Cleaning Products, Kitchen Gear, Product Reviews

Review: Marcal Small Steps

Out of the blue a little while ago, I received a message on Facebook… You know I hardly ever use facebook, but this message just spoke to me. It was from Lindsay of Marcal Manufacturing LLC. asking me if I’d be interested in reviewing some of their products. I had heard of the name “Marcal” before, but I couldn’t put my finger on what their products exactly were, so I did some research. After finding out a little bit more about the company, I promptly replied with a “YES!”

If you aren’t familiar with Marcal.. Marcal Small Steps is a line of 100% percent recycled paper products which include toilet paper, towels, napkins and facial tissue. They have been making recycled product since the 50s (before it was the cool thing to do). Of course, I’m all about recycling, and trying to make the planet a better place for future generations. My girls LOVE telling me all about recycling and reusing things too… thanks to Disney Channel’s Friends for Change campaign! Who says marketing doesn’t work on kids? My girls really listen to those commercials!

Marcal Small Steps sent me a large box full of various items to try out.

Dinner Napkins, 180 ct Napkin Drawstring Bag, 80 ct Upright Facial Tissues, 144 ct Facial Tissues, Single Roll Giant Paper Towels, 1,000 ct Bath Tissue, 4 rolls of 1,000 ct bath tissue, and 3 rolls of Regular Kitchen Paper Towels.

We’ve tried them all… and here are the verdicts:

* Dinner Napkins: Love them! They look like the ones you’d use in a semi-fancy restaurant. They hold up pretty well to our dinners (which usually involve a lot of BBQ sauce)

* 180 ct Napkin Drawstring Bag: Great for daily use when not eating ribs! About the same thickness as the other (totally not recycled) napkins I’ve purchased in the past.

* Facial Tissues: A little rougher than the ones that I’m used to. Good to keep around the house, but not sure I can give up my lotion tissues when I need to blow my nose every couple of minutes! Luckily, we don’t get sick too often (knock on wood)… so these will be good to keep around in case of a random sneeze…

* Bathroom Tissue: Like the Facial Tissues, this is also a little rougher than the brand we usually buy. It is better than the stuff I typically run into in public bathrooms, but it would be hard for me to give up my regular brand. I know, I know, the environment is involved here… That is a a big factor, but my tooshie needs the extra softness!

* Kitchen Paper Towels: Similar in thickness to the brand I typically use, but not quite as absorbent. I did the Measuring cup test, and it took me a couple more towels to dry up a 1/4 cup of spilled water than my usual brand. It’s that catch 22. Do I do good by buying the recycled towels and have to use a little more, or do I buy the usual brand, and end up using less when I need to clean up a spill?? Oh decisions…

The Marcal Small Steps products are helping to save 1 million trees. They are green, and hard working, and they are safe for the home. Their 100% recycled paper products are hypoallergenic, virtually lint free, and whitened without chlorine bleaching.

Overall, I think it’s a great idea to buy recycled products whenever possible. Considering the cost of the Marcal vs some of the other brands isn’t much different, it doesn’t hurt to go for the recycled product to help save the planet.

For more information, you can check out the Marcal Small Steps website, follow @MarcalSmallSteps on Twitter, or become a fan on Facebook.

**FTC Disclosure: The products mentioned in this review were sent to me to sample for the purpose of this review.

4 thoughts on “Review: Marcal Small Steps

  1. You should be ashamed to affiliate yourself with Marcal. They are the biggest air and water polluter in the state of New Jersey, and have been fined billions by the EPA. They filed for bankruptcy to avoid their responsibilities, as well as break their union contract.
    For them to claim to be a green, eco-friendly company is a joke, as well as a lie. You association with them makes me question your credibility. Please don't promote thier products. They do much more harm than good. That is a fact you can look up.

  2. Wow. I was not aware of any recent issues. If you have any links, I'd love to see them. Please be aware, that this is a Product Review site. I do not claim to agree or disagree with any certain company's business practices, nor do I claim affiliations with any companies besides specific product reviews unless otherwise stated.

  3. The bath tissue hurts! Really!! After one roll, I had to give up on it. Some things just are not worth injuring yourself for!

  4. I bought 2 cases (12 rolls each) of Marcal Small Steps Paper Towels (100% Premium Recycled) and they are TERRIBLE in my opinion. The perforations aren’t deep enough and when you tear off a towel it pulls the whole roll off the holder or tears across the next towel (can’t get a single towel to tear off no matter how hard I try)!. They also are 2 ply and the plies don’t stay together (they peel apart) and don’t even think about doing windows or mirrors with them (unless you love to vacuum) because they shed little tiny rectangles of paper all over the place”. I complained to Marcal and they sent me a envelope to send them a sample of the “defective” product|. I sent the sample and never heard anything back from them.. I emailed several days ago and still got no response.. I guess they know they sell an inferior product and just plain don’t care.. These paper towels have been a lesson in frustration/. Just want to let people know so they can avoid the disappointment and aggravation I went through.. Wish I had the receipt, they would have went right back to Shoprite!

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