Bum steer: Australia’s best and worst toilet papers assessed by Choice tests
It’s the debate that divides households: two-ply or three? Recycled or bamboo?
A review by consumer advocacy group Choice has attempted to settle those arguments by rating the nation’s best and worst toilet paper. Choice tested over 30 rolls, from supermarket staples to eco-alternatives, looking at their structural integrity, softness and disintegration time, then scoring them out of 100.
To determine the softness, five researchers even wiped the toilet tissues across their hands and faces. “You can really feel rough surfaces on your face,” Choice’s director of reviews and testing, Matt Steen, said.
Quilton tied with itself for top spot, with its Toilet Tissue Gold 4-ply and 25% more King size rolls both receiving 85% scores.
Bottom of the pile was Oobamboo’s Bamboo Unbleached Toilet Rolls 3 ply, which scored 0% on the disintegration test, with an overall mark of 43%. At $0.56 for 100 sheets, it was also one of the most expensive products tested.
The brand has hit back at Choice, saying the consumer advocate has been “environmentally irresponsible” in its rankings.
Choice said disintegration scores were assigned by putting pieces of tissue in a water vortex and timing how long they took to break apart. Oobamboo’s tissues took 20 minutes to break apart in this test.
“If you want a smooth-functioning sewage system, we recommend you steer clear of this toilet paper,” said Steen.
In a statement to Guardian Australia, a spokesperson for Oobamboo Bamboo said Choice “seem to be saying that the ‘best’ is the softest, thickest, whitest and strongest”.
“It seems to send the message that momentary comfort now is more important than the future world for our children.”
He noted “the majority are wrapped in plastic” while the Oobamboo product
Read more on theguardian.com
