The Great Debate - Which Way To Roll?

Several weeks ago I was visiting my parents, who live in a different state. I hadn't seen them for a while so it was great to be with them and talk to them about how they and the rest of the family were doing. While I was there, I noticed that they installed all their toilet paper rolls so that the paper was dispensed down the back side of the roll (See method A in illustration). I immediately brought this error to my dad's attention. I was surprised to find that he did not agree with me.

Believe it or not, there are people in our advanced society who fail to realize the correct way to install a roll of toilet paper. In doing a little research on the Internet, I was amazed to find out that the debate over which way to install toilet paper rolls has been going on since the invention of the toilet paper roll by Albany Perforated Wrapping Paper Company in 1877 and Scott Paper Company in 1879.

Prior to producing toilet paper in rolls, it was manufactured in sheets of varying sizes from the 2 feet by 3 feet sheets used by Chinese Emperors in the 14th Century to the small pre-moistened flat sheets medicated with aloe in 1857. Joseph Gayetty of New York began producing the first packaged toilet paper in the US under the name "Gayetty's Medicated Paper" and had his name printed on every sheet.

These sheets of paper were a big improvement over the grass, leaves, fur, corncobs, sponges on sticks, or pages from the Sears Catalog. There was even a catalog called the "Rears and Sorebutt" catalog that was mentioned along with the Farmer's Almanac with a hole in the corner so that it could be hung on a hook near the toilet for ease and availability.

The debate over the proper way to install the toilet paper roll has been going on for years. Method A (above) has the advantage that it is not accidentally unrolled by pets and children or by someone brushing up against it, whereas Method B has the advantage that it is easy to find the end of the roll. Other advantages and disadvantages are mentioned in literature and articles available in libraries and on the Internet.

Another interesting debate about toilet paper concerns the proper distance from the roll to the floor. While 24 inches seems to be the most popular height, 30 inches is also supported by many experts in the field.

One important detail about installing toilet paper rolls is that it must be located within easy reach of a person using the toilet. Believe it or not, I was in a hotel once where the roll was over 4 feet away and required that the user hop across the room to get to it.

Not a pretty sight!