Bamboo toothbrushes are all the rage in eco-friendly bathrooms. Etee offers not just any bamboo toothbrush, but a bamboo toothbrush with a replaceable head. They also offer a completely biodegradable silk floss. Both products make sense for a brand known for being plastic-free. I’ve been using these sustainable dental care swaps for the past 3+ months. I’m not a huge fan of the toothbrush but I love the floss. I’m going to explain why, and why you might still want to try the bamboo toothbrush.
I didn’t think the toothbrush and floss each needed their own review so this article might look slightly different than my usual review post. But, it should be just as easy to understand and navigate.
Table of Contents
Sustainably is supported by readers like you. When you buy through links on this site, we may earn an affiliate commission at no additional cost to you. You can read more about affiliate links on our “Affiliate Marketing…” page.
Ratings
Etee Bamboo Toothbrush with Replaceable Head
Overall Score
Function
Durability
Ease of Use
Packaging
Etee Gently Minted Waxed Silk Dental Floss
Overall Score
Function
Durability
Ease of Use
Packaging
Ratings Breakdown
Do I recommend these products?
I definitely recommend the floss. The floss was thicker than normal but I got used to it after using it for a week or two. I have mixed feelings about the toothbrush though. If you use and enjoy bamboo toothbrushes already, then I would definitely recommend this one. Etee’s bamboo toothbrush with a replaceable head mostly offers a classic bamboo brushing experience. But, I already don’t really like bamboo toothbrushes and this one didn’t persuade me to like them anymore than I did before. There are a couple things I didn’t like that I’ll cover more in depth in the ratings breakdown below.
Etee's Bamboo Toothbrush Ratings
Does it get the job done? (Function)
It mostly does. I took a star away for one reason, the bristles are very soft. I understand the American Dental Association (ADA) recommends using toothbrushes with soft bristles. But this one occasionally left me feeling like I needed to go back and brush again or brush a little longer to really get a clean feeling.
At first the wood was a little dry? It would kind of rub my lip when I was brushing, but that went away after a while. Other than those two things, the toothbrush did its job.
Is Etee's toothbrush durable?
The ADA also recommends you replace your toothbrush once every three months. Etee’s toothbrush should last you the 3 months you’ll need it for. At the end of my 3 months, the bristles were starting to lose their original shape though. You might also find that the replaceable head is looser at the end of the 3 months than it was when you first popped it on. For those reasons, I deducted a star in this category too.
Was the toothbrush easy to use?
The replaceable head portion of Etee’s toothbrush is easy enough. I deducted a star because the head on the toothbrush comes off more easily than other replaceable-head toothbrushes I’ve used. It won’t exactly fall off mid-brush, but it just slides off the peg a little bit and you need to push it back down. It’s not a major issue but it was something that really annoyed me when I would have to do it. Especially because I always noticed after I started using it.
Packaging
The packaging the toothbrush came in was very simple. It was just a box. Neither the website nor the box say that it is compostable but it will be at least recyclable.
The toothbrush, on the other hand, consists of three parts. The replaceable head, the body, and the bristles (for disposal purposes). There is a staple keeping the bristles in place. All you need to do is remove the bristles with pliers and the staple will come out too. Afterwards, the head is compostable.
The bristles are said to be biobased but yet they’re not biodegradable. The body is just never mentioned. The only thing Etee mentions about the body is that it’s painted with a water based paint. So hopefully the base will just last you so long you won’t need to worry about disposing it. But you will have to send the bristles to landfill with your regular waste.
I gave the toothbrush 4 stars here just because there’s a lot of components to the product overall, and even though the packaging is simple, Etee doesn’t seem to be super clear about each piece. I wish Etee made it easier to find info for each piece and was more clear with the terms about the products. You can see their own listing for the product right here.
Etee's Silk Floss Ratings
Does it get the job done? (Function)
This floss works great. At first it felt a lot thicker than I was used to. It made my gums a little sensitive for about a week, maybe two. I wasn’t able to find any research about floss thickness so this shouldn’t be a legitimate concern. Once I got used to the floss, it worked like any other floss I’ve used. It’s just as strong as the floss you’d get in a plastic container, it cleans just as well, and looks 10 times better in your bathroom!
Is Etee's silk floss durable?
I got the glass version but Etee also offers a stainless steel version of the floss holder. I was curious about how the glass would do and so far I have absolutely no complaints or worries that it will be just fine. It travels fine and it can get tossed around the counter with ease. In fact, I accidentally tossed it across the counter the other day and it’s still as good as new.
Was the floss easy to use?
There’s nothing special about how this floss works other than the fact that you load it into the dispenser yourself. You simply unscrew the lid, pop the floss in and feed one end of the floss through the opening on the lid. The floss only fell back into the container once but it’s a super easy fix. Overall, the floss is super easy to use.
Packaging
The packaging is said to be printed with soy-based ink and is recyclable. It may be compostable as well but they don’t make that claim on their site. The little floss rolls come in a cornstarch baggie. The rolls and the dispenser are held in place by a little cutout made from the same material as the outer packaging. Etee doesn’t specifically say that the baggie and the floss are compostable but both should be. You’ll want to do more research before composting either though, just to make sure the materials will compost appropriately in your home compost.
What toothbrush options does Etee offer?
As for the toothbrush itself, you have a choice of 4 colors. Each single toothbrush will cost you $5. You can also buy a 4 pack at $20. Sadly there’s no savings for the 4 pack and it automatically comes with each color.
The refills come in packs of 2 and will cost you $8, so $4 per head. That is pretty pricey compared to the average plastic toothbrush. There’s really not any money savings in this product, even in the long term, so you’ll be making this swap purely for the planet.
If you’re interested in more than one of Etee’s oral hygiene products then they also have kits. Etee offers the following:
- Dental Care Kit Fluoride and Non-Fluoride for $49.99. Those come with a 3-months supply of toothpaste tablets, 1 teal toothbrush, 1 glass jar for floss, and a total of 4 floss spools.
- The total Toothcare Kit comes with a 3-months supply of toothpaste tablets, 1 teal toothbrush, and 1 floss jar with 2 floss spools. This kit is the only kit with a subscription option. The kit will cost you $39 with the subscription or $48 without.
- And lastly, the Happy Tooth Essentials comes with 2 toothbrushes, 2 replacement heads, and 1 floss jar with a total of 3 floss spools. That will set you back $38.
Etee also offers an electric bamboo toothbrush with replaceable heads. You can find that and the other products I’ve mentioned on their Dental Care Shop page.
What floss options does Etee offer?
In addition to the kits from above, you can order the floss on its own. That will cost you $12 and you’ll get 1 glass jar or 1 stainless steel container and 2 floss spools.
Etee’s floss spool refills will cost you $9 a pack with the subscription, and $10 without. Each pack comes with 2 floss spools. That means each spool costs about $4.50 or $5. That’s very costly if you’re used to buying the $1 option at Walmart. So just like with the toothbrushes, you’ll have to make this sustainable swap out of the goodness of your heart or from personal preference because it won’t be saving you any money.
Beware of Subscriptions
The subscriptions are simple. You can opt in for a subscription on both the floss refills and the toothbrush head replacements. And, you can choose anywhere from 1 to 6 month refill frequencies.
To change, pause, or cancel your Etee product subscription you simply navigate to your account tab. “Manage Subscriptions” will appear in the top left corner of your screen, underneath the Etee logo. You’ll be able to manage your subscriptions there.
What makes Etee dental care products sustainable choices?
There are several things that make Etee’s dental care products sustainable swaps. First, I love the replaceable toothbrush head idea. I think it has the potential to reduce even more material consumption, save on space and packaging, and more. The Etee toothbrush also comes with the added benefit of being compostable once the bristles are removed. While it’s not zero waste, it’s an excellent alternative to a full plastic toothbrush.
If you can compost the floss and compost or recycle its packaging then the floss is truly zero waste. But even if you can’t compost the floss, it’s still plastic free. So if it does meet the right conditions in a landfill or escape our waste stream it won’t pollute the planet for decades to come like plastic.
I think both Etee’s bamboo toothbrush with replaceable heads and their silk dental floss are great products. Both rightfully earn a spot on my recommended list, even though I’m not the biggest fan of the bamboo toothbrush. I’m not sure Etee’s toothbrush will be my new go-to but the floss will be. And if you’re already down for bamboo toothbrushes, you might enjoy theirs!
Thanks for joining me today! If you liked this content and want to see more, please subscribe to my newsletter. You can do that here!
If you’re looking to create a plastic-free bathroom, checkout this razor review. In it I cover my experience with the Leaf Twig safety razor.
Sustainably is supported by readers like you. When you buy through links on this site, we may earn an affiliate commission at no additional cost to you. You can read more about affiliate links on our “Affiliate Marketing…” page.