In the past year, we have covered the phenomenon of shrinking toilet paper.

Though Chimp’s toilet paper (a blogger from Planet of the Chimp) has grown smaller, he still has remained loyal to his toilet paper brand- Scott. He wrote to Kimberly-Clark asking why the toilet paper is smaller and received this response:

Thanks for your e-mail about SCOTT® bathroom tissue. We are sorry that you were disappointed with your recent purchase and appreciate the opportunity to respond.

We recently increased the strength of our tissue and aligned the roll width to match other tissue products on the market. SCOTT 1000 bathroom tissue remains committed to always delivering 1000 sheets on each roll, while giving our consumers the quality of product they expect.

We appreciate your interest and would like to send you some cost-saving coupons through the mail. If you are interested, please send us a follow-up e-mail with your mailing address. Thanks again for taking the time to contact us.

Charmin
Consumer Services, Kimberly-Clark Corp.
Lead the world in essentials for a better life.

Chimp continues to buy Scott toilet paper, stating that, “it still seems to last longer than the “soft” tissues…Don’t like the real soft ones as I feel the harsher ones clean better.” He also uses moist wipes at home.

Do you continue to buy the same toilet paper although it is smaller?

Next week, we will be posting our office’s results on a toilet paper survey. Employee bathrooms were stocked with two different toilet papers, and they were rated on quality, strength, softness and absorbency. Stay tuned!

Check out the Use and Choose Toilet Paper Survey Results.

This article is from NewsNet5.

“Every few months, NewsChannel5 consumer reporter John Matarese finds himself reporting on shrinking products that give you less for your money. But the latest product to shrink is not doing it the usual way. Instead of getting smaller, he said it’s getting skinnier.

Did the Wall Holder Grow?

Ben Hart was preparing to spend some quality time on the throne recently, when he noticed the new roll of TP didn’t fit the holder quite right. It was too small.

He said his wife spotted it too. Hart said, “We normally buy Quilted Northern, and we noticed the package was pink to benefit breast cancer. But when we got home and put in in the holder, my wife noticed the rolls also seemed smaller.”

Significantly Skinnier

Hart compared the new roll to an older package of Northern. Both say “9 Double Rolls equal 18 Regular Rolls,” so they appear to be the same. But Hart said the roll of new Quilted Northern is significantly skinnier, and now wobbles in the holder. The reason, Hart said, is that “you can see there’s this 1/2 inch difference in width in the product.”

Hart found the new rolls also give you fewer squares per roll too, down from 300 sheets to 286 sheets. He did some basic math, and says “it’s a 51 and a half square foot difference, that’s quite a bit.”

Is Your Backside Getting Skinnier?

Georgia Pacific, which makes Quilted Northern, said in a statement to customers “because of today’s economy, we made the decision to slightly reduce the roll, and not raise our price.” But Hart said he’d be willing a pay a bit more for wider roll.

“I don’t know why they just don’t raise the price.” After all, he said, unlike toilet tissue, most of us are not getting any skinnier in our backsides.

The “Bottom” Line

If your roll seems too skinny for your holder, it may be a good time to try other brands because not all of them are doing this. Matarese said it’s easier switching brands than replacing your toilet paper holder.

Is it me or is my toilet paper getting smaller?

You’re not going crazy and you’re hands aren’t getting any bigger.  One of closest companions is actually getting smaller.

Toilet paper was originally manufactured 4.5” wide by 4.5” long, which is relative to the average man’s hand size. The square makes it convenient to fold over a few times and still be acceptable for size/ sanitary coverage. Basically, the size was established because it worked – kind of like the 90-foot pitcher’s mound and the 10-foot basketball rim.

However, the size of toilet tissue has been reduced in the last decade as manufacturers try to trim costs by trimming sheet size.

Currently, most TP rolls are still 4.5” wide (or close too it at least), but have may contain much shorter sheets.  Typical sizes of popular brands include:
-    Kleenex Cottonelle; Standard :  4.5 x 4.0
-    Angel Soft; Standard: 4.5 x 4.0
-    Charmin Basic: 4.4 x 4.3
-    Quilted Northern: 4.5 x 4.05

If you’re missing your old friend, have no fear.  Two manufactures still produce 4.5x.4.5″ rolls of toilet paper:
-    Boardwalk Toilet Paper; 2-ply
-    Windsoft Recycled Toilet Paper ; 2-ply

**Product Update: As of November 1, 2009, Private Label brands Boardwalk and Windsoft Toilet Paper no longer produce sheets in 4.5″ x 4.5″ sizes. Both brands have reduced their sheet size to 4.5″ x 4.25″. Thank you to Phil for bringing this to our attention.**