought they were too expensive, think again. They’re actually more budget-friendly.

Bamboo Conserves Water

According to Natural Life Magazine, bamboo has relatively low water needs compared to cotton and other crops. When compared to trees, bamboo is also said to take in more carbon dioxide–in addition to producing more oxygen.

Clean water is a limited resource. And with droughts occurring worldwide, access to clean water is becoming more and more important. According to FreshWater Watch, only 2.5% of the earth’s water is freshwater. Bamboo helps conserve water by needing less to grow.