November 21, 2009
- Pasco, Washington
ShamWow Claim Check
By Heather Reese
There are certain infomercials that seem to take on a life of their own, and the ShamWow is one of them. The hyped-up cloth promises to wow you with its ability to clean spills. "It's like a shammy, it's like a towel, it's like a sponge," says the infomercial.
Consumer Reports wanted to put it to the test. But the first dilemma—which claim to test? "ShamWow holds 20 times its weight in liquid." That's what the infomercial used to say, but not anymore. "ShamWow holds 12 times its weight in liquid," says another infomercial. And still another says, "The ShamWow holds 10 times its weight in liquid." Before the claim changes again, here's what testers discovered. They dunked the ShamWow in cola and in water. Then testers weighed them and did the math. Consumer Reports found that the ShamWow held 10 times its weight. Testers also ran 14 cent sponges through the same tests. And just like ShamWow, they held about 10 times their weight. And testers found the ShamWow doesn't mop up spills as well as its infomercial shows on television. Testers added a little bit of water as though it were spilled on the floor and tried to wipe it up. They found there were quite a few droplets left. And when wiping up water on counters, the ShamWow left lots of tiny droplets behind, too. The ShamWow claims to last 10 years and is machine washable. Contrary to what the infomercial suggests, sponges can be washed, too. And while they won't last 10 years, they do cost a lot less. An order of eight ShamWows adds up to about $28 with shipping and handling. |
Upload directly from your mobile device. Learn howYouNews
This content requires the latest Adobe Flash Player and a browser with JavaScript enabled.
Click here for a free download of the latest Adobe Flash Player.
|
Connect with KEPRMost Popular
|
Copyright © 2009
KEPR-TV, 2807 W. Lewis Street,
Pasco,
WA
99301
Copyright © 2008 Fisher Communications, Inc.
Powered by Broadcast Interactive Media.