Cheeky Panda Product Bundle Review

Reviewed by Anon

Cheeky Panda created ethical household, beauty and baby products from sustainable Bamboo!  In 2016 the company founders took a trip to Asia and found that so much bamboo was wasted. It is fast growing and fabulous for the local environment whereas in contrast over 27,000 trees are being cut down daily to make toilet paper! Trees take up a lot more time and space to grow so we aren’t replacing them as quickly as they are being used. Bamboo can help us out here, it grows 30% faster, uses a lot less water and resources to grow and sets 35% more Co2 making it a fab eco friendly alternative. It is a fantastic material for paper and things like biodegradable wipes.

Going off to university can be daunting for both young adult and parent. Groceries and budgeting being one of the most worried about aspects. My neighbours son moved away for university, and the car was full of groceries. This got me thinking about how when I was there, We would constantly run out of things like toilet roll and cleaning products but with thoughts of the planet and plastic build up being fresh in our minds we were reluctant to purchase too often. We had to make decisions between quality and affordability which is why I wish this brand had been available back then.

Toilet roll

In this bundle I received a 9 pack of toilet rolls, wrapped in a paper packaging. No plastic in sight. The toilet paper is made from bamboo, 100% bamboo and nothing else. No chemicals, no nothing. It didn’t look very soft on the roll compared to my usual eco brand, however in use it really is. It is tough, no rips or tears and has a lovely feel to it. It just feels hard because it is so tightly wrapped onto the middle tube. I assume this is for space and to protect the tissue. It is a very high quality tissue and we will be purchasing this again. You didn’t need to use a lot which mean that even though it was a higher price point, there was no waste. We didn’t need half a roll for a number two as you might with a rock bottom priced roll made from trees. A few squares and you’re done, which means your roll lasts a lot longer, in turn bringing that price down when compared on roll to roll use.

A pack of 9 rolls is priced at £7.20, however there are regular offers available online and in the stores they are partnered with. At the moment you can grab a pack for a fiver. They also have a door to door subscription service where they send out 48 rolls for £35.99 as often as you would like them. Over lockdown I had a toilet roll subscription service (still do) and honestly it was a so good to know it was guaranteed when the super markets had run out! Cheeky panda and similar companies really looked after their customers during the pandemic.

Bamboo straws

A few years ago we moved away from plastic straws, we now use silicone or metal straws which I carry round with us. However on occasion you need a disposable straw! Some paper straws just don’t work well.

The straws are also made from bamboo, their packaging recycled cardboard. Some paper straws fall apart after a few minutes so I thought I’d put these guys to the ultimate test. My 12 year olds ice cream milk shakes! At the moment, we’ve not found a good, eco friendly straw which can stand up to these shakes. The Cheeky Panda did well, staying strong and sturdy. They are wide enough for milkshakes too.  You can purchase wider straws too, at the moment you can purchase these in bulk from the website, 48 packs of 100 straws for £142.99 however you can purchase smaller amounts or single packs from those they supply.

We tried the Bamboo paper shake straws, they held up really well in my iced tea (and milkshake as mentioned above). These would be ideal for parties or for those with disabilities who have problems with paper straws becoming soggy too quickly. These really didn’t which surprised me! The Paper sip straws are thinner, and are currently £5.99 for 250 straws which is actually amazing value when you compare with other brands available! With the current pandemic too, paper straws are that little bit safer for university parties where lots of people are mixing. Where reusable straws would need to be washed, these could be placed in the bin to reduce contamination risk.

Kitchen roll

I was a little worried about this one as they paper seemed a little rigid at first, more papery than soft tissue like but wow they really do hold some liquid. (That’ll be one of the amazing absorbing properties from the bamboo). I also realised afterwards that it feels a little thicker because it is actually double ply! It soaks up grease really well (We use an oil fryer and always pop the food onto kitchen roll before the plates to absorb the excess oil. These didn’t stick to the food and soaked it up really well. They also didn’t break apart when wiping up spills from my 6 year old like some brands do. I was impressed with these.

Biodegradable kitchen wipes

I don’t use kitchen wipes at all. I use cloths and a bottle of spray (eco or homemade) but for the review I put these to the test on all of my usual kitchen jobs for the week. They held up well. They are thin enough to be able to use them to pick things up but also thick enough so they don’t tear.

They are not overly wet, which was good as I hate sticky or over wet wipes. The smell was subtle and not overpowering. They didn’t bother my hubbys sensitive skin either, which was a huge bonus (often his reason for not cleaning up with cleaning products, but with these they didn’t bother him at all). I used them on worktops, the stainless steel oven top, the floor, the door frames, handles and even took them with us in the car to the woods, where I used them on water bottles and hands when coming back into the car. They were gentle enough for hands. I couldn’t see anything harmful in the ingredients and in fact I think I’d trust these for kids hands over many of the main stream brands used on babies bottoms. (That isn’t their intended use, they do make actual baby wipes – but as we don’t use those in our household either, these were there when I needed them).

The only issue is the prices, 6 packs for £34.19, however it is a fair price point when compared to others on the market and if used in conjunction with cloths and sprays they can last a long time. My middle daughter has a disability and some days are easier for her than others, in the future there are days when she will need something easy and quick like a wipe for equipment and for surfaces. I am happy that these are on the market as she is also conscious about the planet and will hate to be wasteful with plastic.

After having their son Cheeky Panda branched out into Biodegradable wipes and nappies made from Bamboo. When I was bringing up my three it was hard to find a good, eco alternative which wasn’t full of plastic and chemicals. Bamboo is super absorbent and much safer for bottoms. If mine were still in nappies, I would have been trying them!

The website has a wealth of information about why they use bamboo, their company history and all of the amazing awards they have won for their products and methods as a business. For example they were voted product of the year in 2020, in the consumer survey of product innovation. Also as a B-corp you can be confident they are a true ethical company. This exclusive club certification is the one to look for when choosing ethical products, the companies who hold this status will have been made to jump through many hoops so you can trust they aren’t just green washing.

They also seem to have a points club to help out their loyal customers. Every time you purchase a product you can add your points to your account, these equate to money off next time. For a 48 pack of toilet rolls you earn 180 points. 50 points  is £1 off, so you really can save more if you are a regular customer, and they also offer subscribe and save discounts.

Looking at these products from the perspective of someone moving to university for the first time, the subscribe and save would be a fantastic way to save money and to have the products delivered to their door. After speaking with my neighbour who’s son recently moved into halls of residence, ensuring he had the basics to keep his household running was one of her concerns. These products offer fantastic quality and are very affordable. She loved the idea of being able to have them sent straight to his flat and not having to worry about him running out.

Rating: Overall I give them 5 out of 5 stars. The product represent excellent quality and value for money.

RRP: Please see above

These products can be purchased from the Cheeky Panda website.