Alternatives to moist toilet paper

What moist toilet paper actually is

The name suggests ordinary toilet paper that happens to be damp. In practice most products sold as moist toilet paper come in a resealable soft pack, feel like a wet wipe, and are made the way wipes are made: as a sheet that stays strong while wet. That strength is useful in your hand and a problem in the sewer.

When Consumer NZ tested 11 wipes sold as flushable, all of them stayed intact apart from the occasional small tear, while toilet paper started breaking down within minutes. Palmerston North City Council says ninety per cent of wet wipes on the market are made from nonwoven fabrics of polyester or polypropylene, materials that don't break down well in pipes.

Some products do pass the joint Australian and New Zealand flushability standard, AS/NZS 5328:2022, and can carry its flushable symbol. Watercare's advice is to look for that symbol, and if it isn't there, don't flush it.

Option 1: foam or spray on dry toilet paper

This is the closest swap. You fold dry toilet paper, add a small amount of cleansing foam or spray, and let it soak in for a moment. The paper becomes soft and damp, you use it the way you would use moist toilet paper, and you flush it as the toilet paper it still is.

With Foamie Gentle Toilet Paper Foam the directions are to fold three or four sheets, press the pump once onto the paper and wait about two seconds before wiping. A 60 ml bottle gives roughly 400 pumps for NZ$19.95, which works out at about 5 cents a use. Our how to use toilet paper foam guide covers the routine, and toilet paper spray NZ explains the difference between a mist and a foam.

Option 2: a bidet seat or attachment

A bidet washes with water, then you pat dry with a little toilet paper. It is the most thorough way to get a wet clean, and once fitted there is nothing to keep buying.

It does need a connection to the cold water supply, and electric seats need a power point near the toilet. In a rental you will need the landlord's permission. Our bidet vs toilet paper foam guide compares the two in detail.

Option 3: a rinse bottle

A squeeze bottle filled with warm water is the cheapest way to rinse. You use it over the toilet and then dry with toilet paper. It takes a little practice to avoid splashes, but it costs almost nothing and travels easily.

Option 4: reusable cloths

Tauranga City Council suggests a reusable option, such as a flannel and warm water, as a way to save money and keep waste out of landfill. Cloths never go in the toilet. They need a lidded container until wash day and a hot wash, which suits some households better than others.

If you keep using moist toilet paper

Put every sheet in the bin unless the pack carries the AS/NZS 5328 flushable symbol. Queenstown Lakes District Council's advice is to keep a small bin next to the toilet for anything that isn't one of the three Ps, pee, poo and paper.

Binning matters because the costs of flushed wipes are real. Water New Zealand has estimated that clearing blockages from wipes and other non-flushables costs at least $16 million a year, and Watercare says it spends about $5.5 million a year cleaning up wastewater overflows from these kinds of blockages in Auckland. Blockages in your own pipes are your cost, not the council's.

If you would rather not have a bin of used sheets in the bathroom, a foam on dry paper is the simplest change. Foamie Gentle Toilet Paper Foam is on the product page, with a sign-up to hear when stock is back if it has sold out.

Questions people ask