FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
Shipping, returns, environmental sustainability
1. How long does shipping take?
Our toothbrushes typically ship in 2-5 business days within the UK, though this may take longer during peak holiday times like Christmas. International orders normally ship within 3-7 working days.
To be sure of delivery before Christmas we recommend ordering before 14th December.
We also offer Royal Mail's Guaranteed Christmas Delivery at an extra charge, with guaranteed delivery by 24th December. The cut-off date for this service is midday on 20th December 2023.
2. How much does shipping cost?
- UK: Free shipping for orders over £15, otherwise £2
- Europe: Shipping outside the UK and within Europe costs a flat rate of £3.85
- USA & Canada: Flat rate of £5 per order
- Rest of the world: please get in touch via our contact form and we will be happy to arrange shipping for you
3. What is BAMWOO's returns policy?
Due to the nature of toothbrushes we are unable to accept returns of individual brushes for hygiene reasons, however we offer a money back guarantee on our Year's Supply packages: if you are not satisfied with the first toothbrush within 30 days of purchase you may return the other five unused and in original packaging for a full refund.
Please find more info about or returns policy HERE
4. Where do you ship from?
We ship from the BAMWOO headquarters in Norfolk, England.
5. Why bamboo?
Bamboo is the perfect material for toothbrushes! It is naturally antibacterial, resistant to mould and grows incredibly quickly - some species have even been recorded growing over 90cm in 24 hours!
It's also biodegradable, which means your used toothbrush will break down naturally rather than hang around in landfill for thousands of years!
However we recommend you put it in your green bin rather than just throw it down the bottom of the garden.
6. Isn't using bamboo bad for pandas?
No! We love pandas, and we guarantee none were harmed in the making of our toothbrushes!
Our brushes are made of mosu bamboo, which is often used for construction and textile manufacture. Our furry monochromatic panda friends prefer to eat arrow bamboo (Pseudosasa japonica).
7. Are the toothbrush bristles biodegradable too?
No, at the moment materials for truly biodegradable bristles are hard to come by and either very expensive or in our opinion unethical (we're looking at you, pig hair bristles!).
While designing our brushes we intended to use nylon-4 bristles, which early studies suggest can biodegrade in industrial composting facilities.
However deeper research left more questions than answers, and while some manufacturers claim to use nylon-4 we have found many suppliers to be somewhat ambiguous about the differences between nylon-4 and nylon-6...
We want to be totally honest and upfront with you, which is why we now use nylon-6 bristles - tried and tested as the industry standard for oral health over many years.
We hope you respect our openness, and support our choice NOT to use pig hair bristles left over from the meat industry.
8. How long should I use each toothbrush for?
Dentists advise to replace your toothbrush every 2-3 months due to build up of bacteria and damage to the bristles.
We've tested our brushes up to 6 months without problems, but we recommend you swap to a new one every 2 months - which is why our Year's Supply package includes 6 brushes.
9. How do I dispose of my used toothbrush?
We recommend that you dispose of our used toothbrushes in our green bio-waste bin.
First either use pliers to pull the bristles out or snap off the head entirely, and dispose of separately.
You CAN compost the toothbrush handle yourself if you want, but please note it typically takes bamboo approximately 3 years to completely break down when fully submerged in soil.
Here's a step-by-step guide on how to dispose of your toothbrush properly.
10. Is your packaging recyclable?
Absolutely! We've taken great care to make our whole organisation as eco-friendly as possible. Each toothbrush comes in a simple and easily recycled cardboard container, and we even the packages we use for shipping are fully recyclable and plastic free - no bubble wrap for us, instead we use recycled paper.
11. What is the 1 brush = 1 tree mission?
Deforestation is a major issue around the world, and we're working to combat it with our #onebrushonetree mission.
We're not content with simply reducing the amount of plastic we use, we want to do more to make the world a better place.
We've partnered with The Eden Project to employ local people to plant a new tree for every brush we sell.
Learn more about the mission HERE.
12. Where do you plant the trees?
Current reforestation sites include: Nepal, Madagascar, Mozambique, Indonesia, Honduras, Kenya, Indonesia and Haiti.
As of July 2023 we have planted 72,232 trees, which sequester ~1.5 million kilograms of CO2 per year. More info HERE.
13. Are BAMWOO toothbrushes suitable for children?
We have a range of children's bamboo toothbrushes, specifically designed to be gentle and kind to small mouths and sensitive gums, while still ensuring proper hygiene and sparkling teeth.
See the range HERE.