products that aren’t as sustainable as you think // the surprising impact of toothtabs

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[lizzii]

Yes please do laundry sheets! I've been really curious about their impact and effectiveness

[whoah]

I would say many of us are using way too much toothpaste. Toothpaste would be significantly less wasteful if we just used the right amount as you said. Typically I've seen dentists say a pea size amount. Many of us (including myself previously) will apply as much toothpaste as will fit on the tooth brush - even in your stock footage this is how the toothpaste is applied. I was personally surprised when told by my dentist that the reason my teeth were hurting was actually because I was brushing with a hard toothbrush and using too much toothpaste. It is the brushing technique rather than the toothpaste amount that is important for cavity prevention. The toothpaste is essentially for flavoring and for fluoride, but also the fluoride can only get significantly absorbed by your teeth if you let the residual toothpaste sit on your teeth after brushing without drinking/rinsing for some time.

[carimclerran]

I have tried tooth tabs several times off and on but bc of my disability I have decided to stick with tooth paste and floss pics/water flosser to make life easier for me. I will support anyone trying to be more sustainable and remind my daughter when she's older to NOT leave the water running while brushing. Thanks for the continued education on sustainability. :)

[dagarnertn]

Fun fact, the bit of toothpaste on the toothbrush is called a nurdle.

[Indigo]

It's really refreshing to find an account that doesn't "ban" products because of single ingredients and for taking the time to look into the study with a healthy amount of scepticism. I'm really annoyed by packaging that is designed to have a lot of product left without being able to reach it. So I always cut open my products (and use the upper half as a lid). A tube of toothpaste that seemed empty last me for a whole more week or two! Not only more sustainable but also saves money :)

[kaylaemerson]

I completely agree with you, G (as per usual).
I have a B.S. in chemistry and a masters in chemical engineering, and it is absurd that this research did not use either a) the same mass of tooth cleaner for each product or b) the mass of tooth cleaner needed to reliably clean your teeth (like you said). That's just bad research; and probably was framed that way to show how much "worse" toothpaste tabs are. Also hilarious that the ReCiPe point differences were so negligible, but they used tabs that were twice the mass of toothpaste used.
Just from those choices made by the researchers, it is obvious they were conducting biased research.
Keep up the good work:) Your ability to spread information and articulate your opinions so beautifully are true gifts.

[BelleChanson]

Ranger Rick told me to turn the faucet off while brushing my teeth back in the early 90s and now it's ao ingrained it feels weird to leave it running for any reason 😂

[applesandparachutes]

I always love the stock videos you find, but the one of a woman applying toothpaste to a toothbrush at eye level while looking out over a river is a new favorite.

Please do the laundry sheet deep dive!! I'm finally running low on my liquid detergent and would love to know what the best next step would be.

[shleybulock]

I cannot thank you enough for helping us make more informed choices! I would love to see an analysis of the laundry sheets.

[RobertaDoorley]

Something that's never sat right with me (as someone living in northern Europe) is bamboo toothbrushes because bamboo can't be farmed anywhere near me and it doesn't make sense to be importing a material from across the globe when we could be using local/ish wood instead. I imagine you'll touch on this in the cotton buds deep dive, but thought I'd add my comment here on the topic of dental health. Thank you for doing the deep dives and looking into scientific reports - I really appreciate it!

[chloeb]

I've been so curious about this because while I love the concept of tooth tabs, the price/brush is insane (especially for a family of 3).

Please do laundry sheets!

[aubreevanderwoude]

I really like the deep-dives as well! I like knowing, based on real data, whether my swaps are actually more sustainable or if I'm just wasting money.
Side note: your hair looks 🔥 in this one! 😘

[rileycollison]

I'm autistic and have sensory issues. I have been using the same toothpaste for years. It comes in a non-recyclable tube, but I'm not sure if I would be able to change it, because I have tried other toothpastes, and I have found it awful.

[mckenziereed]

Great video! Would love if you made a book of these type of things in the future.

[andreag]

also where I live tabs are onyl available at our refill shop, which restricts who can get them, but also purchasing them from the refill store as opposed to a grocery chain helps support the small buisness which often struggles. Also my dental health has improved on tabs, even though they took me a long time to get used to texture wise.

[lilredbenett]

Yes to laundry sheets and eat buds. I asked my dr what was their medical opinion on earwax/ cleaning kits and she said your ears are clean, no build up, keep doing what you are currently doing and don't waste your money.

[lizmednick]

You don't mention who sponsored this study, and I'm suspicious, because they've leveled factors like end of life disposal and miles traveled, which are not equally problematic in the real world, especially when you accounting for the comparative weight of the items. This is what I'd do if I were trying to make a worse product look like a better choice.

[TiggerTheCatWithoutTail]

I use denttabs for about 6 or 7 years now and I still love them. Even my son uses the ones with strawberry taste. Crazy that it's not more sustainable than toothpaste. But the real benefit to stick with them is the feeling. My teeth are so clean and smooth every day like I had a professional cleaning at the dentist. (Which I don't need anymore because of using denttabs) And my dentist is very happy with my teeth too. I like to use the wingbrush dental floss (watermelon mint flavor) afterwards, because it cleans the interdental space so thoroughly like no other.

I think I didn't understand the reason why the test results say that toothtabs are not more sustainable like toothpaste. Maybe because I'm not an English native speaker. Can somebody explain it?
Toothpaste contains microplastic inside and is packed in plastic. And (if you use Colgate) it's produced in South America. So for Europeans its a long distance for shipping. Denttabs are produced in Poland and don't contain any plastics. So where does the impact come from?

[Idgaf]

I use the "Ajona" toothpaste concentrate that comes in a aluminium tube. One has to use a very small amount of it so it lasts very long.

[IledeMontagne]

Yes! Do the video on laundry sheets. I'm interested in your perspective as some people are saying they can't be made with plastic.