Toilet Paper Review

Toilet paper tested in the lab and in the bathroom

Toilet paper reviews range from scientific (ConsumerReports.org) to rude and crude (PoopReport.com) -- but taken together, they reveal some surprising truths about this bathroom basic. The tidy white rolls may look identical filed side-by-side in the store aisle, but to find out which are softest, strongest, cheapest, gentlest to the environment and least likely to clog your plumbing, we turn to fact-based toilet paper ratings by nonprofit groups such as ConsumerReports.org, the National Sanitation Foundation and the Natural Resources Defense Council.

Other sources test toilet paper the old-fashioned way. Reviews are purely subjective -- some testers love the feel of cottony-soft toilet paper, while others loathe it -- but they do a good job describing how different brands perform in real-life use. We also found head-to-head TP tests at newspapers, environmental websites and consumer blogs. User reviews at Amazon.com, Drugstore.com and EcoHuddle.com are usually brief but clean; those at PoopReport.com are long, intimate and often too descriptive.

People can be passionate about toilet paper. For instance, many environmentalists boycott high-end brands, since these products are typically made from virgin wood fibers, materials taken from freshly cut trees. Many critics also say manufacturers use more energy to create these products than recycled toilet paper.

Our report revolves around four main types of toilet paper. The first category, eco-friendly toilet paper is made from recycled paper and bleached without the use of the water-polluting chemical, chlorine dioxide. Another option is flushable moist wipes, which performs a better job than toilet paper alone. However, experts say they're pricey and they don't often disintegrate well after flushing -- a characteristic which can clog plumbing.

The third category, premium toilet paper, is the plushest -- and priciest -- toilet paper consumers can buy. Charmin, Cottonelle and Quilted Northern all belong to this category. And last but not least is budget toilet paper. These products cost less than premium toilet paper, but many reviews say they are not as soft. There are some budget-friendly recycled brands, but most cheap store brands aren't eco-friendly: They don't use any recycled paper, and they're bleached with chlorine dioxide. Read on to learn more about today's rolls.