Perplexing product.

Of all the consumer products that have hit the shelves in recent memory, I find this to be the most perplexing by far.

Good thing the soapy bit is "water activated" -- you wouldn't want to open the package and find three goopy, dripping rolls of paper towels.

Bounty with Dawn got raves from Good Housekeeping, who noted that you can "just activate it with water and use it to clean dishes, appliances, countertops, and other household surfaces. When you're done, simply toss it — and germs — away." But aren't germ-killing wipes better for counters? And they come pre-dampened. Besides, it's not like you spew Dawn on household surfaces to clean them. Dawn is a soap, and must be rinsed off, which is why it's used for dishes. (And duckies!) So doesn't Bounty with Dawn leave a soapy slick behind? One mostly positive review from the Albany Times-Union says exactly that:

You need a rag or another plain paper towel handy to wipe up the soapy residue left behind. Bounty's website suggests you use the Bounty with Dawn towels for those "stubborn, greasy" messes and use their regular Bounty towels for your everyday spills. I suggest you use the Bounty with Dawn all the time and have a clean dish rag, dad's old T-shirt or a roll of regular paper towels (the cheap kind) to wipe away the suds.

Just what we need: a new product that makes a simple job more complicated. Plus, are we now supposed to have two paper towel rolls in the kitchen? Most people's counters are overcrowded already, even if they don't buy spurious As-Seen-on-TV appliances.

We've found these towels useful for applications that would normally require Dawn and a scrubber---like cleaning the coffeepot, or better, dog dishes. I say better because I'd rather use something disposable on the dog stuff. They soap up nicely. But because they are not abrasive, which would be weird on a paper towel, they're only good for cleaning smooth surfaces with no stuck-on gunk. So even for that they're of limited use, and maybe not so hot on those "stubborn, greasy" messes.

I can't help but think others will also be confounded by the conundrum that is Bounty with Dawn, although P&G is betting big on this one, we're told. I believe they're going to be disappointed. The product is pricey compared to normal paper towels, and I don't think consumers will think the benefits outweigh the faults. Then again, if I knew what the American public would go for, I'd be stinking and rich and charging lots of dough for opinions like this one, which you got for free.