Quilted Northern Ultra Plush® Toilet Paper, 6 Mega Rolls = 24 Regular Rolls, 3-ply Bath Tissue

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I also ran the rolls through a number of objective tests to score them for strength and durability. To accomplish this, I rubbed one square of each roll against coarse surfaces, including a cast iron skillet and rough outdoor carpet. I took note of any piling, residue, or tears that were caused by a normal amount of pressure against the coarse surfaces. If you value the integrity of your TP, then this definitely meets the mark. It leaves no residue behind, though it does sacrifice some softness. Absorbency: We individually immerse five sheets of each type of toilet paper in water to measure the amount of fluid each sheet is capable of absorbing.

Quilted Northern Ultra PlushToilet Paper, 24 Mega Rolls = 96 Quilted Northern Ultra PlushToilet Paper, 24 Mega Rolls = 96

Enjoyability: Lastly, another subjective question meant to gauge general satisfaction of their experience using each brand.We perform a similar strength test on wet toilet tissue. We suspend the TP in the same fashion, wet the product with a fixed amount of water, and then add scale calibration weights until the paper fails. Surprisingly, it also scored the highest marks in the dry lint test. The wet lint test didn’t fare as well. The smooth face of the sheet along with the slight paper-like quality meant there was less to drag, until it was soaked with moisture. On average, a one-ply roll of toilet paper provides 1,000 sheets per roll. For two-ply, you can expect roughly 500 sheets per roll. However, the reduction in toilet paper sheet size from 4.5 x 4.5 to 4 x 4 is allowing companies to quietly raise the cost per unit for toilet paper, which has increased by upwards of 2%. Ultimately, the environment and consumers themselves may get the most benefit from this as the narrower rolls are proving more effective for saving money as well as trees. How long does toilet paper last? We split our testing into two main components: Lab Tests and User Test Surveys. Lab tests consist of objective measurements and grading to test for physical quality of each brand. Our surveyors took the rolls into real life testing, collecting a swath of subjective scores from our panel. Lab tests It is no less white in color than its virgin competitors, though it’s PCF (Processed Chlorine-Free) with oxygen based bleaches instead of the ultra-harmful chloride bleaches used for virgin paper processing. The latter releases carcinogenic dioxins into the environment, one of the most toxic chemicals on earth.

Quilted Northern Ultra Plush® Toilet Paper, 12 Mega Rolls

Testing had a number of components. First, I tested toilet paper the old-fashioned way: by using it regularly over the course of multiple weeks. This kind of subjective testing allowed me to develop a less clinical opinion about the durability and comfort of each roll. I wanted to be sure that any toilet paper we recommended would be reliable and comfortable over time. We then layer together five sheets of toilet paper and place them in our Instron machine, which pulls the toilet paper apart to measure its tensile strength. The Instron machine is also used to evaluate perforation strength (shown here), or how easy it is to tear the perforated portion of the toilet paper. For wet strength, we use our Instron machine and a Finch Cup to wet the toilet paper while it's pulled apart. Absorbency: How much can it absorb? Better absorbency means less sheets necessary and ultimately a better value. Angel Soft is as cheap as Kirkland Signature at about two cents per square foot, we get the sense that Kirkland Signature is a better value. However, our scores show that they are actually pretty even. Seventh Generation With the above assumptions and findings, plus some discipline in your usage (i.e., use the minimum amount of tissue for the given job), you can calculate the real "best value" toilet tissue. It is a labor-intensive process but is one you can do with price, sheet count, and our "effectiveness coefficient". Try this step-by-step process to find your best value.Softness is of the most important factors consumers take into account when choosing a brand. We graded for softness on a scale of one to five through direct touch. Perforation test No one wants toilet paper that crumbles during use, so if you're looking for strong toilet paper that holds up, Cottonelle proved to be the best when we combined the wet and dry strength scores. It also had a perfect score in our visual analysis with no signs of pilling (so it doesn't leave pieces behind!), and the layers didn’t separate, which are two common TP issues. What is irrefutable is the deforestation and toxic waste that results in the manufacturing of virgin paper. According to the EPA, if everyone in the US swapped one single roll of regular TP for recycled, the US would save 470,000 trees, 1.2 million cubic feet of landfill space and 169 million gallons of water. In addition, the chlorine dioxide bleaches used for virgin papers are far more toxic, releasing carcinogenic dioxins into the environment, known as one of the most toxic chemicals in the world. Kimberly-Clark, the makers of Cottonelle and Scott products, boasts about their signature ripple texture and claims it cleans more effectively. They use a patented technology that dries paper without embossing or compressing it, allowing the paper to retain its ripples when wet. Recycled paper vs. new paper pulp

Quilted Northern Absorbent Toilet Paper, 24-Rolls Quilted Northern Absorbent Toilet Paper, 24-Rolls

Again, we couldn’t find any formal statements about formaldehyde-urea resins or newer PAE compounds that release by-products like MCPDs. Solenis explains in technical detail the development of “wet strength resin” used in the papermaking process to strengthen wet paper, and it seems clear that PAE has replaced formaldehyde-urea as the resin of choice, but that just means there are new byproducts to be monitored. Before you forgo all paper products, many experts tell us not to be alarmed, as we absorb far more BPA from handling plastic and aluminum food containers. They claim that the risk to exposure with toilet paper is miniscule, at just a few micrograms per gram. Compare that to handling thermal receipts which contain a milligram of BPA per gram — that’s one thousand times a microgram! Benefits of using recycled toilet paper:

Quilted Northern Absorbent Toilet Paper, 24-Rolls

While we didn’t find that the single-ply construction bad when we doubled or tripled the number of sheets per wipe, Scott 1000 is a bit of an eclectic choice amongst the competition. It definitely wins in value and eco-friendliness, but is resolutely off-trend when it comes to the luxury game.

Quilted Northern® Toilet Paper | Quilted Northern®

We would plant Angel Soft brand toilet paper firmly as a middle of the road brand. It received very average scores in almost all categories. The embossed texture looks sparse and crude next to Quilted Northern. Store brands can be hit or miss, but Walmart’s Great Value toilet paper is a comfortable and sturdy roll of toilet paper. The Quilted Northern is the only triple-ply toilet paper we tested, and it really is ultra-plush. On the durability side of things, however, the paper didn’t stay intact as well as the top Charmin options did. Although it held together well on the coarse surface, it didn’t hold up perfectly on the everyday tests. It also took a minute and forty seconds to dissolve in water, making it the second longest dissolving product in our list behind Charmin Essentials. BPA, Dioxins, Formaldehyde?: The truth is all toilet paper contains trace amounts of harmful chemicals due to processing. However, some are worse than others. Recycled paper products contain trace amounts of BPA, though handling paper receipts will expose you to one thousand times more BPA. Experts still endorse recycled toilet paper over virgin toilet paper, which releases highly toxic dioxins into the environment due to its bleaching process. Visual quality analysis: We visually examined sheets of each type of toilet paper, noting any defects like ply separation or pilling on the surface.

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To measure how much water each brand could absorb, we dunked three sheets of each into water for 30 seconds before measuring its weight. The heavier the weight, the more absorbent the paper. Softness test Toilet-paper brand Marcal, known as an inexpensive budget brand, rebranded in 2010 to let everyone know that they have always been eco-friendly. They source paper from the “ urban jungle” of New York’s recycling program. Though being low-budget and environmentally friendly may have been a coincidence, we welcome it; however, it may or may not come at the cost of softness. At the Good Housekeeping Institute Textiles Lab, we test all kinds of bathroom necessities including menstrual products, wipes and toilet paper. Over the years, we've evaluated over 30 different types of toilet paper from both popular name brands and value brands to determine which rolls are worth it. When we test toilet paper, here's what we look for: Dissolvability: To determine whether or not the toilet paper will dissolve once you flush, we evaluated dissolvability. To test, we dropped a sheet of each toilet paper into a set amount of water spinning at a set speed. The amount of time it took for each one to dissolve was recorded. The less time the toilet paper took to dissolve, the less likely it is to clog your pipes and lead to septic issues. Save the cardboard toilet paper tube when you come to the end of your paper. If you don’t have any children or grandchildren in the home, you can donate your tubes to a nearby school or daycare center. The cardboard tubes are often used to make fun crafts, like cute animals, decorative binoculars and even gift boxes.