Bottoms up. (Izal Medicated Strong Toilet Paper)

Member Name: Sarahjh

Product:	Izal Medicated Strong Toilet Paper
Date:	28/11/08 (463 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Ermm.....

Disadvantages: A hard medicated toilet paper, with nothing tempting at all about it

At the beginning of the 1890`s a germicidal disinfectant had been made using the by products from coke furnaces, gases, tars and oils. In 1893 this was patented as Izal.
The product became available in liquid, powder, soap, cream and ointment form. This famous disinfectant was said to help combat cholera, chicken pox, whooping cough and typhoid fever. It also claimed to cure malaria, worms, perspiring feet and baldness!
Izal was eventually added to toilet paper and was a best selling product for years.


Izal is priced at £1.49 a roll, or a flat packet of tissue type paper also retails at £1.49. Izal is produced from a renewable source and is still the choice of toilet paper for some households today.
The Carbolic Soap Company are an online shop that sell toiletries of years gone by and they sell Izal, but mainly for novelty purposes nowadays.


If I close my eyes and use my imagination I can `smell` that unmistakable aroma!
Izal is a coarse paper, non absorbent and hard on the skin.
After having been spoilt by the soft toilet tissues on the market it is difficult to ever think of using the Izal type toilet papers ever again.
Izal tissue has a medicated smell whereas toilet tissue today is often perfumed. It has a hard hostile and cold feeling to it, today we enjoy 3 ply and soft quilted tissue. Izal just wasn't absorbent but today's tissue is super absorbent. Izal reminds me of tracing paper and it was widely used in school toilets too.
My Grandmother used newspaper cut up neatly into squares and threaded onto a piece of string in her `little room`, Izal is just maybe one move ahead of that!
Given that Izal promised to protect against many major illnesses and cure some other ailments it was hardly surprising that the Izal paper became such a favourite with housewives!


As much as it was considered to be a very good product in its day, it certainly wont ever find its way into my shopping trolley, im afraid that I fully intend to stick with the supersoft quilted tissue.
If that dear little Andrex puppy ran around with a mouthful of Izal he would think twice about ever touching the toilet roll again!

Summary: It is hard and strong and smells plain awful!