Toilet paper is an important and necessary product that most of us would rather not overpay for, simply to flush it away.
The ever-trusted Consumers Union tested 13 of the most-popular brands of toilet paper and evaluated them. They also rated three “wet wipes” and two recycled “green” toilet paper products. Is it worth paying more for a better product? Does cost determine which is best? Is there a difference between multiples plies (layers)? The Union published their findings in the May and June 2009 issues of their Consumer Reports magazine for consumers. This is an analysis of their findings so consumers can make up their own minds.
By choosing CR’s Best Buys, you can save up to $130 per year for a family of three.
Price may not be the only deciding factor in T. tissue: performance is usually more important.
The multiple plies, or layers, often added to strength, but not always and not consistently. A single ply – Scott Extra Soft – rated better than the 3-ply Quilted Northern Ultra Plush.
You might assume that a higher sheet count might offer more savings, but that didn’t hold true. Some papers were so thin, you had to use much more for it to be effective.
CR also tested “wet wipes,” which are supposed to be flushable, but they did not disintegrate well. CR recommends bagging and tossing them after use rather than creating a problem with the toilet or plumbing system.
CR money saving tips for buying toilet paper: Buy in bulk; use coupons; and stock up on sale items. Protect your plumbing and septic systems by using products that rated “Excellent” or “very good” for “disintegration” to be sure. Don’t assume “flushable” and “septic safe” actually are.
Newer 100% recycled products that claim to be green did well in disintegration tests, but didn’t perform well for softness. The “green” products are supposed to “help protect ancient forests, wildlife, and water.” Three brands were in the process of being reformulated and were published in the June 2009 issue, so those will be added on for comparison.
Thirteen toilet papers were rated on the basis of an overall score, with the highest possible equal to 100, which included “wet strength, softness, disintegration, and tearing ease.” “Wet strength reflects how much lead shot a dampened sheet or wipe can hold before it breaks.” “Disintegration denotes time needed for sheet or wipe to break up in swirling water.”
Toilet papers are also listed according to the number of plies (layers) and the sheets per roll. The cost per 100 sheets is listed, based on a pack of 12 rolls [except Kirkland Signature, which came in 36 rolls].
Cost is followed by the overall score, with each rated component marked on a range from “excellent,” to “very good” to “good” to “fair” to “poor.”
Ratings: Rolls of paper:
1. Quilted Northern Ultra Plush cost 29 cents per 100 sheets; scored 79; rated “excellent” for softness and tearing ease, rated “very good” for wet strength and disintegration; 3 plies; 200 sheets per roll.
2. Charmin Ultra Strong cost 35 cents per 100 sheets; scored 78; rated “excellent” for wet strength, softness, and tearing ease, rated “fair” for disintegration; 2 plies; 200 sheets per roll.
3. Cottonelle Ultra cost 37 cents per 100 sheets; scored 77; rated “excellent” for softness and disintegration, rated “very good” for wet strength and “fair” for tearing ease; 2 plies; 200 sheets per roll.
4. Kirkland Signature (Costco) cost 12 cents per 100 sheets; scored 77; rated “excellent” for softness and disintegration; rated “good” for wet strength and tearing ease; 2 plies; 425 sheets per roll.
5. Quilted Northern Soft and Strong cost 21 cents per 100 sheets; scored 76; rated “excellent” for softness, disintegrations, and tearing ease, rated “good” for wet strength; 2 plies; 300 sheets per roll.
6. White Cloud (Walmart) cost 15 cents per 100 sheets; scored 74; rated “excellent” for disintegration and tearing ease; “very good” for softness, and “good” for wet strength; 2 plies; 310 sheets per roll.
Out of the 13 tested products, the only lower-rated product marked as “Recommended” by CR is Number 10: Scott Extra Soft cost 13 cents per 100 sheets; scored 68; rated “excellent” for disintegration, “very good” for softness, “good” for wet strength, and “fair” for tearing ease; 1 ply; 470 sheets per roll.
Numbers 4 and 6 are marked as CR “Best Buys” for offering the best performance for the price. These will save as much as $130 per year for three users. Numbers 1, 3, and 10 give top performance, but not for the best price, and are “Recommended” by CR.
Ratings: Wet Wipes. Rated as sheets per box, considered 1-ply, not tested for softness, and all rated “poor” for disintegration.
1. Charmin Freshmates cost $5.52 per 100 sheets; scored 66; and rated “excellent” for wet strength and ease of peeling wipe from stack; 40 sheets per box.
2. Scott Flushable Wipes cost $4.29 per 100 sheets; scored 66; and rated “excellent” for wet strength and ease of peeling wipe from stack; 51 sheets per box.
3. Cottonelle Fresh Wipes cost $6.40 per 100 sheets; scored 64; rated “excellent” for wet strength and “very good” for ease of peeling wipe from stack; 42 sheets per box.
Number 2, Wet Wipes, Scott, is a CR “Recommended” product.
“Green products“
For those who like to buy “green products,” some products which were being reformulated at the time of the May tests were tested in June and compared to earlier ranks. They had not rated well for softness.
Marcal’s Small Steps is the new version of the Marcal 1000 and Marcal Sunrise. It is 2-ply and cost only 8 cents per 100 sheets, but did not offer top strength or softness as compared to the non-green products. But CR still considers it a “good, low-priced choice among recycled products.”
The other tested “green product” was Seventh Generation, which cost 21 cents per 100 sheets, and also did not rate the best for softness. Both did well in disintegration tests and tore easily from the roll, and both were “mediocre” in the wet-strength tests.
CR also retested the newly reformulated, not recycled, Charmin Ultra Soft, which was soft and disintegrated fairly quickly, but cost 35 cents per 100 sheets.
Source:
Consumer Reports May 2009 “Toilet Paper,” Consumers Union.
Consumer Reports June 2009 “Greener Roll saves you green,” Consumers Union.
Consumer Reports is published by Consumers Union. This is an independent, nonprofit organization that accepts no paid advertising, tests thousands of products a year and publishes their results for consumers. They are based in Yonkers, NY.
