Does any else hate "select-a-size" paper towels?

[Brian Elfert]

Is anyone else like me and hates "select-a-size" paper towels? They seem like a ploy to sell more paper towels. One sheet isn't usually big enough and two sheets are longer than one normal sheet so the manufacturer sells more paper towels. When I do use two sheets they generally rip apart at the seam.

I was at Walmart yesterday and was buying paper towels. I had to look for a bit to find any paper towels that were not marked as "select-a-size". I found one package that was not marked as "select-a-size" and I carefully looked at all sides of the package to be sure I wasn't missing some marking. Sure enough, I got home and the darn paper towels are the "select-a-size" after not being marked as such! Ugh!

[Bruce Page]

We actually like them better. We use the half sheets much more often than the full sheets.

[David Weaver]

I've had the opposite experience, though I don't know that it's a select-a-size issue. I think the last bundle of paper towels I bought were kirkland (costco), and they were less per square foot than the prior paper towels I had bought. However, they are enormous single paper towels, probably at least as big as two select-a-size paper towels, and we have probably used them fast enough such that they cost more per use than we would have paid for brand name paper towel with more cuts in it.

That's not exactly the kind of thing that's going to ruin our household budget for the year, but it is an irk of mine. I usually tear them in the middle, but my wife won't and she cleans more than I do, to put it lightly.

Until we got this bundle from costco, I didn't even know there were still paper towels that weren't double perforated.

[Stephen Cherry]

I try pretty hard not to buy paper towels. Why buy something just to throw away? I usually have some in the garage for nasty stuff, but for normal use, a piece of cloth works just fine, and it can be washed and reused. It's just a little thing, but in the past I found we would use paper towels like there is no tomorrow. Not using them saves some trees, some bulk of getting them home, more resources for getting rid of them, and the big plus is that not getting them saves some dinero that would be better spent elsewhere.

Toilet paper, on the other hand, is a different issue. Have not considered conserving on that.

[glenn bradley]

Love 'em. Its just that people are different. For me they are perfect for the shop and in the home. I rarely need a full sheet of paper towel to do anything.

[Dan Hintz]

We actually like them better. We use the half sheets much more often than the full sheets.

This ^^^^


I find the half sheets to be perfect for most jobs I need them for. For example, one completely dries my hands after washing. One also chops into 10 perfect-sized CA applicators for my pens... since I give them 10 coats, 1 towel is what the doctor ordered.

[Mike Cutler]

I don't hate the towels as much as the advertising. 6=9, 8=12, 10=15, etc. Then confuse the equation with sheets of different size to come up with a price per sheet, which beomes meaningless. I just look at sq/ft per roll.

[Rick Potter]

I like the half sheets from Bounty. What I don't like is paper napkins...they don't stay together, so my idea of napkins is the half sheet Bounty towel folded in half. My Kleenex looks a lot the same, and my paper towel is two halves. Works for me. Wish the Costco towels were halfsies.

Rick Potter

[Jim Rimmer]

We actually like them better. We use the half sheets much more often than the full sheets.

Me, too. Less waste.

[Pat Barry]

Just so they don't start making the toilet paper half size. Now that would create issues

[Brian Elfert]

A while back Costco was giving out full rolls of paper towels as samples. I grabbed one and I was surprised to see they were much longer than typical paper towels. I won't be buying their paper towels anymore as they are simply too big. I'm running low on places to get the 'traditional' sized paper towels.

I'll admit I probably use too many paper towels instead of using a rag. One thing I don't like about rags is they don't really dry up a wet spot. I run a concessions stand once a month and I use paper towels instead of napkins. The half sheets are too small for napkins so I like to use the paper towels that are full sized.

[Charles Wiggins]

We actually like them better. We use the half sheets much more often than the full sheets.

We do too. I use them a lot to clean and the smaller size makes it easier to choose the amount of paper I need. Small sheet for a tiny mess and lots of sheets for big messes.

[Jim Becker]

We also like them better for what they get used for.

[John Huds0n]

Put me in the 'like em' category

I actually order a box of 12 rolls from Amazon which will usually last 6 months, so it is a little under $5 per month

[Brian Elfert]

I seem to be the only one who hates the smaller paper towels. I guess I'll just need to go out of my way to find the traditional sized paper towels.

[Jason Roehl]

I try pretty hard not to buy paper towels. Why buy something just to throw away? I usually have some in the garage for nasty stuff, but for normal use, a piece of cloth works just fine, and it can be washed and reused. It's just a little thing, but in the past I found we would use paper towels like there is no tomorrow. Not using them saves some trees, some bulk of getting them home, more resources for getting rid of them, and the big plus is that not getting them saves some dinero that would be better spent elsewhere.

Toilet paper, on the other hand, is a different issue. Have not considered conserving on that.

The simple reason is for sanitary purposes. Cloths harbor and grow bacteria readily, which then get spread around every time they're used until they are deemed ready for the wash. Paper towels help reduce the bacterial load...

[Mike Cutler]

I seem to be the only one who hates the smaller paper towels. I guess I'll just need to go out of my way to find the traditional sized paper towels.

Nope, you're not alone. I inadvertently brought home some of the 1/2 sheet roles, and they went straight to the barn. No 1/2 sheets in the kitchen for SWMBO.:eek:

[Stephen Cherry]

The simple reason is for sanitary purposes. Cloths harbor and grow bacteria readily, which then get spread around every time they're used until they are deemed ready for the wash. Paper towels help reduce the bacterial load...

Jason- in my younger days I worked in a lot of food places and never remember cleaning with paper towels. You are right though, you don't want to let them ferment for too long before they see the wash. I'm pretty sure that the main reason people use them is that it's easy, but I'd rather leave a smaller footprint, and have a couple of hundred bucks at the end of the year. I put it in the same category as turning off lights, not wasting water, not throwing away food. That sort of thing.

[Brian Elfert]

Food establishments are required to have sanitizing buckets with bleach in them to dip the rags into. The bleach solution is supposed to be tested with a test strip to be sure there is enough bleach. The Nevada health dept wants bleach at 50 PPM.

I probably spend about $30 a year on paper towels. I think it fits into my budget rather well.

[Keith Westfall]

In the love them camp! Just don't make the mistake of buying really cheap ones :(

Definitely a poor choice. But the Bounty single size are great - have them in a few places in my shop.:)

[Robert Delhommer Sr]

We love them, that is all we buy. Most of the time the half sheet is all we need. :)

[David Weaver]

Microwave sponges and wet rags (not until they're dry though!). We microwave sponges all the time to keep them from getting smelly.

[Pat Barry]

I'm not really seeing the idea that paper towels are bad for the environment. Seems to me that when you consider the total cost for laundry of your cloth towels and the energy that costs there won't be a big difference. I suspect this has been analyzed somewhere. There may be special cases where the cotton towel is better - ie: dishwashing, but for window cleaning, cleaning the countertop, etc you can't beat a paper towel. I think they might be indispensable these days

[Harold Burrell]

I think they might be indispensable these days

Oh, no! That's not true! We have a handy little dispenser in our kitchen.

;)

[Stephen Cherry]

I'm not really seeing the idea that paper towels are bad for the environment. Seems to me that when you consider the total cost for laundry of your cloth towels and the energy that costs there won't be a big difference. I suspect this has been analyzed somewhere. There may be special cases where the cotton towel is better - ie: dishwashing, but for window cleaning, cleaning the countertop, etc you can't beat a paper towel. I think they might be indispensable these days

It's just a little thing, of course. But it adds up. For example, I avoid buying prepared foods as much as I can. Frozen dinners, frozen pizza, etc. I buy my flour in 50 lb bags, and mostly buy just one word "ingredients", like chicken, sugar, cabbage, etc. When it's pizza time, it starts with 38 oz of flour. Anyhow, in my neighborhood, the trash is collected once a week, and I have usually only one can, half full. My neibors typically have two cans. The foods are generally tastier, cheaper, and more sustainable for the environment. It's my choice though- don't want to judge others because they are doing the best they can in their particular situations.

[Thomas Canfield]

I tell my grocer and Wal-Mart when they are out of "white select-size Bounty towels" that they are out of paper towels for me. I find that the single towel works for most jobs, and little lint when doing finishes. I can remember back about 30 years ago when Scott tried to market the junior size that was a shorter width but same length and that was a real fiasco since the rolls would not work on standard holders. White, select-size Bounty for me.

[Brian Elfert]

As far as trash goes, I use paper towels and still rarely fill my small garbage can more than half full. Some weeks I won't even put my garbage can out because it has so little in it. Like Stephen, I have neighbors who put out two of the large garbage cans every week.

I had been buying most of my paper towels in the Sam's Club or Costco store brand. My last purchase from Sam's Club was Bounty because the store brand is only available in the "select-a-size" now and I refuse to knowingly buy those. The really thin paper towels aren't worth the paper they are made from.

[Ole Anderson]

Is anyone else like me and hates "select-a-size" paper towels? They seem like a ploy to sell more paper towels. One sheet isn't usually big enough and two sheets are longer than one normal sheet so the manufacturer sells more paper towels. When I do use two sheets they generally rip apart at the seam.

I was at Walmart yesterday and was buying paper towels. I had to look for a bit to find any paper towels that were not marked as "select-a-size". I found one package that was not marked as "select-a-size" and I carefully looked at all sides of the package to be sure I wasn't missing some marking. Sure enough, I got home and the darn paper towels are the "select-a-size" after not being marked as such! Ugh!In a word; No.

[Jeremy Hamaker]

I would wish for the sake of all of us that 'they' continue selling both size types. But I have a feeling the writing may be on the wall for 'regular' size paper towels.
I do personally prefer the select a size for most of the same reasons mentioned here. We often find ourselves taking one small sheet, ripping IT in half, and just using half of it. We lay the other half right on the roll for the next person who just needs a little piece. I'm NOT advocating for cross-perforated sheet options though. I can live with a jaggedy edge paper towel piece. :D

[ray hampton]

the toilet paper in stores or other public places are smaller than the standard roll at home, when I buy paper towels I look at the size that are printed on the container 10.4 by 11 , usual after I use a sheet its are too dirty to keep so will get toss into the garbage can

[Ole Anderson]

I am wishing that the blue shop towel rolls were available in half sheet perforations also. For staining and wipe on finishes I am always needing a half sheet. They tear nicely in half if you go the right direction, go the wrong direction and you get anything but a half sheet. Hard to remember from time to time which way to tear them.

[Jeff Erbele]

We actually like them better. We use the half sheets much more often than the full sheets.

Same here. I find full sheets are too large for most tasks. We buy the store brand, Member's Mark at Sam's Club, by the case, which lasts a long time.
If the task is larger I just tear off two, half sheets. Rarely do I have trouble with them tearing on the wrong perforation. We have a vertical dispenser that helps with that.

Frequently I find myself grabbing the scissors out of the knife block next to the roll, and cutting a half sheet in half or thirds.

Someone mentioned avoiding paper and using a cloth instead, which I do for the right tasks. Some tasks like drying off washed fruit, wiping grease out of a pan, or microwaving bacon are not well suited for a dish cloth.

The good thing is, one has a choice of sheet sizes.

[Don Morris]

Count me in on the half sheets are the only kind we'll buy. If you want to use a whole sheet, use 2.

[Jeff Erbele]

It seems the majority has some degree of consideration for the environment, as well some concern with avoiding tossing the budget in the trash needlessly. That is great.
Someone mentioned their neighbors have two trash containers on pickup day, while they only have half of one bin. Usually that is us. Some weeks we only have a small kitchen trash bag. On average the recycle bin is full and sometimes with spare tubs on the side. Otherwise, anything that can be composted is.

[Harold Burrell]

It seems the majority has some degree of consideration for the environment, as well some concern with avoiding tossing the budget in the trash needlessly. That is great.
Someone mentioned their neighbors have two trash containers on pickup day, while they only have half of one bin. Usually that is us. Some weeks we only have a small kitchen trash bag. On average the recycle bin is full and sometimes with spare tubs on the side. Otherwise, anything that can be composted is.

Living here in the country, we have learned to recycle.

Yep...we recycle everything we possibly can...right back into the atmosphere.

:eek:
;)

[Gordon Eyre]

I seem to be the only one who hates the smaller paper towels. I guess I'll just need to go out of my way to find the traditional sized paper towels.

You are not alone. My wife brought some home and I really did not like them. I always try to get the regular ones.

[Kevin Bourque]

I love select-a-size towels. The only thing better would be MORE selections!

[David G Baker]

I love them and that is all we buy. They work well with our life style.

[Ole Anderson]

Living here in the country, we have learned to recycle.

Yep...we recycle everything we possibly can...right back into the atmosphere.

:eek:
;)Oh, man, the worst smell in the world has to be a burning barrel. Ok, maybe right after a couple of other olfactory offenses I can think of...

[Harold Burrell]

Oh, man, the worst smell in the world has to be a burning barrel. Ok, maybe right after a couple of other olfactory offenses I can think of...


Oh, no...we love it! In fact, burning trash has become quite an event in our family. We call the kids, break out the hot dogs and marshmellows and have a cook-out.




;)

[Brian Elfert]

Oh, man, the worst smell in the world has to be a burning barrel. Ok, maybe right after a couple of other olfactory offenses I can think of...

The neighbors occasionally burn trash and it stinks! There is a city ordinance that prohibits burning trash and I have been tempted to turn them in a few times. They have trash service so they have no good reason to burn trash.