Ever wonder how you got along without paper towels? It was back in the early 1930s when they appeared on grocery shelves. Today, 90% of American families use paper towels. For small spills and messes, it's often paper towels to the rescue! And you'll see lots claiming to be the best, but which IS the best? Consumer Reports tested 21 paper towels, including ones from Viva, Bounty, and Scott, as well as some claiming to be made from recycled paper.
In the absorbency test, testers measure the amount of water each paper towel holds, adjusting for sheet-size differences so that each paper towel faces the same challenge. The tests found the best paper towels held almost three ounces of water, but the worst performers held just half an ounce.
In a wet-strength test, Consumer Reports measures how much weight a wet towel can support before it breaks. And in another test, a paper towel is scrubbed against a tile surface until it starts to shred.
When it comes to the green paper towels tested, Consumer Reports found most using recycled paper were not up to the job. Practically every green paper towel tested scored at the bottom of Consumer Reports' tests.
In the end, the clear winner was Bounty Extra Soft. It wiped up the competition.
For less expensive paper towels that perform well, try Walgreens Ultra Quilted or Kleenex Viva. They are Consumer Reports Best Buys.
