TP: toward the wall or away from the wall?

This is a question that has always amused me because it's one not many people think about. I, in fact, always forget it's a topic that's funny to listen to until I see someone place the toilet paper on the holder where it feeds toward the wall, the opposite of my mindset. I know that aside from it involving the bathroom, this has nothing to do with shaving, but I'm interested to see if anyone else has ever considered it and what justifications will come up as to why they do what they do...
I've added a doesn't matter option to the poll just to see if this is something that irks only me. I do believe it matters, but I'm a little bit quirky when it comes to pet peaves.

Have fun with it

Adam

Always put mine in so it is away from the wall.


Not to hijack here, but another thing that annoys me with toilets is doors swinging into the bathroom. I want to be able to open the door without using my hand on the handle after I washed my hands. I can't do that if it swings inwards. (We use handles not those door-ball-knob-thingies here in Denmak)

Ok, this has been a major issue in my life - really (I may have a touch of OCD) :rolleyes:

I voted toward (you're tearing from the underside of the roll, if I'm understanding you).

For whatever reason, I've always preferred toward the wall. Maybe it’s just my technique. As a young man, I worked for a brief time at a five diamond hotel. While I didn't deal directly with TP, I did ask some knowledgeable folks what the proper way was. To my dismay, away from the wall (over the top) is considered "correct" - thus the nice folded point you see at finer hotels.

Nevertheless, I continued in my toward the wall ways until I got married - not worth the fight. :p

Jordan

Away from the wall. Cmon, everyone knows that. :)

Of course with little kids, it's neither towards the wall nor away from the wall, but rather "all over the floor."

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Originally Posted by Chady

Always put mine in so it is away from the wall.


Not to hijack here, but another thing that annoys me with toilets is doors swinging into the bathroom. I want to be able to open the door without using my hand on the handle after I washed my hands. I can't do that if it swings inwards. (We use handles not those door-ball-knob-thingies here in Denmak)

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I totally agree with the door knob thing too. I'm kinda weird about touching something after just washing my hands, because what was the point?

As far as the TP thing, I think it probably boils down to what my parents did. I was even corrected by my father if I put it where it fed toward the wall. Later in life, especially in arguments, I formulated reasons that my "over the top"(thanks jordan) feed was the right way, including a steamy shower resulting in paper stuck to the wall... Also almost killed the ex-girlfriend one time because she said it doesn't matter, but would feed it toward the wall sometimes. I guess that is the definition of "doesn't matter," but to me it was a slap in the face. If it doesn't matter, do it my way...:nj


Adam

There's only one correct answer: Toilet Paper is to be hung, and only hung, in the proper overhand (away from the wall) technique.

Anyone answering differently should be drawn and quartered.

I may be on the outs here....but I HATE hanging the TP. I prefer to have it sitting on the counter

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Originally Posted by IsaacRN

I may be on the outs here....but I HATE hanging the TP. I prefer to have it sitting on the counter

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...and you work in hospitals?...;)

Jordan

haha....yes I do

I just think i get better paper distribution slinging that roll around my hands rather than having it run the risk of touching the floor and what not if i get carried away.

ROFL

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Originally Posted by IsaacRN

I may be on the outs here....but I HATE hanging the TP. I prefer to have it sitting on the counter

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I thought about adding that as an option on the poll, but I think the ladies would agree that that option is typically a symptom of laziness or apathy. Therefore, I hope you'll vote "doesn't matter" if you never have put a roll of TP on the holder. Otherwise, I want to know which way you'd go if you ever did or had to...

LOL, Jordan. Nice point on the hospital:tu

Adam

The quick answer is towad the wall with little kids in the house (think of slapping the roll and having a mile of paper on the floor) away from the wall if there are no kids in the house.

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Originally Posted by IsaacRN

haha....yes I do

I just think i get better paper distribution slinging that roll around my hands rather than having it run the risk of touching the floor and what not if i get carried away.

ROFL

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I totally know what you mean and if my mother and then wife didn't yell at me, I would probably go with what you suggest. I just figured that for the purposes of this discussion, leaving the roll on the counter - or better yet on the top of the tank, was beyond the pale.

Great thread, by the way, CD :p

Jordan

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Originally Posted by IsaacRN

haha....yes I do

I just think i get better paper distribution slinging that roll around my hands rather than having it run the risk of touching the floor and what not if i get carried away.

ROFL

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Your answer here just made me think:

Since this is a site inhabited by gentlemen (and ladies) lets not address the "fold" v. "crumple" debate.

Also, wash your hands after tying your shoes - this is a Sapronos reference made by a Jersey boy living in NY.

(sorry, I'm a tad punchy after a night with about 2 hours sleep)

Jordan

Away from the wall, so you can easily put your hand on the top and pull the hanging bit to tear it.

The closer the TP is to anything, the dirtier that thing gets (especially with kids.)

My dream TP holder slowly rises out of the floor on a golden stand on voice command, and slowly ascends into the ceiling afterward via a fireman's pole. Dreams don't need explanations

Really though, toilet paper? Isn't there a better way? sheesh

My preference is "over the top." Looks better to me, especially if it's one of those rolls where the paper is decorated on one side. (Not something I would ever buy, of course. I would only buy manly paper, in plain white, khaki, or possibly camo, scented, if at all, with gunpowder and fish guts.)

But I have to admit KenS's answer makes sense.

And I have to further admit that the real correct answer is probably "Doesn't matter." Certainly, as far as I can tell, I'm the only person in my house who cares about it. :rolleyes:

~Rich

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Originally Posted by rastewart

My preference is "over the top." Looks better to me, especially if it's one of those rolls where the paper is decorated on one side. (Not something I would ever buy, of course. I would only buy manly paper, in plain white, khaki, or possibly camo, scented, if at all, with gunpowder and fish guts.)

But I have to admit KenS's answer makes sense.

And I have to further admit that the real correct answer is probably "Doesn't matter." Certainly, as far as I can tell, I'm the only person in my house who cares about it. :rolleyes:

~Rich

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I'm down with Rich and everyone else who voted away from the wall. It's over the top!

Its gotta by over the top for me too, I'll go so far as to change it even in another persons bathroom while I'm sitting there in order to spin it off the roll the way I want to.

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Originally Posted by Wildtim

Its gotta by over the top for me too, I'll go so far as to change it even in another persons bathroom while I'm sitting there in order to spin it off the roll the way I want to.

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:roflmao:roflmao:roflmao

I've done that more times than I can count. I think of it as converting the pagans...

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Originally Posted by jnich67

I totally know what you mean and if my mother and then wife didn't yell at me, I would probably go with what you suggest. I just figured that for the purposes of this discussion, leaving the roll on the counter - or better yet on the top of the tank, was beyond the pale.

Great thread, by the way, CD :p

Jordan

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Thanks, btw

over the top! why would anyone ever face it towards the wall?:thinking:

Easily over the top, my ex roommate was a towards the wall guy on the rare occasions he actually put a roll on. (Honest, you're literally sitting right there!)

As for the fold vs crumple, I didn't even know crumple was an option until recently.

But surely it’s over the top whichever way it comes of the roll:thinking::thinking::thinking: I’ve yet to see a roll that comes off the bottom:roflmao but mine is held vertical on a swing arm a bit like a bathroom mirror so it can go either way depending on far you swing the arm :hmmm::hmmm:

away from wall here.

funny topic.

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Originally Posted by jnich67

Ok, this has been a major issue in my life - really (I may have a touch of OCD) :rolleyes:

I voted toward (you're tearing from the underside of the roll, if I'm understanding you).

For whatever reason, I've always preferred toward the wall. Maybe it’s just my technique. As a young man, I worked for a brief time at a five diamond hotel. While I didn't deal directly with TP, I did ask some knowledgeable folks what the proper way was. To my dismay, away from the wall (over the top) is considered "correct" - thus the nice folded point you see at finer hotels.

Nevertheless, I continued in my toward the wall ways until I got married - not worth the fight. :p

Jordan

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Really hate to bring this up but it is has to do with hygiene. When using the roll you roll off the part that you last touched. People don't grab the very end of the roll and pull the paper off, they put their big grimy digits on the top and use friction to roll it off, thus rolling off the part that their big grimy digits were on if the roll is away from the wall. :bow

Later,
R

Away from the wall...
BTW the best roll holders are the C-shaped hooks that the roll slides on (open on one side) where you don't have to screw with the springy plastic dowels. Those are great and fast in the case where someone actually puts the friggin' thing on backwards!

The correct way is over the top away from the wall of course. There is only one valid excuse to hang it the incorrect facing the wall way, and that is if you have small children, dogs, or cats. Especially cats they will spin that roll until the entire thing is in a pile on the floor. If you hang it facing the wall they can still spin the roll, but it will not end up all over the floor. :)

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Originally Posted by hoglahoo

Really though, toilet paper? Isn't there a better way? sheesh

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I read an article today where someone who was hawking their new commode gadget (in-bowl bidet thing, might take some getting used to) said that "[using] toilet paper is like washing your dishes with paper towels."

Which, yeah, it kind of is. And for those of us who live in parts of the world that occasionally gets droughts (by which I mean virtually all of us), how much sense does it make to poop in your clean water supply?

Just a thought.

ObOnTopic: Over the top. Unless, as many have said, you have a cat. Then you pull some out of the pile on the floor, cursing at the cat and wondering why you keep feeding it and petting it and cleaning out the poobox. I mean, all you ask is that it keep the spider and fly population down so the sweetie doesn't get too weirded out or demand that you evict a giant eight-legged beasty from the shower at TWO IN THE MORNING when your arachnophobic honey gets up to pee. But no, you have a defective cat who blithely skips past the nest of spiders, stopping only to pat a mouse on the head on its way to the catnip toy before shredding the over-the-top toilet paper roll onto the floor. You know, that kid down the block looks like she wants a cat. It's much better than the burlap sack option that your sociopathic brother recommended last week. You briefly wonder how long it would take the partner to notice the cat missing. Microseconds, probably.

Aww... she's purrin'. That's so adorable!

-S.

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Originally Posted by Still_Ged

I read an article today where someone who was hawking their new commode gadget (in-bowl bidet thing, might take some getting used to) said that "[using] toilet paper is like washing your dishes with paper towels."

Which, yeah, it kind of is. And for those of us who live in parts of the world that occasionally gets droughts (by which I mean virtually all of us), how much sense does it make to poop in your clean water supply?

Just a thought.

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My wife is from an area where people never eat with their left hand - I guess TP is better than nothing, but I would prefer something more sanitary

TP has its place, but I don't know how we ever got on before the introduction of moist wipes. I was using baby wipes for a long time before J&J caught on. TMI? :D

Jordan

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Originally Posted by jnich67

TMI? :D

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Not at all! baby wipes are something I have a lot of!

After three marriages (sigh) I can tell you that it's a man/woman thing. Most men like the TP to hang away from the wall for convenience and women like it towards the wall for neatness. The rationale, as I understand it, is that the loose end of the roll is easier to hide and provides an overall better esthetic image, like a House Beautiful magazine photo.

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Originally Posted by Still_Ged

ObOnTopic: Over the top. Unless, as many have said, you have a cat. Then you pull some out of the pile on the floor, cursing at the cat and wondering why you keep feeding it and petting it and cleaning out the poobox. I mean, all you ask is that it keep the spider and fly population down so the sweetie doesn't get too weirded out or demand that you evict a giant eight-legged beasty from the shower at TWO IN THE MORNING when your arachnophobic honey gets up to pee. But no, you have a defective cat who blithely skips past the nest of spiders, stopping only to pat a mouse on the head on its way to the catnip toy before shredding the over-the-top toilet paper roll onto the floor. You know, that kid down the block looks like she wants a cat. It's much better than the burlap sack option that your sociopathic brother recommended last week. You briefly wonder how long it would take the partner to notice the cat missing. Microseconds, probably.

Aww... she's purrin'. That's so adorable!

-S.

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:roflmao So true!

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Originally Posted by Chimensch

After three marriages (sigh) I can tell you that it's a man/woman thing. Most men like the TP to hang away from the wall for convenience and women like it towards the wall for neatness. The rationale, as I understand it, is that the loose end of the roll is easier to hide and provides an overall better esthetic image, like a House Beautiful magazine photo.

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Thank you ! I always wondered why women always seem to put the toilet paper , in the holder backwards :hmmm: .

In the episode of The Simpsons where Homer and Marge have their kids taken away by Child Welfare, one of the citations on their list was that the toilet paper in their bathroom had been hung in the "improper overhand fashion." That's proof enough, right there.

Overhand looks so unkempt. When the paper is "flush" with the wall, it maximizes space, and in addition, the cat won't run on the roll with his front paws like it's a mini treadmill. So many times I've gone in the bathroom to find a pile of TP on the floor.

If you'll stuff a used anti-static cling sheet into the roll (between the tp holder and the cardboard), it will provide just the right amount of friction to allow the roll to turn without continuing to spin when you yank a sheet from the roll.

I think it's genius :tu

Away from the wall dammit, AWAY I tell you!!!
There are many reasons for this. You can see the serrations the seperate the sheets without having a massive tail of tissue trailing to the floor. If you have one of those chrome swivel toilet roll holders, then in positioning the paper twards the wall it becomes more difficult to pull the roll to the desired length without tearing it. Some more reasons I can't think of right now......
Always AWAY from the wall!!!

Can you tell this is one of my pet peaves? (Pedantic or what?)

Connor

Moved this from "General" to "The Conversation" for the more appropriate place for this thread.

Having raised a number of kids, I dont really care which way it goes as long as its there when I need it. Not much worse than looking at an empty cob!:eek:

This reminds me of the time when my daughter started going to the toilet. 'Daddy look how much paper it put in the toilet already...' :)