ShamWow: Wow or sham?

This article is the archived version of a report that appeared in the June 2009 Consumer Reports magazine.

The claim

When we bought ShamWow, a heavily hyped cloth ("like a chamois, a towel, a sponge; works wet or dry"), an ad said it "holds 20 times its weight in liquid." At press time, that claim still appeared on some Web sites. But ShamWow's site had downgraded the claim to 12 times its weight. Each of our orders of ShamWow consisted of four 19½x23½-inch towels and four 15x15-inch towels. Cost per order: $19.95 plus $7.95 shipping and handling, or about $3.50 per towel.

The check

We mimicked the ad, dunking ShamWows in water or soda until each could hold no more. We also dunked them in milk. And we tested whether small ones could soak up as much water, milk, and used motor oil as similar-weight sponges (about 14 cents each).

Bottom line

We weren't wowed, since ShamWow soaked up only 10 times its weight in water or soda. Dunked in milk, it could usually absorb 12 times its weight but not 20. Sponges often held a bit more water and soda. If we used a damp ShamWow, we needed another cloth to wipe remaining droplets. Two little "wows": A small ShamWow held more motor oil than a sponge; and a bigger ShamWow is good for drying a wet dog, for which you might not want to use a good towel.