I never really bought into the ShamWow craze and even now, I own them and I use them but they aren't all that they are cracked up to be. Sure, if you have a spill or something that you need to clean up the towels will work better than a paper towel of a dishrag but they have their limitations. I use these when I clean out the pet igloos that the dogs have outside as well as the smaller ones that are inside that the guinea pigs and ferrets use. They do absorb a lot of the water that is left on them so they dry faster when I put them out in the sun but they are expensive. One of the things that kills absorbency on dishrags, cleaning towels and things like the ShamWow is laundry softener. When I wash my cleaning rags and towels I never use a liquid softener or a softener sheet because that prevents them from being as absorbent as they should be. The same thing goes for the ShamWow; I have heard people complain that after washing them a couple of times they weren't as absorbent and I asked them if they were using a laundry softener. When they said they were I told them that's where they went wrong. If you have noticed that happening just eliminate using a dryer sheet or liquid softener and within a couple of washes you should see them bounce back. Likewise, if possible, hang them to dry after putting them in the dryer for about five minutes. If I see these on sale (rare but it happens) I would get them for washing the SUV or washing down aluminum siding but for smaller jobs you are going to get the same result from using a paper towel or regular cleaning rag.

AlexFortune

Undisclosed

These should probably be renamed. I think that there is little Wow in these product except maybe "Wow, the commercials sure are (were) gimmicky!" When these first came out we got one and at one point had a spill in the middle of the livingroom carpet, during a party, that merited testing out it's true soak-it-all-up capacity. The truth is although we had some fun with it, it did not soak it up quite as amazingly as the true life examples on the commercial would lead you to believe. Maybe our spill wasn't fancy enough--it was only ice water. As far as cleaning goes, it has a strange texture and consistency that does not really lend as well to cleaning, buffing and the like as other materials like a plain old wash cloth or microfiber cloth can. The ShamWow now resides in our car. Just in case... You would not think that something like this would necessarily have a scent, but it does. It reminds me of dog (we don't have one) or some bizarre, mostly unpleasantly questionable smell.

ilikestickynotes2

USA

I tend to dismiss most "As seen on TV" products. I saw the commercials for Shamwows (who hasn't?) and figured that they were just something else that I didn't need. Then I was at a friend's house and one of the kids spilled their milk. She pulled out a small piece of Shamwow (she told me she cuts them into assorted sizes for different jobs) wet it it the sink wrung it out and it absorbed all of the milk and left nothing behind. And that I have learned is that a dry shamwow will really just smear the liquid around, but if you wet it and wring it out it is really much more absorbent than a typical cleaning cloth. The needing to wet it can be a bit of a pain, especially when you are trying to move quickly to stop a spill from spreading and is the reason I gave them eight stars instead of ten. But it was not enough to stop me from going out and buying a package of them. And with two kids and a husband I do use them frequently for certain things, like spills, I don't use them much for general cleaning but that is what I have rags for.

mariecarey

USA

I remember seeing the commercials for these drying towels when they first came out, very cheesy and were very infomercial in feel. We hesitated in buying them, but eventually gave them a try to use down at the lake for our jet ski. They get the job done well enough. They get most of the water off and are pretty absorbent so we do not have to keep wiping it down, but they do leave some water behind. We did purchase a few more to keep at home when washing our cars as well. They get the majority of the water off without any worry of scratching the paint. These are very soft and do not have any stray fabric remnants hanging off them that could cause any damage. They also do not retain water in the same way regular towels do in that they do not get super heavy after soaking up the water and we have been able to store them in the jet ski seat compartment when not in use and have had no problems with any mildew, which was a problem when we used regular towels. Scent They do not have any scent

kahubbar

Undisclosed

I bought ShamWow's thinking I was going to save lots of money and use them on all my clean ups and spills instead of using traditional paper towels. I've had these for awhile, and they do a decent job, but I still buy my paper towels. Performance When you first buy these, they are kind of cool to use. They soak up liquid from carpet, and you can wring it out in the sink. You can soak up spilled drinks on the table, and use these. But I really don't know how much is a "Wow" factor compared to a basic paper towel soaking up the mess as well. I do like the fact that these are machine washable, but then I find the problem where I don't have enough to wash a complete load, and I don't want to mix these in with my regular clothes laundry. Do not ever make the mistake of throwing in the dryer though; that will completely warp the ShamWow's ability to absorb liquid the same way. They do wear down, but I've had mine for a good five years. I will not buy again for the sponge-like factor, but now just use them for general cleaning rags. Scent There is no scent, its a mircrofiber type cloth.

becausebecause

USA

I got several sets of these 10 years ago, and all are still in service today, cleaning and drying messes around the house and saving me money on paper towels. They are well made and durable, showing no signs of unraveling or thinning despite being used and washed every week. Even if I use them to clean up something very dirty, they do not remain stained. They come out of the wash looking good. Performance It sops up liquids pretty well and dries windows without streaking. They are good for drying my car after a washing because they do not scratch the finish. best of all, they wash up and are reusable, being a viable replacement for paper towels. They are so soft to the touch that I have seen them used for medical purposes, such as a soft absorbent cloth under the breast or tummy fold for patients who have heat rashes, and even as comfortable absorbent panty linrs. Scent This rating is not relevant;. This is a muliipurpose launderable towel that has no scent of its own. So this is the most neutral number I should apply.

MoiraWhitlock

USA

I go through a lot of paper towels and the prices really start to add up. One day one of my friends had ordered the ShamWow Towels and gave me one as a gift to try it out. It worked good on the little messes, like a cup of spilled juice. However, it is not really like it is described on the television infomercials. The absorbency in those TV ads is very exaggerated compared to its true performance. It does not really absorb or hold that much liquid, so it is not suitable to big messes, I see no point in using or buying a product that only does half the job. For my kitchen messes, I have decided to stick with paper towels and kick the ShamWow Towels out of my kitchen. However, I have found some uses for the ShamWow Towels. For examples, they work very well to clean the inside and outside of my car, they are soft enough not to leave any scratches. I also use them to dry off my pets when they get wet. But overall, you can get better results using paper towels and I would not buy these ShamWow Towels.

Girly777

USA

I am so happy that I did not actually pay for ShamWow towels. I received them as a gift for Christmas. I decided to try them out when I washed my car. Honestly, I am not sure how this company managed to make any money. I realized so after trying to "dry" my car with these towels, that I could use a regular towel and get the same results. Do not waste your money on ShamWow if you can get the same results with a bath towel that you already own. I never said anything to the person who bought the towels for me, but I have never used them again. I actually think that my old bath towel works better and it will last longer. Also, since I was no longer using it for the shower, I cut it into six pieces. I only received two ShamWow towels. This product is a scam, like so many other television infomercial products. It is just another way for companies that have a less than acceptable product to convince unsuspecting customers to shell out money they do not really have. Performance The towels dried my car, but no better than a regular bath towel. It is not a miracle product as the infomercials make it out to be. Scent This product does not have a scent.

Fairyrhi

USA

I love the strength of these rags and they work wonders on all jobs I use them for. I especially like to use them when cleaning our vehicle because they are strong and weather they are wet or dry they don't scratch the surfaces of the body of our car and the strong weave holds up to tough scrubbing everywhere and I like that I can toss them in the washer once they have been used and they come out clean and ready for another tough job. Performance The soft material is gentle on surfaces yet strong enough to withstand heavy scrubbing jobs on my floors and my vehicle and rinse out easily after each use. I like that I can use these on anything and they work great. I also use these for dusting because the damp rag holds all the dust tight to the rag and no flying dust in the air is always better for my family. Scent I am sensitive to some strong cleanser scents but these towels do not have any scent but the cleaner I choose to use with them so it is a good option for me.

JamieLaMarche

USA

This product is a joke. It does not work any better than any other cloth towel. It might hold a bit more water, but that doesn't serve a whole lot of purpose. these things also don't hold up for a really long time, and will fall apart on you. I feel like the price of these is high because they are trying to pay for all of the advertising that went into rolling this product out. I would avoid it.

teacherguy

USA