Product Review: Viva® Vantage™ Paper Towels

Through my beloved Crowdtap, I received a sample of four rolls of new Viva® Vantage™ Paper Towels. I shared a roll with a friend and one roll with my mother-in-law, who already uses Viva, but a different type. I kept the other two.

Viva Vantage are made with a new V-Flex™ Weave that makes them stretchy, strong, and absorbent. I wasn't sure how I would like these, since I've used the same brand of paper towels for years, but I have to admit these are great. The claims on the company's website about the traits of the new V-Flex Weave held true for us. I used these paper towels to clean my kitchen counters, pick up spills, and even wipe up cat barf from the living room rug (Yuck). Since being strong and not falling apart during tough cleanups was the main reason I purchased my regular brand, it's nice to know I have another alternative. Especially because these paper towels allow you to select the size you want to use, just like my current brand.

The only downside for me has nothing to do with the product itself. The price of a 6-pack of Viva Vantage is a dollar more than the same size of my regular brand where I regularly shop. Why pay more for a similar product? Coupons and store sales will be important if I want to switch over to Viva Vantage completely.


This review contains my honest opinions, which I have not been compensated for in any way.

Product Review: Scott Naturals® Paper Towels

I received a free roll (unsolicited) of Scott Naturals® paper towels. According to the company's website, this hybrid towel contains a blend of 60% recycled fibers that keeps them absorbent. The instructions that came with the package asked me to secretly swap out our regular brand of paper towel and replace it with Scott Naturals.

That was easy enough to do because I'm fairly certain no one else pays attention to what I put on there in the first place. Our family used the roll until it ran out and then I put back the regular brand. As I feared, no one else knew but me.

The claim for this brand is that they "help you take a green step without sacrificing quality." For the most part, I agree, but there was one issue with this product that ensures it won't be my preferred brand. The towel is a slightly smaller size than my usual brand, but that isn't a big deal. I use washable towels for large messes anyway. The problem for me was that I couldn't get the paper towels to tear using only one hand. As a busy mom, I'm constantly juggling a million different things at once. It's not unusual for my left hand to be busy while my right hand is reaching for a paper towel. No matter how many times I tried, it required both my hands to rip off the Scott Naturals paper towel from the roll or me leaning on arm on the roll and pulling with the other hand to get a towel free. I found it frustrating. Maybe it's silly, but I don't want to grab for one paper towel or half a paper towel (they come in Choose Your Size) and end up unraveling half the roll simply because I only have one hand free.

Other than that, I can say they worked just as well as my regular brand. If these were on sale at the grocery store in the future I might try them again, but I'm not looking to switch right now.


I received a single roll of Scott Naturals paper towels from the manufacturer. This review contains my honest opinions, which I have not been compensated for in any way.