An immensely detailed article in Wikipedia discusses "toilet paper orientation," presenting the pros and cons of the "over" configuation vs. the "under" configuation (shown above).
"The choice is largely a matter of personal preference, dictated by habit. In surveys of American consumers and of bath and kitchen specialists, 60–70% of respondents prefer over.
Despite being a trivial topic, people often hold strong opinions on the matter. Advice columnist Ann Landers said that the subject was the most controversial issue in her column's history. Defenders of either position cite advantages ranging from aesthetics, hospitality, and cleanliness; to paper conservation and the ease of detaching individual squares. Celebrities and experts are found on both sides..."
Those with time to kill during this blizzard are invited to peruse the entire article, but what caught my attention were quotations from two celebrities:
Favoring "Over": Jay Leno, comedian. Leno "...will even change the paper at others' houses, saying if people don't have it right, they obviously don't know which way it's supposed to go."
Favoring "Under": Ann Landers, advice columnist: "I'm very compulsive about it. The toilet paper needs to be hung down along the wall. I'll actually rearrange it myself if I'm over at someone's home and I see it hung over the top."
As a Facilities Manager for many years, working with ADA regs and consulting with Courage Center (and users) on the interpretations to make our college accessible, OVER is the way to go. UNDER is more difficult to grab and tear.
ReplyDeleteStella
Stella, is the orientation "regulated" at your facility, or do the staff place the rolls at their own personal discretion?
ReplyDeleteIf you have a toddler or a cat, under is the only option.
ReplyDeleteN.Normal here.
ReplyDeleteI am 52 and I have to honestly report that this is the first time this distinction has entered my consciousness. Hello...
PS Love your site.
OVER is training standard,as some commercial TP comes w/o paper wrap with directions. No discretion, and these dispensers would function either way.
ReplyDeleteCOMMERCIAL: Depends on your contract with distributor. Free dispensers and service and repair/replace with contract for higher paper purchase over time or buy the dispenser and shop for paper price.
And mfg. and dst. of paper and dispensers, in my experience, direct installation OVER, or OUT if one of those jumbo dispensers. In commercial applications/mechanics, UNDER won't work.
Hotesl can't do the cute pointed TP if it's under. Financially, their disadvantage, as you can rip more easily if it's OVER!
My initial experience was with a department head with an ostomy bag and some related physical disabilty. His concern lead to the research with CC and others and led to the training standard.
Hope that answers.
Stella
Thank you Stella. This blog has readers with an incredible variety of expertise.
ReplyDeletestan
Under is preferred by parents of toddlers because over allows a child to unwind the entire roll with a few swats of the hand.
ReplyDeleteWe have great pics of long runs of TP down the hall and into the living room with dogs over the years who have discovered the motherlode of fun. Persistently. Also pulling tissues out of the box like that eternal motion bird/water thingie. And the ultimate score - the cardboard core. Yum! Bonus for the humans is discovering some of it again in the back yard.
ReplyDeleteStella
While looking up something else, I found this bit of trivia:
ReplyDelete"In WWII, the American Army allocated 22.5 sheets of toilet paper per day for its soldiers, and the British allocated three." (Fussell, The Boys Crusade, Modern Library 2003)
"In WWII, the American Army allocated 22.5 sheets of toilet paper per day for its soldiers, and the British allocated three."
ReplyDeleteMy grandfather was a British soldier and he always ussed to say "One for up, one for down and one for polish". That makes sense now.
the roll goes over the top. I've got kids and a cat. The cat shreds the roll that pops up from underneath and the kids can unroll the paper in either orientation the solution to the problem of kids and pets is to keep the bathroom door closed not to install the t.p. in the incorrect orientation.
ReplyDeleteI actually remember seeing part of an episode of Oprah devoted to this topic, it must be at least 15 years ago now. The episode was discussing a book called "Do you do it with the lights on?". I haven't read the book, but toilet-paper orientation is apparently one of the issues discussed in it. I remember Oprah voicing a preference for "over" (for ease of tearing), demonstrating it with a handy roll-and-holder arrangement that she had handy, at which point the audience cheered, and I decided forever that Oprah audiences were very strange indeed.
ReplyDeleteStill, since that episode I have also favoured over, and become a compulsive TP rearranger at others' houses if the paper comes out under the roll. Go figure.
If a guest rearranged my toilet paper, there would be none the next time they arrived! :) Unless it was Jay Leno or Ann Landers.
ReplyDeleteIt seems disrespectful to change the paper orientation at someone else's house. I wouldn't impose my opinions about any decorating or organizing decision on them in their home. (I favor over. If somebody changed it for me in my house, I'd change it right back.)
ReplyDeleteMy hubby and I have quite enjoyed this post and wasting some time over at Wikipedia...I can honestly say I had no idea that this was such a big issue. In fact I was amazed when my hubby (who is anything but domestic) suddenly decided after 30 years of marriage that he preferred the 'over' configuration. The only reason I could think of as to why I had been installing it opposite to that related to toddlers that are now grown up and gone from home. When I find that I must change the roll now, I have no problem going his way, since it seems to matter, and I truly don't notice how it's done elsewhere.
ReplyDeleteI recall the question being raised in a computer programing class (many years ago). The instructor's point was that he didn't care how we answered the question but if we had a specific preference on the toilet paper question, and a reason for our response, we were probably displaying the requisite attention to detail to apply to writing computer program code.
ReplyDeleteBy the way, I favor "Over".
Over and out.
My mother taught me to place the t.p. in the UNDER configuration, so that you can just whack at the roll and make it roll up, if the paper is hanging down too far.
ReplyDeleteMy husband says that it's times when you NEED the paper that are important, NOT times you want to roll it up, so he's an OVER type.
Neither of us seems likely to change. But we have three bathrooms in our house, thank goodness.
We need a second post of 'folders' vs 'waders'
ReplyDeleteI hate it when it's under; it's much harder to get, and your touching the wall, and it's harder to tear off the right amount.
ReplyDelete