Rant: Bounty Towels Commercial

I just sat through a Bounty paper towels commercial. As soon as it finished, I let out a frustrated groan and said out loud, "I feel a rant coming on!"

In the commercial, there is a mom with her two daughters, one in upper elementary school and the other in a high chair, making a mess of her noodles and sauce. The older girl goes to grab the dish cloth (er, this is apparently a Canadian term: a square kitchen cloth used for washing dishes, counters, etc.; aka a dish rag) but the mom is heard speaking about bacteria and she holds the older girl back, instead preferring to use a Bounty towel.

WHAT?!?!?!?!?

Do we not live in a time of being more environmentally conscious? Of trying to waste less, use less? I can see using a paper towel for something particularly gross (cat vomit comes to mind) or I have been known to use a paper towel to wipe the grease from a pan to avoid getting that grease down the drain. But to use a paper towel to avoid cleaning a high chair tray with a dish cloth because of bacteria?? AAARRRGGGGHHH! They then go on to say how the Bounty towel is cleaner than a dish cloth.

Here's a little secret:

If you change the dish cloth daily, 

rinse it well after use and 

place it where it can dry well, 

it will not be full of bacteria.

I also change our dish cloth any time it is used to clean up raw meat "stuff" (if the chicken fell on the counter, if blood ended up on the counter, etc.) or milk.  I have about 10 cloths, which means I only need to wash them with the rest of the household towels once a week.

Another little secret: Dish soap helps clean up messes and would help wipe away any bacteria. Cleaning a high chair try with nothing more than a wet paper towel isn't necessarily going to do the trick.

We need to stop living in a disposable society. Especially for something as simple as this.


Remember when you're next at the store: Paper towels are NOT better than dish cloths/rags! Don't fall for the advertising that wants you to dish (pun not intended) out $$ on a regular basis for a cleaning product you could simply have a version you throw in the wash each week.

This mom has already done some research on this. Check out the environmental impact of using paper towels as much as Bounty would have you do!