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Wiped out: US faces surging toilet paper prices amid trade war with Canada
- sleepyguy 24d agoI might need to make a run to Costco and stock up on some shit tickets.
- LargoLasskhyfv 24d agoThat's unfortunate, considering the recent uprise in contaminated foods, which give you the shits. OTOH, upgrade to a TOTO, or other 'smart' toilet. Need less paper that way. https://www.consumerreports.org/home-garden/toilets/best-smart-toilets-a5030436405/ https://www.consumerreports.org/home-garden/toilets/best-sma...
- myko 24d agoWho knew destroying the federal government would have knock-on consequences
- JSR_FDED 24d agoThis could get messy
- reaperducer 24d agoOTOH, upgrade to a TOTO, or other 'smart' toilet. Need less paper that way. My experience with these has been that I use more paper, because I always feel "wet" afterward. Whereas with a good, solid, no-nonsense beef bomb, I can skimp a little as long as there's a good pinch at the end.
- bakies 24d agoyou're not wiping when you shit?! after a bidet you can dry with one square
- reaperducer 24d agoI wrote "skimp," not "skip." As for the bidet, the ones I've used in Japan make me wipe more, again, because it's all wet back there, and even the ones with the air dryers don't seem to get the job done.
- GordonS 24d agoSo, I've only used a bidet a few times while on holiday, and I did prefer it to just TP... but I don't understand how I could possibly dry that much water with a single square of tissue-thin toilet paper - paper that is specifically designed to come apart when wet?!
- fingerlocks 24d agoSure, for an ideal smooth and cohesive movement with a clean exit, maybe. But I bet you’re more often carpet bombing sloppy joe’s and wading through the trenches of swamp ass
- gensym 24d agoYou don't even need to shell out for one of those (though I'm sure they're nice). Bidet attachments work really well. If you have a 3D printer, you can try using a bidet very easily: https://www.printables.com/model/739924-bidet-from-a-pet-bottle https://www.printables.com/model/739924-bidet-from-a-pet-bot... I use the 3D-printed one for travel (I'd gladly pay extra for hotels that have bidets) and outdoor use. Using a bidet is such an easy life upgrade for anyone relying on TP.
- LargoLasskhyfv 24d agoLol. I wanted to ask how you connect that thing to the waterpipes, before having had a look. I think it could use something more, like a lever/handle/button at the top, and a C02-cartridge. Or pump. Like this: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soda_siphon https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soda_siphon
- geoka9 23d agoYou don't even have to use this one in a pinch - just use a plain bottle.
- gensym 23d agoYeah, good point, I remember the first time I travelled to countries that default to water and wondering how to use the pitcher they had in public toilets, and I know some ultralight backpackers who just use a smartwater bottle with no attachment. But for someone starting out, I do think having something to propel the water upwards helps a bit.
- marcyb5st 24d agoTime to become a bidet exporter
- aeve890 23d agoMissed opportunity for Biden to push (!) for mass bidet adoption.
- modsdeleteme 24d ago[dead]
- kleiba2 24d agoThat's okay, I still have tons left over from COVID.
- roboror 24d agoI hope this is comedy
- Alien1Being 24d agoStock up on toilet paper before the price goes through the roof !!!!! Get enough for a year for a family. 400 rolls would be a good start. Act now and save money.
- insane_dreamer 24d agoMaybe this will help people switch over from TP to bamboo. Not perfect but much more sustainable than cutting trees. We switched years ago. Edit: I mixed up my words originally -- switch _from_ wood-based TP to bamboo is what I meant
- ForOldHack 24d agoYou must mean switch to bamboo based products from wood based paper. Way more sustainable, and not much more expensive, but as more switch, although it should become cheaper...
- insane_dreamer 23d agoYou're right. thanks. I was typing too fast and hit send too quick. I should use AI to write my HN comments and avoid typos :p
- ks2048 24d ago> The US accounts for more than 20% of global tissue consumption despite having only 4% of the world’s population. The average American uses 141 rolls of toilet paper per year, making them No 1 for No 2s globally, just ahead of Germans, each using an average of 134 rolls annually. Wastefulness is a national pastime.
- myrmidon 24d agoThose numbers sound insane to me. This is almost half a roll per day, for a single person? Can any average american or german person comment on how this actually works? Do you wipe like 15 times per visit, or is it just a very high amount (folded?) of sheets per wipe?
- cucumber3732842 24d agoJanitor comes around after business hours and changes any/every roll that isn't damn near full.
- dylan604 23d agoBest janitor I've experienced would replace low rolls with new and then set the low roll on top of the dispenser. Of course, the dispenser was the correct shape to allow for that
- hyperman1 23d agoAround here, public toilets have roll holders containing 2 rolls. 2nd is unreachable, but when the 1st is empty, it falls out and 2nd drops in its place. Janitors just fill the 2nd roll if missing. I am hoping this is normal around the world and nobody throws away slightly used rolls.
- kevin_thibedeau 24d agoSome people unroll huge wads of paper.
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- ericmay 24d agoBuy a bidet! I thought this was a fun tidbit: "The US accounts for more than 20% of global tissue consumption despite having only 4% of the world’s population. The average American uses 141 rolls of toilet paper per year, making them No 1 for No 2s globally, just ahead of Germans, each using an average of 134 rolls annually." I'm not sure if using a bidet would be better for the environment but maybe this is a blessing in disguise on the environmental front. I'm also curious, is there any reporting on increases in Canadian prices as a result of their tariffs on American products or does that only go one way? I always read (especially in international papers like the Guardian) about Americans seeing price increases but I see very little reporting on price increases/decreases or changes in other countries. Also maybe someone can remind me, in the past (before Trump 1 even) were there any tariffs on American products that anyone can point to? I see on the news channels discussion about how Canada has historically placed tariffs American dairy products. Did that result in higher prices in Canada? How did their economy handle the lack of American dairy imports at lower prices (if they were lower)?
- kotaKat 24d agoAnd if you really wanted... buy washable toilet paper towels. https://www.marleysmonsters.com/collections/toilet-unpaper-accessories https://www.marleysmonsters.com/collections/toilet-unpaper-a... As someone on the border, the tariffs do screw over individual folks on both sides of it. Canadian grocery prices are awfully high and they've been known for various price-fixing scandals (the Loblaws bread-fixing apology gift cards come to mind) so there's often a lot of Canadian Walmart/Sams Club/Local Grocery shoppers. One of the odd things is that Americans had it better coming back to the US from Canada after a day out shopping - we could bring back $800, but the Canadians going home could only bring back $50 or so, unless they were out for more than 48 hours then got $800. US Customs was also hilariously lax on actually enforcing things ("anything to declare?" "ah, I spent $200 at IKEA" gets a handwave) compared to the Canadians that'll fine-tooth comb the vehicle to pull every penny of duty they can coming home to Canada.
- ericmay 24d ago> And if you really wanted... buy washable toilet paper towels. https://www.marleysmonsters.com/collections/toilet-unpaper-a https://www.marleysmonsters.com/collections/toilet-unpaper-a... I'm simultaneously surprised and not surprised that this exists (we buy washable paper towels and beeswax items and similar for reusability) but even I think that's even a bridge too far. More power to anyone who is using those products though. I've personally always found US customs easy to deal with for purchased products. When we came back from France last year with around a case of wine my wife was worried and I'm like what is there to worry about? we're not smuggling anything and the worst case is we just pay a duty on the wine of a $1 or $2. You just declare it and if duties are applicable you just pay them. It always seemed to me they were really there to just keep people from doing crazy things or outright breaking import laws. Similar to your experience, coming back from Toronto with a few purchased items, US customs just did not care at all.
- 0xbadcafebee 24d agoAll this is making the current administration less popular with no benefit. This is what you get when you hire a guy who has no brains.
- HarHarVeryFunny 23d agoI wonder if Trump even cares - he's now a lame duck president trying to make a legacy for himself by building ballrooms and putting his name on everything (or tearing it down in a huff if not allowed to - Kennedy building). Insiders say he's bored of being president, bored of his Iran war, and has no interest in going out stumping for others in the midterms since there is nothing in it for himself. The only enjoyment he's got left is trying to get a rise out of the press and get some adulation from his base with playground antics like his "Lake America". At this point it's not just that he started out stupid (even his own mother said so), but that he's pretty seriously suffering from dementia - I'm sure any nursing home staff recognize the symptoms.
- alfiedotwtf 24d agoWeird that this is a story about toilet paper yet the elephant in the room is the fact that the US imports most of its foreign oil from Canada (yes that’s right - not the Middle East).
- deleted 24d ago[deleted]
- petcat 24d agoBidets need to become the norm. Canada's massive logging and mineral extraction industries have lead to significantly reduced tree-cover and (in some places) long term deforestation.
- throwforfeds 24d agoNot sure why the down votes, having even just a simple bidet sprayer attachment is strictly better than toilet paper. It's not even close.
- ForOldHack 24d agoThe Fraiser River Valley is one of the very most sustainable forests on the planet. The mineral extraction at Ft MacMurry has very little usable wood for lumber, and even less for paper, I believe that its a lot of manzinata that is used for OSB. I have not looked at this in a while, because my father studied forest management at UBC. Would you like for me to prove this with say 15~20 references?
- edoceo 23d agoYep
- vadertemp 23d agoMoving from the east to west recently the rarity of and aversion to bidets is one of the strangest things to see in the western world.
- pibaker 23d agoItaly is a western country that requires bidets in all homes by law.
- edoceo 23d agoDon't users still need to dry off with paper? (I do, am I using it wrong?)
- ForOldHack 24d agoWhich is just going to make it more expensive to mail rolls to your congressmen. Congressmen and diapers should be changed often and for the same reason.
- josefritzishere 24d agoThis is Trump's fault. Again.
- bradthebeaverfa 24d agoOr maybe the price increase is related to the fact that a communist burned down a massive warehouse storing paper products back in April.
- rc5150 23d agoAnti-capitalist = communist now? News to me.
- BigTTYGothGF 23d agoWiki cites https://www.insurancejournal.com/news/west/2026/04/08/864876.htm https://www.insurancejournal.com/news/west/2026/04/08/864876... which reads: "loss of the warehouse could impact 3% of sales [for Kimberley-Clark] in the West Coast region", which seems like a long way away from what's being discussed. Also even though the fire was in Ontario CA, it was Ontario California not Ontario Canada.
- tencentshill 23d agoThe person in the video was asking for higher pay. "Pay us enough to live". Not very communist of them. Did you see something different? It's hard to know with all the AI generated fakes out there, so I understand if you were misled.
- digitaltrees 24d agoMASA: make America shitty again?
- JohnTHaller 23d agoThat's the goal of MAHA with explosive diarrhea.
- qwerpy 24d agoToday’s America/Trump bashing HN group therapy session brought to you by Canada and toilet paper.
- joeMomma1234 24d agofinally my poor chapped ass can catch a break
- joeMomma1234 24d agoGuess it's back to using my cat
- pavlov 24d agoWhy did Republicans pick a fight with Canada? Same energy as a 13-year-old boy bullying his little brother just because of his own hormone-driven insecurity.
- solox3 23d agoMy guess: to weaken Canada's economy, limit Canada's international standing, bankrupt the sovereign state, cause rise of populism and voters thereof, have its people overthrow the government, then absorb the former country as a state to extract its natural resources, to fulfill manifest destiny. Other than the current tariff narrative, it's fairly standard CIA play when we look at what they did to Latin America already.
- Gud 23d agoYou are overthinking this. Donald Trump wants to make the USA bigger. It will put him in the history books. He also wants a lot of chaos so he can be bribed to stop(he won’t). There is no master plan, just greed.
- solox3 23d agoI am addressing directly why the Republicans want this, not why the current president wants this. Even if the current president changes, the Republicans will still pursue the annexation of Canada with financial interest.
- zelias 23d agoIn its current incarnation, Republicans simply want whatever Trump wants at the moment
- avidruntime 23d ago> There is no master plan, just greed. This is a thought terminating cliche. This is just the latest move in a long term strategic effort to undermine Canada's sovereignty. Zoom out, and that in it of itself is part of an even broader strategic effort to reorganize alliances which built the world order. Everywhere there are criticisms of Trump, his administration, and their goals, there is always this commentary which not only fails to serve as an accurate representation of present situations, but more importantly, it serves to distract from the chronology of events which led us here, blinding the broader conversation from creating inferences of what will happen next which stifles the conversation from its most natural next reply: What are they actually doing, and what do we do if it does not benefit us? You are underthinking this.