When starting a low-waste journey, there are plenty of products you simply learn to live without — toothbrushes, however, are not one of those.

It’s recommended that you swap out your toothbrush every 3-4 months, and with over 37.5 million people currently living in Canada, that equates to over 150 million toothbrushes every year! Making the switch to a bamboo toothbrush is an easy way to divert this single-use plastic away from landfills and reduce your environmental impact.

Kelowna-based company Brush Naked launched in 2015 and has been supplying Canadian retailers with high-quality, durable bamboo toothbrushes ever since. Brush Naked Bamboo Toothbrush handles are made with moso (a type of bamboo that pandas don’t eat) that is ethically and sustainably harvested in the Ningbo, Zhejiang region of China.

Not only are these bamboo tooth brushes durable, attractive and environmentally friendly, they’re also 20% off until October 4th in our refillery!

Brush Naked founder Sean McHaffie has developed an excellent relationship with their manufacturer over the last 6 years, ensuring that the process to source and harvest their bamboo meets environmental standards and that every employee is not only treated fairly, but also compensated appropriately. The bamboo handles on Brush Naked toothbrushes are fully compostable, and the nylon bristles are also made using 65% castor bean oil, which means they use less carbon to manufacture.

Like most Canadian small businesses, the Covid-19 pandemic has raised several significant challenges. We asked McHaffie how his business has responded to the pandemic, to which he responded:

“As far as sales go, substantially. As most of our business is selling to our retail partners, business dropped substantially when our retail partners were forced to shut their doors. Sales are increasing again, but still aren’t at pre-pandemic levels. As far as changes in the way we operate, there was basically none at all. As a toothbrush is a medical device, we elected to wrap our toothbrushes in a 100% compostable cello made from wood and cotton pulp many years ago.”

When asked what the most rewarding part of running his business was McHaffie said, “At the end of the day, it’s rewarding knowing that each toothbrush we sell means there’s one less plastic toothbrush going in the garbage!”

So next time you’re ready to replenish your toothbrush, consider making the swap to bamboo. Your mouth (and the planet) will thank you.