Under $50 Scores: The UnWipe will change the way you use the toilet
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Let’s be honest: A lot of the time, toilet paper just doesn’t cut it. Nobody wants to admit it, but we all know paper alone isn’t all that effective at cleaning up #2. I mean, if your dog pooped on the floor, you wouldn’t wipe it up with just a paper towel, would you? No, you’d get some water — at a minimum — to clean up the mess properly. The Covid-19 pandemic brought a wave of interest in the best bidets and other sustainable bathroom swaps as a solution to reduce toilet paper consumption, but not everybody wants or can afford to install a bidet. Additionally, some toilets might not even be able to accommodate them.
So, what’s a girl or guy to do if they’d like a bit of assistance in the clean-butt department? It’s no secret that you can simply wet your toilet paper in the sink to achieve a cleaner crack, but sinks are not always located right next to the toilet. Furthermore, when you turn on the tap, so much water might come out that the toilet paper becomes too soggy and mushy to be helpful.
That’s why The UnWipe, a simple gadget that perfectly wets your toilet paper in seconds, is my new favorite way to wipe my butt.
The UnWipe Original
20% off one UnWipe or 30% off two or more with code CNNDEALS
If you can’t afford, can’t accommodate or don’t want a bidet in your bathroom, consider getting The UnWipe. It’s small, extremely easy to use and highly effective. It’s so great, in fact, we think it deserves a spot in every bathroom that doesn’t have a bidet. Plus save up to 30% right now with code CNNDEALS at checkout.
How I found The UnWipe
Unfortunately, many clean butt-seekers have turned to so-called “flushable” wipes, which have been on the rise for years. The problem is that these wipes are not actually flushable, and their packaging claims have not been evaluated by environmental organizations or city authorities. In fact, wet wipes are a major contributor to city pipes and sewage systems becoming overwhelmed and clogged with fatbergs, which are as gross as they sound: huge masses of wet wipes, fat, oil and grease.
During peak pandemic, a wastewater treatment facility manager in Iowa noted that sewer backups were up 50%, which he attributed largely to the flushing of wipes. The US wipes market was valued at $5.58 billion in 2021 and is expected to reach over $8 billion by 2027, which is likely going to lead to even more clogged-up toilets and sewers.
About 90% of wet wipes are made from plastics that cause potentially long-term damage to the environment and local waterways. Some more responsible wipes manufacturers have even admitted that wipes should never be flushed, but many people are too embarrassed to put used wipes in the garbage (which others might see), and few people will buy biodegradable wipes and hold on to them to compost later.
Two years ago, after the sewage system backed up in my mother’s house, I installed a Tushy Ace Electric Bidet in my mom’s bathroom and began educating the rest of the family on the problem with flushing wipes.
Though we love the Tushy Ace, it’s way too expensive to buy a second one, and honestly, I’m too lazy to install a third bidet (I also installed one in my apartment, so I’m all bideted out). Last year, I learned about The UnWipe, and I’ll admit to initially being skeptical. The product seemed like too simple of a solution, too perfect a product and too cheap to actually work. I was wrong. The UnWipe works great, my whole family loves it and I’m happy to sing its poop-free praises.
Why The UnWipe is a score
The UnWipe is not just a score; it’s a super score, and I wish I had discovered it years ago. A couple of months ago, I filled the device with water, set it on the bathroom counter, and I gave a two-minute presentation to my family to show them how to use it. There was some initial hesitation — who likes discussing poop with their family? — but they eventually got on board.
To my surprise, the most enthusiastic user was my 7-year-old niece. During the first week of the trial, she told me twice how much she liked “the poop thing.” She even informed me that she refilled it herself at the sink. Because my brother-in-law wasn’t home when I showed my sister and her kids how to use The UnWipe, my niece volunteered to explain to her dad how to use it: “Wipe your butt with toilet paper, then dip new paper in the water thing and wipe your butt again.” Yeah, that’s pretty much it.
The amount of toilet paper you’ll use with UnWipe really depends. In my experience, I usually only have to “UnWipe” once or twice, and sometimes, I don’t even wipe with dry toilet paper first. If there’s a lot to wipe away, you’ll probably want to hit it with the dry paper once first, but if not, going straight to the wet UnWipe could be enough. While I’ve never done a side-by-side comparison of how much more paper I’d use if I only use dry paper, it definitely feels like I’m wiping fewer times and using less paper. Additionally, I’m also using less water than I go through when running the bidet, which is another win.
Though purely cosmetic, a really fun addition is that The UnWipe has a mold of a smiling heap of poop on it that looks like the smiling poop emoji. So, when you press the paper onto it to get wet, it leaves a cute indentation of the poop emoji.
We haven’t gone on any family vacations since we got The UnWipe a couple of months ago, but because it is so tiny and easy to transport, I will be bringing it with us on our family vacation to Indianapolis this spring. All I have to do is empty out the water before leaving, throw it in a bag and then set it up on the hotel bathroom counter so we can all keep our butts clean on the road.
The UnWipe is affordable, easy-to-use and an effective way to stay sanitary and eliminate the need for environmentally destructive wet wipes. So, if you want a clean butt and a clear conscience, The UnWipe is about to be your best friend.
Note: The prices above reflect the retailers' listed price at the time of publication.
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