The best tree-free paper products

• An easy way to curb your reliance on household paper products like toilet paper and paper towels is to swap them for tree-free products that get the job done.
• We've tested dozens of products to find the tree-free products like Silk'n Soft Bamboo Toilet Paper, Bambooee Paper Towels, and Winner Cotton Facial Tissues.

Certain products like toilet paper, facial tissues, and paper towels are necessities in every household. But they all require the use of paper from trees — a dwindling natural resource that can take 10 to 30 years or more to mature depending on the type.

Luckily, there are alternatives for creating paper — and even plastics — from faster-growing plants like bamboo, cotton, and corn. Bamboo is a fast-growing plant and some species can be harvested in under five years to create paper products, flooring, and furniture. Corn and cotton are seasonal crops that can become the base for plastics and papers.

I've been testing different brands and paper sources for several months and have determined the best tree-free toilet tissue, paper towels, facial tissues, napkins, and disposable straws. I took into account the cost, performance, and biodegradability of each product.

While most of the products have limitations in the selection of colors or designs, they all serve to reduce our dependency on trees. I can sacrifice a cute flower design on our paper towels to be a bit more eco-friendly to the planet.

• Best tree-free toilet paper: Silk'n Soft Bamboo Toilet Paper
• Best tree-free paper towels: Bambooee Paper Towels
• Best tree-free facial tissues: Winner Cotton Facial Tissues
• Best tree-free paper napkins: Juvale Bamboo Dinner Napkins