MARCAL SMALL STEPS { Review & Giveaway }

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 People seem to talk a lot about making small steps to reduce our impact on the planet, and here's another small step that can make a big impact -- if a family of four switched to paper products made from 100% recycled materials, they could save two trees a year. Imagine what a whole nation could do!




One of the drawbacks to "green" products has been the cost: many times "green" products are priced at a premium. But I was recently introduced to a company that has managed to keep their products green and low-cost: Marcal Small Steps. They sent me a Small Steps starter kit containing everything from toilet paper to tissues to paper napkins and paper towels, and I thought they'd be a great company to feature


The Basics

Marcal makes toilet paper, napkins and paper towels from 100% premium recycled paper, not trees. They are available at Walgreens and other retailers, and typically sell for equal to or less than traditional paper goods because Marcal doesn't use expensive dyes or fragrances in their products.



Here's how Marcal describes their products:

Our 100% premium recycled eco friendly products are hypoallergenic, virtually lint free, and whitened without chlorine bleaching. Small Steps® bath tissue, towels, napkins and facial tissue contain just the right combination of strength, absorbency and softness to handle every job.


Here are some things I love about Marcal's product line:



* The paper looks clean and white, even though they do not use chlorine bleaching.



* The paper towels are nice and absorbent.



* I'm glad they haven't added any dyes or fragrances because I hate perfumed products.



* I love how the paper napkins come in a plastic bag that has a drawstring, so you can seal it up to protect the napkins that are still in the bag.



* Usually, when you're talking about paper products, the phrases "feel good" and "gentler" refer to your skin, but in this case I feel good when I use this product because I know it's gentler on the environment. I'm not going to pretend that the paper is as soft as most of the regular brands on US supermarket shelves, but frankly it's a costly luxury so I'm not holding it against Marcal, or any recycled-paper product. It takes a lot of trees to get all that softness, and it might be time to break that habit. Hey, if the Europeans and Latin Americans can live with rougher toilet paper for the sake of the earth, so can we!

The Drawbacks:


I wish they made jumbo toilet paper rolls so we wouldn't have to keep changing rolls every few days! Their 2-ply bathroom tissue rolls come in rolls of 168 sheets per roll, whereas conventional brands have mega-rolls with 250, 300 and more sheets per roll. Think of the number of toilet roll centers you could save by putting more sheets per roll! Also, I'm curious as to why they didn't package their paper products in more recycled paper instead of plastic?


The Bottom Line

Switching to recycled paper products is one small step anyone can make to help save the planet. Marcal Small Steps paper products makes it easy and cost-effective to do so.
 
** The Giveaway **
 
One Mon Cheri reader will get 3 coupons, each worth $5.99

Sept. 15 th - Sept. 22nd
 
Mandatory Entry :
 
* Be my Follower
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Extra Entry:
 
* Fan Marcal Small Steps @ Facebook (+3 Entries)
 
* Fan me @ Facebook (+5 Entries)
 
* Folow me via Twitter (+ 5 Entries)

Pls. leave a comment for each entry.
 
Good Luck !!!