We want shiny clean teeth but not at the cost of living on a dirty planet. If you thought electric toothbrushes couldn’t be eco friendly, think again. Now, you can ditch the old fashion manual toothbrush for an upgraded sustainable electric toothbrush. That should help brighten your smile.
We’ve even found a zero waste electric toothbrush that doesn’t require electricity. Keep reading to learn more.
At A Glance
| IMAGE | PRODUCT | DETEILS | |
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Be. Brush |
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Quip Adult Electric Toothbrush |
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FOREO |
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Georganics |
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Boka brush |
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Top 5 Eco Friendly Electric Toothbrushes
We want clean teeth and a clean planet. And it’s not impossible to have both. As more people become conscious of the sheer amount of waste create by dental hygiene, new more eco friendly toothbrush options are becoming available.
We’ve scoured the internet to find the most eco friendly electric toothbrushes on the market based on sustainability, practicality, and of course how well they clean your teeth. These are the top five sustainable electric toothbrushes on the market. We are sure one will give you something to smile about.
Be. Brush Top Pick
The Be. Brush is the Cadilac of eco friendly electric toothbrushes, making it our top pick for the best zero waste option out there. I mean, it’s hard to be zero waste with toothbrushes when the American Dental Association recommends you change your toothbrush every three to four months (1).
But the team at Goodwell wants to change that. The latest in their line of environmentally conscious dental products the Be. Brush is all about minimizing waste. You just need to replace the head, and it’s designed to be minimal. A smaller head equals less waste.
But don’t just throw that head out. When it’s time to replace the head, you can send it back to Goodwell, and they will recycle it. The rest of the brush has a stainless steel core so that it can be reclaimed at the end of its’ life as well.
Not only that, but this electric toothbrush doesn’t run on batteries. So there is no need to charge it. But better than that, it means no toxic batteries to wind up in landfills poisoning our planet. Instead, you simply crank the handle a few times to charge it up.
The only downside is we aren’t the only people who think the Be. Brush is great. It’s currently on backorder, so be prepared to wait if you want this toothbrush.
Quip Adult Electric Toothbrush Budget Pick
Say bye-bye to bulky charging units cluttering up your bathroom counter. The Quip Adult Electric Toothbrush is sleek and portable. And better yet, it won’t break the bank, making it our choice for the best budget eco friendly electric toothbrush.
The slim design means less plastic waste to wind up in the landfill. Just swap out the head and keep using the same base. The base holds the three AAA batteries that power the toothbrush. Overall, it isn’t much larger than a standard toothbrush.
And because it runs on regular batteries, there aren’t any charging cables or bases to worry about. Which means less to pack when you are on the go. Heck, since it comes with a nifty travel cover, you can just pop it in your purse, so you are always prepared.
Now we do want to be eco friendly, so make sure you are using rechargeable batteries to power your toothbrush. But you don’t have to worry about daily charging or carrying extra batteries with you. You should be able to brush your teeth for three months on one charge!
FOREO ISSA 3 Rechargeable Electric Toothbrush
One way to cut down on toothbrush waste is to use your brush for longer than three months. But standard nylon bristles wear out quickly- not so with the FOREO ISSA 3 Rechargeable Electric Toothbrush.
Their ultra hygienic hybrid head lasts up to six months as opposed to a standard head that lasts only three months. That’s because Foreo uses a combination of PBT Polymer and Medical Grade Silicone for the bristles in this electric toothbrush. These bristles are two times stronger and 10,000 times more hygienic than nylon.
And if it’s choices you want out of your toothbrush, the ISSA 3 has you covered. You can choose between a variety of interchangeable head styles. But that’s not the only choice you have. There are sixteen different cleaning settings. Don’t worry, though. The toothbrush will remember your preferred setting, so you don’t have to select it on those sleepy mornings.
Not only do you not have to change the head often, but you don’t have to charge every day either. One two hour charge should last a whole year. Which is good because this toothbrush charges via USB, which can be kind of inconvenient in your bathroom.
Georganics Sonic Toothbrush Set
Georganics is a company that strives for zero waste. From their packaging to the product materials, they look for the most eco-friendly options out there. So the Georganics Sonic Toothbrush Set is fully recyclable.
Here’s how it works.
Save all your brush heads for the year. Once you have four stashed away, put them in an envelope and send them back to Georganics. If you live in the UK, you don’t even need to use postage! The folks at Georganics will cover the costs and recycle them for you. They have a partnership with TerraCycle to recycle products that fall outside the standard recycling scheme (like toothbrush heads). Now your toothbrush can get a second life.
While eco friendly, the Georganics Sonic Toothbrush still has everything you expect from an electric toothbrush. There are multiple speeds, a timer to let you know you are done, and a lithium rechargeable battery. The only complaint you sometimes hear about it is that the head is a little large. So this may not be the best choice if you have a small mouth.
Boka Brush
If you are looking for something out of the ordinary to clean your teeth, try the Boka Brush. The Boka Brush is the only electric toothbrush on our list to feature activated charcoal bristles.
The activated charcoal bristles help reduce bacteria and provide a gentler brushing experience. Brushing more gently can help reduce problems like gum and temperature sensitivity.
Not only will this toothbrush help your smile look tremendous, but It will look great in your eco friendly bathroom as well. This stylish toothbrush also features stainless steel accents and a magnetic charging base. It’s even waterproof, so you don’t have to worry if you save time by brushing your teeth in the shower.
Eco-Friendly Electric Toothbrush Buying Guide
There are many ways to be more eco friendly in the bathroom. You can buy low-flow showerheads or toilets to save water and natural cleaning supplies. Look for zero waste bath products.
While manual toothbrushes are available in compostable materials like bamboo, it is more difficult to find a quality eco friendly electric toothbrush. Luckily, we’ve compiled this comprehensive buying guide to help you decide which sustainable electric toothbrush is best for you.
Head Size
Brushing your teeth is an intimate activity, and everyone has their own unique preferences when it comes to their toothbrush. Depending on the size of your mouth and how sensitive your teeth are, you may prefer a smaller head with softer bristles. (Who knew something designed to get you clean could sound so dirty!)
Definitely, if you have a more petite mouth, you will find a smaller head easier to use, but that’s not the only reason to think small. Since the heads are the part of the electric toothbrush that gets disposed of, the smaller it is, the less waste there is. Now the Be. Brush has the smallest head on the market, which is perfect for getting those back teeth clean, and creating less waste.
Bristles
Traditionally, people made toothbrush bristles out of boars’ hair (2). However, the invention of plastics changed all that. And as National Geographic tells us, before we knew it, nylon bristled toothbrushes were everywhere.
“And because plastic is essentially indestructible, that means nearly every single toothbrush made since the 1930s is still out there in the world somewhere, living on as a piece of trash.”
Luckily, new, more environmentally friendly bristle technology is out there. The ISSA 3 uses a hybrid blend of high tech fibers that last longer than nylon bristles. This requires you to change your head less frequently, minimizing your trash.
Power source
Most electric toothbrushes have a battery of some kind where they store their charge- just like a solar power bank. Now, there is one exception on our list- but we’ll talk about that toothbrush later.
Let’s focus first on the ones with batteries. The big difference between these toothbrushes will be the type of battery they use, how long they stay charged, and how you charge those batteries. The most common battery found in electric toothbrushes is a lithium battery. However, some brushes use standard AA or AAA batteries as well.
Look for the battery that stays charged the longest with the shortest charging time.
consider how many hours your toothbrush needs to charge overall. This is how much power your toothbrush actually uses.
Now the Be. Brush is entirely different. It is an “electric toothbrush” that uses no electricity. Rather than plugging a battery into the wall, you supply the power by cranking the handle.
Materials
As we’ve said, it’s tough to escape plastics in the electric toothbrush world. Unlike manual toothbrushes that can be made out of natural materials like bamboo, all the electric toothbrushes on our list feature some combination of plastics and metals.
That being said, stainless steel can be recycled. And many of these manufacturers, like Goodwell and Georganics, have worked out partnerships for recycling complex materials, like the brush heads of the Be. Brush or Sonic Toothbrush.
Beyond the toothbrush itself, don’t forget to consider the environmental impact of the packing materials. Biodegradable packing and eco-inks are also ways to help minimize our carbon footprint, as is eliminating waste in other areas of our oral hygiene. You can look into zero waste toothpaste options or even try making your own.
Here’s a video on how to make your own DIY zero waste toothpaste and mouthwash:
FAQs
Electric toothbrush bristles are made of a variety of different materials. Nylon is still the most commonly used material in electric toothbrush bristles. But some toothbrushes, like the ISSA3 by Foreo, use other materials, like silicone and polymers.
No, traditional electric toothbrushes are not eco-friendly. That is because they rely on plastics, batteries, and other materials that are difficult to dispose of properly. However, the products reviewed here use sustainable business practices to minimize their environmental impact.
No, if appropriately used, an electric toothbrush can not damage your enamel. In fact, electric toothbrushes should help improve oral health. However, as with any toothbrush, it is important not to brush too hard. If you brush too hard over time, you can do damage to your teeth and gums.
References
- Toothbrushes. Retrieved from: https://www.ada.org/resources/research/science-and-research-institute/oral-health-topics/toothbrushes
- How your toothbrush became part of the plastic crisis. Retrieved from: https://www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/article/story-of-plastic-toothbrushes
Rachael and her husband arrived on Isla de Ometepe, Nicaragua in 2011. There they founded El Jardin de la Vida, a tropical micro food forest, focusing on Sustainable Living Education. She teaches others to build with natural materials, live off-grid, and appreciate slow food.
