What’s the Best Toilet Paper? I Tested 5 to Find Out

A Head-to-Head Test to Find the Best Toilet Paper

I’ve got another household product evaluation to share with you today, and this time we’re evaluating toilet paper. (This is an extension of the paper towel “showdown” I shared a while ago, where I evaluated several types of paper towels in a head-to-head test to determine which one was best.)

I doubt any of us will be taking toilet paper for granted any time soon, as the 2020 toilet paper shortages left quite an impression. However, that doesn’t mean we have to settle for any old toilet paper, and today’s post will give you the information you need to choose the best toilet paper for you and your family!

As with the paper towel showdown, I went into this test already having a brand I prefer, but I was curious to see how the others performed and whether they would change my mind. I also recruited my husband Dave to be a tester for this showdown, because he can be picky about these things and is always willing to air a grievance! ;-)

The OGT Toilet Paper Showdown

While I’ve personally been buying Charmin for years, I made every effort to approach this test in an unbiased way. The factors that Dave and I considered for each toilet paper in our test were durability, roll size, cost, and softness (a very important factor, if not the most important!)

The Contenders

I chose the following toilet papers to evaluate for this showdown:

• Charmin Ultra Soft (49 cents per 100 sheets)
• Quilted Northern Ultra Plush (38 cents per 100 sheets)
• Cottonelle Ultra Comfort (50 cents per 100 sheets)
• Kirkland Signature (45 cents per 100 sheets)
• Presto! Ultra Soft (36 cents per 100 sheets)

Most of these brands are the usual suspects at grocery stores (minus the Costco brand), but I decided to add Presto! after doing a bit of research. This is an Amazon private label brand and its toilet paper had promising reviews, so I added it to my list.

Putting Them to the Test

I won’t go into too much detail here (for obvious reasons), but I will tell you that we used each of the 5 toilet papers exclusively in our bathroom for at least one week. That means we had plenty of time to experience and consider the pros and cons of each tissue we tested.

Related: These 9 Problem-Solving Toilet Hacks Are Weird, But They Work

How Do the Top 5 Toilet Papers Compare?

Here is my personal ranking of the 5 contenders, from the best toilet paper to the worst:

1. Presto! Ultra Soft
2. Charmin Ultra Soft
3. Kirkland Signature
4. Quilted Northern Ultra Plush
5. Cottonelle Ultra Comfort

The Winner: Presto! Ultra Soft

The Presto! toilet paper definitely surprised me in terms of how much I liked it! Of all 5 contenders, these rolls were both the widest and longest, plus it was noticeably softer and thicker than the rest of the candidates. With as many pros as there were with this paper, it ended up coming out on top.

The Runner-Up: Charmin Ultra Soft

My old standby, Charmin, was still as soft as ever, but it didn’t have the thickness of Presto!, and the rolls were significantly smaller too.

3rd Place: Kirkland Signature

I found Kirkland Signature and Quilted Northern similar enough that they almost tied for third. My only nitpick about the Kirkland toilet paper was the pattern on it — as weird as it sounds, I just didn’t like it!

4th Place: Quilted Northern Ultra Plush

Quilted Northern was ultra plush, so this is a toilet paper that definitely lives up to its name. Not a bad choice overall, just not my favorite.

5th Place: Cottonelle Ultra Comfort

I was surprised that this brand ended up in the last place in my rankings, mainly because Cottonelle is a well-known and well-liked brand. But after extensive testing of each of the 5 contenders, it was definitely my least favorite — it seemed thinner than the others, and wasn’t nearly as soft as the winner.

Related: 3 Surprising Reasons Why You Need A Bidet (And How To Pick One)

What is your favorite brand of toilet paper?