0 WHAT IS THE CORRECT WAY TO HANG TOILET PAPER?

OVER! 

 
Ok, so you may or may not agree with the answer, and the royal debate as to which way is the best way will continue on until we run out of toilet paper.  I mean, toilet paper orientation has even led to many arguements for married couples and businesses and public places are not prone to this either -  Amundsen–Scott Research Station at the South Pole, had complaints raised over which way to install toilet paper.
All I can say for sure is, from researching the internet with its various polls, explanations, comments and 'scientific explanations', the method of choice from the masses is a resounding over!  

Whether it is the CORRECT way or not, well you'll just have to read on to see...

First of all, I'd like to show you some good points, (albeit funny), this one site made, which is probably the reasons why the majority of us hang their toilet paper over and not under:

"Toilet paper has a natural curve, a way of being that lends itself to certain orientations on the toilet paper spool."

Notice the dramatic difference in the amount of visible toilet paper which one sees.

It is easier to tear off a sheet-at-a-time, as oppose to a whole wad, thereby conserving and not wasting the toilet paper.

The one-handed tear relies on a quick and forceful motion directed either away from or towards the tear-er. The forces applied in this motion are great and, like the atom, are not to be trifled with.  The natural curve of the over-hung method allows the roll to stand fast after a one-handed tear, but the under-hung method creates a calamitous tendency in the roll. This tendency can only lead to this:

Opinions and Explanations

Ok, all jokes aside, 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 its 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.

The main reasons given by people to explain why they hang their toilet paper a given way are ease of grabbing and habit.  Some particular advantages cited for each orientation include:

• Over reduces the risk of accidentally brushing the wall or cabinet with one's knuckles, potentially transferring grime and germs.
• Over makes it easier to visually locate and to grasp the loose end.
• Over gives hotels, cruise ships, and homeowners with guest bathrooms the option to fold over the last sheet to show that the room has been cleaned.
• Over is generally the intended direction of viewing for the manufacturer's branding, so patterned toilet paper looks better this way.
• Under provides a tidier appearance, in that the loose end can be more hidden from view.
• Under reduces the risk that a toddler or a house pet, such as a dog or cat, will completely unroll the toilet paper when batting at the roll.
• Under in a recreational vehicle may reduce unrolling during driving.

On January 27, 2010, the 100th anniversary of Thomas Crapper's death, Cottonelle launched a "Great Debate" advertising campaign, inviting American consumers to vote their preference at a Kimberly-Clark website.  The result was announced during the 82nd Academy Awards: 72% had voted over.  In a more traditional preliminary survey of 1,000 Americans, Cottonelle found that "overs" are more likely than "unders" to notice a roll's direction (74%), to be annoyed when the direction is incorrect (24%), and to have flipped the direction at a friend's home (27%).



Ok, so the majority prefers OVER, but which way is the CORRECT way?

Well, according to icbe.org (The International Center for Bathroom Etiquette), who, by the way, hangs their toilet paper under, their official position is that you should just do whatever your wife (or whoever) tells you to. So, in other words, there is no right or wrong way - just YOUR way. But since majority usually rules, I'd have to say OVER.

Practically though, there are some sound reasons for under-rolling. In the first instance, taking advantage of the friction generated between the wall and the roll, pulling off the next sheet from the back-side should be marginally easier. Moreover, under-hanging is shown to afford the opportunity to take the paper with one hand, when, for example, changing a baby's diaper on the bathroom floor This manoeuvre is undertaken by grasping the loose end in hand, the back of which is placed firmly against the roll to stop the roll from turning, whence the next sheet of paper can be torn off.

However, the key reason cited for over-hangers, those who choose to have the flap hanging over, is hygiene-based. By 'overing', one ends up touching, with the wiping hand, fewer squares of paper that the next person will have to use.  And the less likelihood of the toilet paper rubbing up against the wall where alot of germs can accumulate since most people hardly think of cleaning it.

So there you have it!  There's no right or wrong way since it all depends on the person's perspective, culture and reasoning behind it.  Having said that, from numerous polls, it seems the preferred way for the majority is the over way.

I personally would have to agree with hanging it OVER instead of under because when you come to think of it, there are other everyday objects that dispense a sheet of material from a roll: fax machines, cash registers, plastic wrap, aluminum foil, and parchment paper - so why not toilet paper?


Besides, how are people to suppose to read my halloween "Booo" toilet paper if it's hung under instead of over?

So unless you have a pesky feline or own a recreational vehicle, I suggest you put the toilet paper hanging over instead of under.  And,  as icbe.org so brilliantly states: If you are single, why are you asking me? Hang it whichever damn way you please, until somebody you are trying to impress (or much, much bigger than you) tells you to hang it the other way.

Paperless Toilet

I mean, if all else fails, and your relationship is breaking up over this, you can always consider switching to the "Paperless Toilet" version like the good people of Japan who have been using them for years!

The Toilet Paper POLL

Source(s):  judyreiser.com/poll, currentconfig.com, encyclopedia.toiletpaperworld.com, wikipedia, icbe.org