Thanks Arthur! (Plenty Kitchen Paper)

Member Name: aefra

Product:	Plenty Kitchen Paper
Date:	30/01/03 (523 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Remains intact when wet, Inexpensive, Many uses

Disadvantages: **

Long, long ago in Philadelphia Arthur Scott, head of the now Kimberley-Clark paper company, received a railroad car full of paper rolled too thick for the toilet tissue which they produced. This was in 1900 and, presumably in those days, they didn't just put it down to wastage, return it in exchange for a credit note or enter it as a tax loss. Clever Mr Scott remembered that a local school teacher was using soft paper to stem the runny noses of her pupils to prevent germs being transferred to cloth roller towels. So Arthur perforated the unwanted paper and tried to sell it as rolls of towels, each 13" wide and 18" long. Although it took a long time to catch on, the rest is history. It does seem that the Americans kept soft toilet tissue a secret from us for a few score uncomfortable years though!

Although only just being able to remember how it was, I put washing-up liquid and paper towels high on my list of "how did they manage before?" kitchen items. Still used for runny noses as well as mopping up spills, drying glass, absorbing the grease from bacon and a million other uses, that roll of paper towels easily to hand in a cupboard or sitting on it's wooden pole on a work top, is essential to modern living. However, because of this, scraps of used paper are to be found in pockets which then find their way into the washing machine. From there they migrate to the bottom of the drum or into the filter as shredded scraps of wet white mush. We have all been there.

That was before Bounty arrived on the scene and promised us that, while being super absorbent, it would remain intact when wet and be strong enough to wring out after use. Since finding that, despite it does everything it promises, it is still a decent price I would use no other.

Bounty is a 2-ply absorbent paper which, although not recycled, is made from the long fibres of softwood pulp. Pine and spruce grow quickly and are replaced
as they are cut down, so the product is pretty enviromentally friendly. After being cleaned and bleached, resin is added and the fibres bonded. The moisture holding property is created by combining 2 sheets of paper which, due to being embossed, also hold air pockets that attract moisture. It is the diamond quilted pattern which holds the water.

One of the reasons which attracted me to Bounty is that the roll itself is a convenient width. Although it works as well and often better than the fatter rolls, it takes up less space. At £1.39 for a two-pack, £2.89 for a 4-pack and £3.89 for a 6-pack, it won't damage the housekeeping. There are less sheets in a roll than some other makes, but it goes as far. If you wish to pay another 10p or so, there are a myriad of different prints to choose from, although the stores seem to hold only a few. The Bounty website actually has a gallery of these prints.

What to use Bounty for and, as importantly, what not to use it for? As well as a superb mopper-upper, the website tells us that it absorbs grease from food better than any other leading make. Bounty is an effective and hygienic method of drying meat or fish. The inks used on printed Bounty are safe, but it is suggested that the sheets shouldn't be used for prolonged contact with food. Similarly, paper burns in a microwave and a microwaveable Bounty is, apparently, available. When waiting for a dish to cool before putting in the fridge, I cover with a Bounty sheet which has enough weight to stay where I put it. Because it stays intact, the towel can be used to grease pans or wash and dry work surfaces before being disposed of in a bin along with any germs. I don't need anything to mop that egg that drops and breaks on the floor. I just call my jack russell terrier to do the job for me. Now there is a mopper upper par excellence! Using a damp cloth to wipe down my kitchen window sill, which has potted plants on it, would the
n rinse soil particles down my shiny sink. Not any more now that the paper can be thrown away instantly afterwards.

Although Bounty's versatility offers many uses, there are some things for which it should not be used. Although I have been cleaning my specs with the magic tissue for some time, it seems that the wood fibres in paper can scratch plastic lenses. Do I have to remind you not to flush this paper down the loo? Bounty is not a suitable thickness or absorbency to be used as a coffee filter and if you must use it in a microwave, wrap the food in wet Bounty, remembering that paper burns in a microwave.

The above is all very well, but why should I not want to buy another kitchen towel? I guess it is because Bounty is so darn useful, handy and reliable. Arthur Scott probably never knew the potential success of his idea a century ago. The name Scott is a part of paper history and I wonder if this is the same Mr. Scott who started it all.

The Bounty website is at http://quickerpickerupper.com or enter bountyfamily.com into your search engine.

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