The World’s Strongest Paper Towel

Paper towel strength is among the most important properties people look for in paper towel brand; that is, of course, aside from absorbency, wet strength and resilience in scrubbing. Paper towel strength is important from a consumer perspective, because a strong towel will last longer and therefore be, ultimately, more economical.

Paper Towel Texture

Paper towels are made from the same materials from which other types of paper are made. Paper towels, just like newspapers and note pads, are made from plant fibers, but possess different qualities by virtue of the fact that a special type of resin is added to them to make them strong even when wet. Paper towels are also pressed when they’re being set to give them quilt-like patterns, which help them attract more water.

Brands And Their Paper Towel Strength

One funny thing is that just about all paper towel brands claim to have tested their products for absorbency and strength and - what do you know? – every such study conducted under the aegis of a paper-towel-producing organization winds up proving that that organization produces the strongest, most absorbent paper towels in the universe. Of course, this is only to be expected. No one goes around spending millions of dollars on advertising and studies to end up as the losing brand. Thus, with paper towel strength, as in many fields of science and chemistry, studies sponsored by brands are not to be trusted. Often, the only way to establish the truth is to do the grunt work yourself.

Comparing Paper Towel Absorbtion

If investing your time in the pursuit of authoritative knowledge such as this appeals to you, then great – let’s pull up our sleeves and do some science.

  • First off, to make your tests more conclusive, you will have to note that the paper towels you are testing should (given that you’re trying to determine the absorbency of the paper, not the particular design) be of the same type.

  • You can’t compare a single ply with a two-ply or a small sized paper towel with a large sized one, because you’ll get biased results for the thicker and bigger towels.

  • Thus the best brands to test against each other are probably going to be the more popular brands like Bounty, Brawny, Scott, Viva and Sparkle, which tend to be two ply and perforated into six inch squares.

  • If the sizes of the squares differ, you should cut the larger squares down to size.

  • Ideally, one should suspend these strips horizontally in the air between two lines of cotton, and apply water, drop by drop, to them.

  • The one that takes the longest to form droplets that fall to the ground could be said to be the most absorbent.

Testing Paper Towel Strength

Paper towel strength depends on a lot of interrelated factors. The thickness of the towel and the quality of the materials are the major determinants of a paper towel’s strength.

  • To test for strength, stretch different brands of the same quality and thickness over the mouth of equally sized cups or glasses.

  • Secure the paper towels in place with a piece of rubber band or an embroidery loop and do your utmost to ensure that they’re stretch to the same degree of tightness (they should, ideally be loose enough for you to press the paper into the glass to a depth of half a centimeter without breaking it).

  • Next, apply small, equal amounts of water to the paper towels – a tablespoon should be enough.

  • Now, gradually and carefully place small ball bearings, coins or equally weighted objects at the center of each paper towel until it breaks.

  • Obviously, with some margin for experimental error, the one with the most weights on it when it breaks could be said to be the strongest.

This exercise is not only a conveniently simple science project to suggest to your eight-year old, but it also a smart thing to do in terms of educating yourself as a consumer. With the millions of dollars spent by manufacturers on advertising both online and over the airwaves, it’s often difficult to determine which one’s really selling the best product. Seeing the truth for yourself will give you the confidence that comes with making a fully informed, intelligent decision.

Paper towel strength not only affects the amount of paper towel you use, but also the versatility of your towels when it comes to clean-up jobs around the house. Obviously, when considered on its own, determining the strength of a paper towel may look like a trivial exercise. But if it forms part of an overall strategy to become intelligent and informed in the consumer choices you make, well, that’s when you’ll find yourself saving some real money.